THERE is a chance of inheriting unclaimed fortunes across Ceredigion.

On October 25, the UK treasury released an updated list of unclaimed estates from across the UK including a number of Ceredigion estates. The estates featured here relate to people who either died in the Ceredigion areas or were born in the areas.

Anyone related to the people in the list below could be in with the chance of inheriting a fortune.

Anne Elizabeth Mary James

Anne was born in Cellan, Lampeter, on April 17, 1938. She died a spinster in Lampeter on March 11, 2005.

Frederick Richard Smart

Frederick was born in the United Kingdom. He died a bachelor on January 11, 1995, in Lampeter.

Heather Caple

Heather was born on April 11, 1941, in Slough. She died a widow on July 4, 1994, in Ystrad Meurig, Dyfed.

Mair Whiting

Mair was born Mair Morgan on September 5, 1942, in Aberystwyth. She was the widow of Brian Whiting and died on September 20, 2010, in Newport, Gwent.

When a person dies without leaving a will and there appear to be no family members the estate passed to the Crown as ownerless property.

In general, estates held on the list can be claimed within a 12-year deadline, from the date the estate was taken into possession of the Crown.

The list of unclaimed estates is updated and published on the government’s website.

When it comes to 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. The estate could be monetary or physical such as property or possessions.

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will the following 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.