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A 70-year-old hermit who lived without electricity or gas has left a surprising £250,000 windfall for 31 relatives he knew nothing about.
Richard Ticehurst was found dead last February in his dilapidated terrace house – where the top floor ceilings had collapsed – in Eastbourne, East Sussex, with no will and with little known about his family.
The local government was tasked with arranging his funeral, and then the genealogist agency Finders International – stars of BBC’s Heir Hunters – was called in to investigate Richard’s family and background.
It was discovered that Richard had an estate worth £250,000 and 31 relatives in five countries and three continents who will inherit a surprising windfall.
Distant relative Yvonne Fraser, who emigrated to Australia from Manchester in 1974, was one of the identified beneficiaries.
Distant relative Yvonne Fraser was one of the identified beneficiaries – here she is pictured with her son Darren and daughter Adele
Richard Ticehurst was found dead in his dilapidated terraced house – where the top floor ceilings had collapsed – in Eastbourne, East Sussex
The search of Richard’s house gave a glimpse of how he lived – which has been described as ‘shocking to see’
Ernest Ticehurst (with glasses) was Yvonne’s maternal grandfather – he and Richard’s father, Alfred Ticehurst, were brothers
Speaking of the surprise money, the mother of two said, “It came out of the blue. I never knew anything about Richard; however, when Finders explained the connections, it made sense.
“I now understand that my mother Muriel Ticehurst, who passed away in 2019, was Richard’s first cousin.
“So my maternal grandfather Ernest Ticehurst and Richard’s father, Alfred Ticehurst, were brothers. It’s just great.’
Tragically, Richard died without ever knowing anything about his distant relatives.
Emergency services were called to his home on February 3, 2021, although it took days for anyone to notice that he had not been seen.
He was pronounced dead in the house he had lived in since birth after his mother, Gladys, left it to him after her death in 2000.
Emergency services were called to Richard’s house on February 3, 2021, although it took days for anyone to notice that he had not been seen
Richard’s house showed clear signs of self-neglect – there was no electricity or gas
Danny Curran, from Finders International: ‘Part of our research often takes us to the property where the deceased lived to find important documents, such as a will. The search of Richard’s house gave a glimpse of how he lived.
“It was quite shocking and incredibly sad to see.”
Richard’s house showed obvious signs of self-neglect – there was no electricity or gas and the ceilings on the top floor had collapsed. Richard was known to function without power at night with a flashlight on his head.
According to local residents, he was ‘a sort of hermit’ and ‘had no visitors’.
Despite the dilapidated state of his house and the very poor living conditions, Richard had more than a quarter of a million pounds on his estate.
It was soon determined by Finders International that he was an only child and had never married or had children.
His mother, Gladys, was also an only child, so the research team focused on his father Alfred’s family and found a total of 31 residents in England, Scotland, Canada, Australia and America.
And while Richard never got to meet his long-lost family, Yvonne is thrilled to have reconnected with hers because of Richard’s legacy.
She said, “I’m totally impressed with how Finders tracked me down and indeed found us all, scattered all over the world.
“Not only have I lived in Australia for almost 50 years, but I’m also divorced and remarried, so I use a different last name as well.
The grandparents of Yvonne Fraser Ernest Ticehurst, 22, and Eva Gladys Wood, 19 in 1921
“We have been lucky enough to reunite with some of our relatives. Some relatives have come to visit us in Australia.
‘The gaps in our family tree have also been filled in – so it seems that Richard ‘a recluse’ managed in death to reconnect the next generation of his family.
“It’s just a shame we didn’t know Richard when he was alive, especially since it seems he struggled to live on his own.”
If no relatives had been discovered, the money would have gone to the Crown.
Finders International also revealed that a staggering £3.3 million is waiting to be claimed – with 6,7,000 cases still languishing on the government’s list of unclaimed estates.
Danny Curran said: ‘Being a beneficiary of an estate from someone you didn’t or barely knew is more common than people expect.
“Every year we reunite money with hundreds of surprised relatives.
“If the estate is not claimed within 12 years, it will go back to the treasury. As of today, we estimate that there is a minimum of £3.3m waiting to be claimed. This is an astonishing amount of money.’
For more information on what Finders International does, visit: www.findersinternational.co.uk