List of 24 unclaimed estates in Sunderland that you could inherit if you have these surnames - how to claim

If you have one of these surnames you could be entitled to some money as the treasury has released a full list of unclaimed estates in Sunderland. An unclaimed estate is when someone dies without leaving a will, or when an old will is in place and the beneficiaries have died.

When this occurs, the property of the person who dies and has no one to directly claim their possessions, the property is deemed ‘ownerless’ and is then in possession of the crown.

From when the Crown possesses the state, a 12-year window opens where family members can come forward if they believe they are entitled to a share of the deceased relative’s property.

There is an order of priority when family members come forward to claim an unclaimed estate. This is done based on how close the relative is. So, for example, half uncles and half aunts are low on priority.

This is who can claim and unclaimed estate:

1. husband, wife or civil partner
2. children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on
3. mother or father
4. brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
5. half brothers or sisters or their children (nieces and nephews of the half blood or their children). ‘Half ’ means they share only one parent with the deceased
6. grandparents
7. uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
8. half uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins of the half blood or their children). ‘Half’ means they only share one grandparent with the deceased, not both

Full list of unclaimed estates in Sunderland

1. Andrews
2. Bray
3. Clark
4. Clark
5. Conway
6. Dixon
7. Elliot
8. Haylett
9. Homer
10. Humphrey
11. Isaacs
12. Johnson
13. Marsh
14. McCann
15. Melton
16. Melville
17. Moran
18. Potts
19. Sargent
20. Saunders
21. Swartz
22. Taylor
23. Tyler
24. Young

How to claim an unclaimed estate

Anyone who believes they might be entitled to a share of an unclaimed estate should contact The Treasury on the government website.