Unclaimed estates in Sussex you could inherit if you have one of these 238 surnames – updated May 2025
The Treasury has updated a list of unclaimed estates in Sussex people could be entitled to through an unknown relative.
If you have one of these surnames you could be in the money, as the Treasury has updated its list of unclaimed estates in Sussex this month. An unclaimed estate is when someone passes away without having an effective will in place, and no family comes forward to claim their estate. When this happens, the deceased’s property will become ‘ownerless property’ and will be in possession of the Crown. However, within a 12-year period from when the Crown possesses the estate, family members can come forward if they believe they are entitled to a share of the deceased’s relative’s property.
For unclaimed estates before 1997, the Treasury will allow claims up to 30 years from the date of the person’s death, subject to no interest being paid on the money that is held – if the claim is received after the 12-year period has ended.
Who is entitled to an unclaimed estate?
If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will the following relatives are entitled to the estate in the order shown below:
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
If you are, for example, a first cousin of the deceased, you would only be entitled to share in the estate if there are no relatives above you in the order of entitlement, for example, a niece or nephew.
How to claim an unclaimed estate: Anyone who believes they might be entitled to a share of an unclaimed estate should contact the Treasury via the government website.
Surnames of unclaimed estates and places of death in Sussex
1: Adie – Chichester
2: Ainsley – St Leonards
3: Alegbeh – St Leonards
4: Alias – Hove
5: Allen – Eastbourne
6: Anderson – Brighton
7: Armstrong – Eastbourne
8: Ashworth – Polegate
9: Atkins – Newhaven
10: Baddick – St Leonards
11: Baker – Brighton
12: Bangerter – Worthing
13: Barker – Hastings
14: Barker – Eastbourne
15: Barnett – Brighton
16: Bartlett – Hastings
17: Beard – Worthing
18: Beezer – Fenhurst
19: Bennette – Battle
20: Best – Felpham
21: Bird – Brighton
22: Bird – Haywards Heath
23: Bird – Chichester
24: Bishop – St Leonards
25: Black – Worthing
26: Blake – Worthing
27: Branford – Chichester
28: Breen – Hailsham
29: Brennan – Littlehampton
30: Brook – Eastbourne
31: Brooke – Brighton
32: Brooks – Bognor Regis
33: Brown – Bognor Regis
34: Brown – Bexhill
35: Brown – Brighton
36: Brown – Chichester
37: Budd – Brighton
38: Buettner – Brighton
39: Bulcraig – Brighton
40: Burke – Chichester
41: Burke – Hove
42: Burt – Brighton
43: Clarke – Portslade
44: Clarke – Brighton
45: Clinton – Bexhill
46: Cobbett – Brighton
47: Connell – Brighton
48: Corcoran – St Leonards
49: Cotes – Eastbourne
50: Coult – Brighton
51: Courtice – Lancing
52: Cousins – Worthing
53: Cowling – Hove
54: Crawley – St Leonards
55: Crisp – Brighton
56: Crosbie-Parish – Brighton
57: Dalby – Hove
58: Daly – Brighton
59: Davies – Eastbourne
60: Davis – Worthing
61: Day – St Leonard
62: De Benetti – Goring
63: De Cavalho – Brighton
64: De Souza – Eastbourne
65: De Villiers – Haywards Heath
66: Dean – Brighton
67: Deason – Hastings
68: Donovan – Eastbourne
69: Dougal – Haywards Heath
70: Drinkwater – Uckfield
71: Dubois – Brighton
72: Eberall – Hassocks
73: Edwards – Burgess Hill
74: Errath – Brighton
75: Evans – Brighton
76: Fabry-de-Neddy Nahas – Brighton
77: Fallon – St. Leonards
78: Farrell – St.Leonards
79: Finnis – Worthing
80: Foster – Bognor Regis
81: Francis-Price – Polegate
82: Freeman – Hayward Heath
83: Gallagher – Eastbourne
84: Garba – Hove
85: Garret – Littlehampton
86: Gauthier – Hove
87: George – Brighton
88: Gibson – Worthing
89: Goddard – Hove
90: Godfrey – Arundel
91: Godwin – Brighton
92: Goode – Brighton
93: Goodyear – Chichester
94: Gordon – Horsham
95: Gorsulowski – Chichester
96: Grant – St. Leonards
97: Greeno – Polegate
98: Hadler – St Leonards
99: Hall – Eastbourne
100: Hanbury – St Leonards
101: Harnisch – Brighton
102: Harris – Worthing
103: Harrison – Littlehampton
104: Hassett – Littlehampton
105: Hayward – Battle
106: Hertelendy – Eastbourne
107: Hill – Southwick
108: Hiraeth – Hove
109: Hoar – West Sussex
110: Hoban – Littlehampton
111: Homewood – Hove
112: Hope – Polegate
113: Horowitz – Eastbourne
114: Hunt – Brighton
115: Hyland – Etchingham
116: Ignatowicz – Eastbourne
117: Jacobson – Haywards Heath
118: James – Cowfold
119: Jarman – Hove
120: Johnson – St Leonards
121: Johnson – Lindfield
122: Jones – Bexhill
123: Jordaan – Etchingham
124: Kanda – Eastbourne
125: Kathib – Peacehaven
126: Kavanagh – Crawley
127: Kenny – St Leonards
128: Khan – Littlehampton
129: Kimmin-Hart – Hailsham
130: King – Haywards Heath
131: Kitchen – Hastings
132: Knight – Horsham
133: Koleszar – Eastbourne
134: Kowal – Crawley
135: Ladyman – Brighton
136: Lambert – Brighton
137: Lang – Worthing
138: Lashmer-Parsons – Brighton
139: Launay – St.Leonards
140: Lawlor – Hastings
141: Leahy – Brighton
142: Lee-Ying – Eastbourne
143: Lowndes – East Grinstead
144: Lynfield – Worthing
145: Manse – Middleton on Sea
146: Mansell – Chichester
147: Marais – Newhaven
148: Markando – Hove
149: Marlow – Brighton
150: Martin – Eastbourne
151: Martin – Hove
152: Mason – Burgess Hill
153: Mason – Littlehampton
154: Mayer – St.Leonards
155: Mayes – Hastings
156: McDonagh – Littlehampton
157: McKeown – Brighton
158: McLaughlin – Chichester
159: McNamara – Brighton
160: Mohsenin – Brighton
161: Moon – Eastbourne
162: Muir – Chichester
163: Musson – Horsted Keynes
164: Myers – Brighton
165: Nash – Brighton
166: Nese – Hove
167: Newcombe – Chichester
168: O'Brian – Uckfield
169: O'Connor – Eastbourne
170: O'Shea – Pease Pottage
171: Pillinger – Eastbourne
172: Piper – Selsey
173: Pratt – Eastbourne
174: Preece – St Leonards
175: Pugh – St Leonards
176: Raven – Lancing
177: Redfern – Goring
178: Rennert – Brighton
179: Ribeiro – Hastings
180: Rider – Hove
181: Rigg – Bognor Regis
182: Robinson – Bognor Regis
183: Robiquet – Bognor Regis
184: Rodrigues – Worthing
185: Rogers – Hove
186: Romero – Hove
187: Rudoi – Middleton-on-Sea
188: Russell – Eastbourne
189: Ryan – Eastbourne
190: Sabuk – Worthing
191: Sarkies – Hastings East Sussex
192: Sawzcuk – Bognor Regis
193: Schulz – Eastbourne
194: Shattock – East Sussex
195: Sheen – Steyning
196: Silvano – Horsham
197: Silverthorn – Eastbourne
198: Sir Ivan Hoe – Worthing
199: Smith – Chichester
200: Smith – St Leonards
201: Smith – Worthing
202: Smith – Worthing
203: Smith – Brighton
204: Smith-Simpson – Brighton
205: Sorrell – Littlehampton
206: Stevens – St Leonards
207: Stewart – Haywards Heath
208: Stimpson – St Leonards
209: Sumray – Brighton
210: Tanner – Burgess Hill
211: Tapp – Worthing
212: Taylor – St Leonards
213: Taylor – Peacehaven
214: Thomas – Worthing
215: Thompson – Brighton
216: Timms – St Leonards
217: Tippen – Eastbourne
218: Tomaz – St Leonards
219: Veitch – Henfield
220: Walcott – Selham
221: Walk – Chichester
222: Wall – St Leonards
223: Wallis – Brighton
224: Walter – Worthing
225: Wardle – Brighton
226: Warwick – Polegate
227: Wheatland – Worthing
228: White – Brighton
229: Whitehead – Eastbourne
230: Wilkinson – Hastings
231: Williams – Worthing
232: Williams – Haywards Heath
233: Wilson – Brighton
234: Wood – Bognor Regis
235: Woolfe – St Leonards
236: Wright – Bexhill
237: Wright – Horsham
238: Young – Lancing