All three of the last Lissan Baronets inherited the title well into their eighties and none had any male heirs. As a result, a search was instigated by Debrett's in 1990 seeking the next Staples Baronet and a 10-year Genetic Research Programme started in 2002 which it was hoped would locate the 18th Baronet. Three candidates; Garth Staples and Gerald Staples of Nova Scotia, Canada and David Staples of Massachusetts, USA have been identified as within a sufficient genetic distance, and claim descent from Matthew Staples who emigrated to Canada in the late eighteenth century. Matthew Staples himself claimed descent from Rev. Alexander Staples, the younger brother of the Rt. Hon. John Staples. It is believed that Matthew Staples was in the company of Governor Cornwallis as a military blacksmith at Halifax in 1749 although the link with the Lissan family tree remains elusive and no one candidate has yet proved their claim. As a result, when Sir Richard Molesworth Staples died on 8 November 2013, the Baronetcy was declared dormant.
