According to an online database, there are 54 estates in Essex that are currently sitting unclaimed with the Government.

Members of the public are mostly unaware that the details of thousands of unclaimed estates are recorded and kept online – and you can make a claim to one of them if you’ve got the right surname.

As reported by the Croydon Advertiser, all the information is kept on a spreadsheet that can be accessed by anyone.

The Government are responsible for taking care of the estates due to the deceased passing away without first making a will or with no named next of kin.

The database shows that there are currently 54 unclaimed estates in Essex that bear 51 different surnames – one of which could be your family name.

Some of the estates have been listed by the Government for decades, and will revert to the Crown permanently if they remain unidentified.

According to Finders International – a specialist probate genealogist team – family members and heirs have just 12 years to claim the estate once it has been declared unclaimed to the Crown.

Any member of the public can check the Central Probate Registry online at any time to see if any next of kin are on the unclaimed list.

If you believe that you are the rightful heir to one of the listed estates, you can find out how to make a claim by clicking here.

The Essex names on the list are:

Allen

Balding

Barbour

Bendall

Blair

Blanks

Bradd

Brown

Butler

Charlick

Clarkson

Coleby

Collins

Craford

Davey

Drake

Elsdon

Fuller

Gould

Hammond

Harrison

Hassett

Hinds

Holland

Holmans

Horton

Jennings

Jiggens

Lambert

Little

Manning

Mayne

McLeod

Pearman

Rees

Reeves

Scott

Shrubb

Slade

Smith

Spearing

Spilling

Taylor

Thorpe

Tracey

Walsh

Welch

West

White

Wright

Young

This article has been first published in essexlive.news