Unclaimed estates in Sussex: These surnames could be in line for a surprise windfall

If you have one of these surnames you could be in the money, with the Treasury updating its list of unclaimed 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 this order: 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) and 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 – Fernhurst

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 Sussex

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 – Hove

151: Mason – Burgess Hill

152: Mason – Littlehampton

153: Mayer – St Leonards

154: Mayes – Hastings

155: McDonagh – Littlehampton

156: McKeown – Brighton

157: McLaughlin – Chichester

158: McNamara – Brighton

159: Mohsenin – Brighton

160: Moon – Eastbourne

161: Muir – Chichester

162: Musson – Horsted Keynes

163: Myers – Brighton

164: Nash – Brighton

165: Nese – Hove

166: Newcombe – Chichester

167: O'Brian – Uckfield

168: O'Connor – Eastbourne

169: O'Shea – Pease Pottage

170: Pillinger – Eastbourne

171: Piper – Selsey

172: Pratt – Eastbourne

173: Preece – St Leonards

174: Prentice – Hastings

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: Sargeant – East Grinstead

192: Sarkies – Hastings

193: Sawzcuk – Bognor Regis

194: Schulz – Eastbourne

195: Shattock – East Sussex

196: Sheen – Steyning

197: Silvano – Horsham

198: Silverthorn – Eastbourne

199: Sir Ivan Hoe – Worthing

200: Smith – Chichester

201: Smith – St Leonards

202: Smith – Worthing

203: Smith – Worthing

204: Smith – Brighton

205: Smith-Simpson – Brighton

206: Sorrell – Littlehampton

207: Stevens – St Leonards

208: Stewart – Haywards Heath

209: Stimpson – St Leonards

210: Sumray – Brighton

211: Tanner – Burgess Hill

212: Tapp – Worthing

213: Taylor – St Leonards

214: Taylor – Peacehaven

215: Thomas – Worthing

216: Thompson – Brighton

217: Timms – St Leonards

218: Tippen – Eastbourne

219: Tomaz – St Leonards

220: Veitch – Henfield

221: Walcott – Selham

222: Walk – Chichester

223: Wall – St Leonards

224: Wallis – Brighton

225: Walter – Worthing

226: Wardle – Brighton

227: Warwick – Polegate

228: Wheatland – Worthing

229: White – Brighton

230: Whitehead – Eastborne

231: Wilkinson – Hastings

232: Williams – Worthing

233: Williams – Haywards Heath

234: Wilson – Brighton

235: Wood – Bognor Regis

236: Woolfe – St Leonards

237: Wright – Bexhill

238: Wright – Horsham

239: Young – Lancing