Taylor Emmet’s Wills and Trusts Disputes team acted for the Personal Representative of a substantial estate worth over £2 million in a rare and complex kin inquiry that has resulted in what appears to be the first reported kin inquiry for approximately a century.
The case, later reported by The Independent, involved a man known as McDonald Noel who died without leaving a will and with no immediately identifiable close family. The team navigated the complex legal and evidential challenges presented by a complex family tree spanning across multiple Caribbean islands and generations.
Genealogists were originally involved in identifying the possible beneficiaries of McDonald’s estate. Evidence emerged suggesting that McDonald’s father, Stanley Dorant, had travelled between Trinidad and Barbados during his lifetime and had potentially fathered children on each island. It was therefore unclear how many siblings McDonald had who were entitled to his estate under intestacy.
Given the uncertainty surrounding who was entitled to a share of the estate, the Court ordered a kin inquiry.
What is a kin inquiry?
A kin inquiry is a court-directed investigation into relationships used to establish who is legally entitled to inherit an estate where family relationships are unclear or disputed.
It allows the court to:
- Examine detailed genealogical research
- Review historical records and documentary evidence
- Reach a definitive legal decision on entitlement
If the court finds insufficient evidence to support the beneficiaries claim, the relationship is not established and they will not be entitled to the estate.
The complex family history
One of the biggest difficulties in resolving this case was due to the unreliability of DNA evidence, given the genetic distance between the living relatives, the lack of DNA samples from all relevant descendants and the endogamy of the population
The proceedings therefore relied on various different sources of evidence, including witness statements, certificates of Births, Marriages and Deaths, DNA samples, passenger manifests, funeral programmes and greetings cards.
The High Court judgment provides valuable guidance on the procedural approach to kin inquiries, clarifying the hierarchy of evidence for such cases and the challenges of using DNA evidence in cases involving distant genetic relationships.
The team at Taylor Emmet assisted in coordinating the DNA testing of various family members across different jurisdictions, while also examining historical documents including passenger manifests, citizenship applications, and statutory declarations spanning across several decades. The case demonstrated the challenges of establishing paternity in a historical context where formal records were often incomplete or inconsistent, and social norms differed significantly from those in England.
The Judgment
Master McQuail concluded that Stanley Dorant was the father of both Francis, our client’s father, and St Clair. The Court also concluded that Stella Noel was also McDonald’s half-sibling along the maternal line. The estate is therefore to be distributed amongst the children of McDonald’s half-siblings, Stella, Francis and St Clair.
The judgment allows for the estate to finally be administered and also provides important precedential value for future kin inquiry cases.
Taylor Emmet’s representation of the Personal Representative shows the team’s expertise in handling complex probate disputes involving international elements and genealogical research.
Alex Watkinson, Head of the Contentious Probate department at Taylor Emmet, commented on the significance of the case:
“When someone dies without a will and without known close family, the responsibility on the Personal Representative is significant. This case shows how rare and complex some probate matters can be, and why careful investigation is essential to ensure the right people inherit.
We are grateful to have represented the administrator throughout this complex process, and we are pleased that the kin inquiry has provided clarity for all parties involved in this remarkable case.”
The case serves as a reminder of the complications that can arise when individuals die without making a will, especially where family spans across countries.
Taylor Emmet continues to advise clients on probate, intestacy and contentious estate matters, including cases involving missing or unknown beneficiaries and disputes over entitlement.
The full transcript of the judgment is available here: Dorant v Dorant & Ors [2025] EWHC 3360 (Ch) (23 December 2025)