British Millionaire Seeks American Heir

Dec. 23, 2005 — -- A British multimillionaire wants to give his family estate to a blood relative, but since he doesn't have children of his own, he's using DNA testing to look for a long-lost relative in the United States.

Sir Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade, 7th Baronet of Slade, is the last-known member of the Slade line, and he's looking for someone who can take over his 16-room mansion.

"Indeed I did learn to roller-skate in this room," Sir Benjamin said during a tour of his home. "And it was very handy for bicycle races. It was quite exciting, having to avoid holes and things like that."

The Maunsell house -- which sits on a 330-acre estate -- has been the ancestral home of the Slade family since 1772. Sir Benjamin inherited the home in 1982, and since that time he has been pursuing a massive restoration program to return the home to its original condition. He's hoping all his hard work will be appreciated by an heir just waiting to be discovered through DNA testing.

"Basically we need an American with energy, with plenty of bucks, who can run this place, so I can have an easy life really," Sir Benjamin said.

He already has at least one potential ideal candidate to bolster the Slade coffers -- both financially and genetically.

Taylor Slade of Williamston, N.C., already owns 3,300 acres of farmland and a profitable cotton gin. But moving to a mansion in England isn't exactly something he has always dreamed of.

"I really had not thought about moving to England and my children probably would not be very good about it," Taylor Slade said.