THE forthcoming census may be vital for council, NHS and transport chiefs, but for one family it uncovered the shady past of a notorious gangster and a small fortune.

The family of Raymond Maynard shared a £250,000 estate after being tracked down through past censuses by ‘heir hunter’ David Milchard, of London probate researchers Fraser & Fraser.

Mr Maynard, a former psychiatric nurse, died aged 70 at his Boars Hill mansion in February 2009, with no known surviving relatives.

All Mr Milchard had to go on was the name George Maynard as the father on Raymond’s birth certificate.

Mr Milchard found this was an alias for Attilio Messina, an Italian crime boss who ran the sex trade in London’s Soho in the 1940s and 1950s.

In the years following the Second World War, the family imported hundreds of women from Belgium, France and Spain, hitting newspaper front pages, before being deported in the late 1950s.

Attilio was quoted as saying: “We Messinas are more powerful than the British Government.”

Mr Milchard used the Scottish census to find Raymond’s mother, Robina, who fell in with the Messinas and became a prostitute after moving to London from Ayr.

He said: “I think Messina was hoping having a son in England might have worked in his favour. It didn’t and he was sent to San Remo, Italy.”

Mr Milchard used her details to find her sister, Isabella, and from there a living relative, Isabella’s grand-daughter Elsie Powers, in a Motherwell tower block.

Grandmother Mrs Powers, 63, said: “I was at home one Tuesday lunchtime when a letter arrived from a firm of probate investigators.

“I hadn’t a clue what it was about so I took it to a friend.

“He told me to respond as soon as possible and I did, but I never dreamed it would mean finding a whole new branch of relatives.

“I was stunned. I thought somebody was having a laugh when we heard about the money but hearing the story was even more shocking.”

Mrs Powers and husband Fred, 68, visited Oxford to find out more about Raymond, who had distinctive tattooed-on eyebrows.

She said: “Because my grandmother died at 21 and my mother grew up in care, I never knew I had such a big family. The census played a big part in tracing them.”

Mr Maynard’s £250,000 fortune was shared between Mrs Powers and 25 other Scottish relatives.

She said: “My friends ribbed me about my family’s colourful past. But at least now Raymond’s life will not have been in vain and he’ll be remembered fondly for years to come.”

  • The man in charge of part of the census in Oxfordshire says the survey remains essential to decide where Government cash is spent.

Retired print business owner John Clapton, 65, is the census area manager for more than half a million homes across Oxford, West Oxfordshire and Cherwell for the March 27 survey.

He said: “It’s a huge, huge job, but a very important one and I’m very honoured to be involved.

“It takes about 10 minutes to fill in, but every person benefits from this, as the number of people we record will determine how much money the county council receives from the government. If people want buses that run at night, new schools, hospitals and swimming pools, they need to be counted.”

All adults have to complete questions about everything from their birth to their schooling and even whether they get about on a bike or the bus.

Non-compliance means a fine of up to £1,000.

People can fill in the questionnaire online via a unique code from the paper copy delivered to homes.

New questions since the 2001 census include civil partnerships and details of passports held.

Migrants will also be asked for their date of arrival and how long they intend to stay in the UK.

Mr Clapton said: “It’s fascinating to look at the censuses of the past and see how Oxfordshire is growing and changing.

“And one day people will look at the 2011 census and say the same.”