A Bristol hospital charity is appealing for help in solving the case of a mystery legacy left 60 years ago.

It was discovered that Ellen Davis, who was known as Nellie, left a bequest to the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) in 1949, when old ledgers were found at the hospital's headquarters.

The entry had a note above it in red ink stating that the legacy was to be dealt with in 2008 and now Above and Beyond Charities, which raises money for the city centre hospitals, is trying to trace the donation.

They have learnt that Mrs Davis had left the sum of £500 to be invested in 1933 when her husband died, with the interest being used to pay for the maintenance of his grave at Avon View Cemetery in St George.

But the money could only be left in place for a period of 75 years, when she stated that the investment should be transferred to the BRI.

Above and Beyond is now keen to find out more about the money so that they can claim the donation.

Dr Graham Rich, chief executive of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UHBristol), which runs the BRI, discovered details of Mrs Davis' bequest by chance when he was flicking through the books to work out whether there was still a need for them.

He said: "This is a fascinating case and one I will be interested to see being resolved.

"We are always extremely grateful to those who leave a legacy to ensure Bristol remains at the forefront of innovation in patient care and treatment."

Assistant director of Above and Beyond Charities, Andrew Monk, is hoping that people with experience of tracing family trees may be able to help them in their quest to solve the mystery of Mrs Davis' legacy.

He said: "We hope someone will be able to help us piece together details of this bequest that should be benefiting the BRI.

"I have never known a case like this.

"We are very fortunate in that we get a lot of support from local people in terms of legacies every year and we have had some very specific requests, including a man who left his house under the understanding that it would be converted so that it could be used for medical students.

"I have never come across anything like this before to be actioned so far in the future; normally things are a bit more immediate."

Anyone who can help the charity find out more about Mrs Davis' bequest is asked to contact Andrew Monk on 0117 927 7120.