According to an online database, there are 112 estates in Somerset that are currently sitting unclaimed with the Government.

And if you’ve got the right surname, you can make a claim to one of them.

Members of the public are mostly unaware that the details of thousands of unclaimed estates are recorded and kept online, and there are 102 surnames listed in Somerset locations.

All the information is kept on a spreadsheet that can be accessed by anyone.

If a person passes away without first making a will or with no named next of kin, the Government is responsible for taking care of that person’s estate.

The database shows that there are currently 112 unclaimed estates in Somerset that bear 102 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.

Surnames listed for unclaimed fortunes in Somerset

Andrews

Badcock

Baker

Baron

Bennett

Bergin

Berry

Best-Starr

Birar

Bishop

Boyd

Bracey

Brito

Buys

Cameron

Cann

Chapman

Clark

Clements

Coles

Collins

Coode

Cooksley

Corono

Coulston

Driver

Ellis

Emms

Evans

Fear

Field

Fortune

Gaez

Gibbons

Gibbs

Groom

Hagan

Hamblin

Harvey

Hatton

Heacock

Heath

Hereszczuk

Hobbs

Howick

Huddleston

Jefferey

King

Lee

Leece

Liesis

Makin

Marsh

McDonagh

McDonald

McRobie

Mear

Millar

Millen

Miller

Morgan

Morris

Nash

Nazaryn

Neill

Newman

Oliver

Paget

Partington

Perry

Phelps

Poltorzycka

Pring

Randolph

Richards

Samuda

Samway

Sellick

Shears

Slaney

Smith

Squires

Stirrups

Stone

Tucker

Turner

Van

Wirdum

Vejs

Venn

von Muller

Waddon

Walsh

Walters

Ward

Webber

White

Whitley

Whittaker

Wilby

Woodland

Young

This article has been first published in somersetlive.co.uk