The actress who played half-witted Nursie in the BBC sitcom Blackadder was almost as naive as her character when it came to her own finances, it has been revealed.

Patsy Byrne, who was born and educated in Ashford, died in June last year, aged 80, but now her will has been released it appears she had very little idea how much she was worth.

Ms Byrne left £20,000 to five of her six stepchildren with the remainder of her estate going to the sixth, the Mail on Sunday reported.

But the final share was worth about £900,000, the national newspaper revealed.

Stepdaughter Monica Seccombe was the lucky recipient but she has shared the money equally with her four sisters – their brother Christopher died last year.

Ms Seccombe, a construction industry lawyer from Lincolnshire, told The Mail on Sunday: “When she drew up her will she didn’t realise how much money she had.

"Her estate will be distributed equally to all her stepchildren. There was no family bust-up, she just wanted me to sort things out after her death as I am a solicitor.”

Ms Byrne also left £50,000 to The Theatrical Guild, which supports backstage staff, and the Denville Hall care home for actors in Northwood, Middlesex, where she died.

Born in Ashford on July 13, 1933, she attended the former Ashford School for Girls, now Highworth Grammar School, and studied drama at Rose Bruford College, Sidcup, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.

After a string of theatre and television roles, she found fame starring as Nursie in the second series of Blackadder in 1986.

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