Why your will might be invalid
Historically, people instructed their solicitor to draft their will. However, in recent years more and more of us are turning to DIY wills – including template packs that can be bought in high street...
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Local Authorities and Heir Hunters research made public
In May 2018 Anglia Research took the step of sending every council in England and Wales a copy of their draft consultation report, highlighting the problems that arise when local authorities form...
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A Christmas letter from the Western Front
The photograph above is one of many iconic images of the Christmas truce of 1914. It shows two members of the London Rifle Brigade (left and centre) posing with a group of German soldiers. Here,...
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Inheritances that open doors
Two years ago, when Susan Cook received a phone call about a possible inheritance, she signed an agreement with Anglia Research and then promptly forgot about it as day-to-day worries took over. In...
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The empty housing scandal
A small but significant proportion of the UK’s 200,000 unoccupied dwellings are empty as a direct result of an intestacy. Through the process of locating relatives entitled to inherit from an...
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How ATS war records solved a case
Sometimes the details on birth, marriage and death certificates present genealogists with a baffling puzzle of varying dates and changing names. In cases like these, it’s important to remember that a...
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Fake copies of our website made us disappear from Google search
Our web developer Gary Robertson reports on a little known black hat technique repurposed to attack the Anglia Research website. He argues that the ease with which bad players can hide their identities...
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Finding next of kin for SAS men of WW2
The clandestine nature of Special Air Service (SAS) operations means that despite the unit’s prominent role in modern military history, the individuals involved are often forgotten. In this article,...
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A name for an unknown soldier
When the BBC announced an appeal to trace the relatives of a British soldier killed in Italy during World War 2, Eileen Butcher stepped up to the challenge. Here she reports on the work of the Joint...
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Anglia Research funds history prize at University of Suffolk
Anglia Research turns forty this year and to mark the occasion we’re funding a new history prize for the University of Suffolk. Managing director Peter Turvey explains. I was born in Lancashire and...
View ArticleAnglia Research recognised in Parliamentary Review
We are proud to announce that Anglia Research features in this year’s Parliamentary Review, as a “best practice representative” for 2019. Billed as “an indispensable guide to industry best practice”,...
View ArticleUnentitled relatives – when is a relative not an heir?
Despite their apparent simplicity, the rules of intestacy allow ample scope for misunderstanding when people approach them with false assumptions. In this article, Rosie Kelly takes a close look at...
View ArticleProbate Research needs regulation by Government
Joe Lander, our Business Development Manager, worked for many years for leading financial services companies. Unlike the probate genealogy sector, financial services are regulated by the Government. In...
View ArticlePublic Health Funerals: next of kin left vulnerable
Updated government guidance for councils on Public Health Funerals addresses some problems with heir hunters. In this article, we argue that the guidance does not go far enough, but that there are...
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Hannah fixes error by council’s heir hunters
In this article we examine a case in which a council passed an intestacy to a firm of heir hunters who incorrectly traced as a beneficiary someone not even related to the deceased. It illustrates how...
View ArticleFraudulent wills and probate fraud in England & Wales
Probate fraud can take many different forms. In some cases executors or administrators ignore directions in a valid will to misappropriate assets. In other cases the will is fraudulently modified by...
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Tale of a hidden hero
All of our cases have a human story behind what may look like dry genealogical detail. Every life has its interest; its relationships, happinesses and setbacks. Case manager Hannah Horton was...
View ArticleUsing social media during bereavement
The widespread use of social media has changed many interactions in our lives including those during bereavement. In this guest article, Lisa Lund of the National Bereavement Service gives advice on...
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Celebrating changes to wedding registration
Mothers’ names have traditionally been excluded from marriage certificates. However, it was announced in 2019 that this was finally to be updated. These changes took effect on May 4th 2021, and mean...
View ArticleBankruptcy searches should be international
To mitigate the risk of claims being made against them, personal representatives, solicitors and executors involved in distributing estates should commission bankruptcy and insolvency searches abroad...
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