Are you a secret millionaire? The 21 unclaimed Lancashire estates up for grabs

When someone dies with no will or no known family, their property will be passed on to the Crown as ownerless property.

This is called ‘Bona Vacantia’. This could be any type of property, including buildings, money or personal possessions, ranging from very little value to potentially millions.

However, people could be entitled to a share of the deceased person’s property, or estate, if you’re a relative.

The latest release published by the Treasury Solicitor has revealed that there are 21 people with unclaimed assets with links to Lancashire. The details on the value of their estates haven’t been published.

When someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will the following people are entitled to claim the estate. - husband, wife or civil partner - children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on - mother or father - brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews) - half brothers or sisters or their children - grandparents - uncles and aunts or their children - half uncles and aunts or their children.

If you notice a name on this list which you think could be a former relative then you could be in for a bit of money. To register a claim for the estate, send a family tree to the Bona Vacantia Division of the Government Legal Department. This must show how you are related to the person who has died, and include the dates of birth, marriage and death of all those on the tree.

If it appears you are entitled to claim the estate, then you may be asked to prove your relation through birth certificates etc.

Here is a list of the people who have died and their date of birth who have links to Lancashire.

James Geoghan - 20/11/1933Alan Allen - 29/08/1938Marjorie Dorothy Brannen - 12/03/1920James Vincent Burke - 31/07/1922John Henry Collins - 13/03/1925Ian Joseph Dawson - 28/06/1944Olive Gaca - Maiden name Hirst, 24/08/1920Agnes Berth Hammett - 08/01/1905Alan Heap - 12/05/1931John Irvin - 18/05/1909Edward Allan Johnson - 04/03/1922Alice Lowe - 17/09/1925Hilda LyonsPhyllis Noble - 16/06/1927Patrick William O'Connor - 18/06/1927Derek Partington - 01/11/1933Hilda Florence Rigby - 19/04/1905Elizabeth Doris Rock - 25/08/1909Alvis Sheila Ryder-Brittain - 19/11/1937Thomas Sharples - 22/07/1913Elizabeth White - 26/12/1927