Trustees of Alexander Scott's Hospital, Petitioners [1912] ScotLR 199 (03 December 1912)

Trustees of Alexander Scott's Hospital, Petitioners [1912] ScotLR 199 (03 December 1912)

The Court held that the trust deed's directions were clear and specific, requiring proceeds of any sale of the trust's land to be reinvested in other land, and that the Court had no power, even under its nobile officium, to authorise investment in trust securities contrary to those directions.

Citation
[1912] ScotLR 199
Parties
Petitioners: Trustees of Alexander Scott's Hospital
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Judgment Date
03 December 1912
Procedural Posture
Petition to Nobile Officium (court of Session, Scotland) / Final Judgment
Outcome
Petition dismissed
Legal Topics
Powers of Trustees, Charitable Trusts, Investment of Trust Property, Nobile Officium, Interpretation of Trust Deeds

Case Brief

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Parties

Trustees of Alexander Scott's Hospital

Petitioners

Procedural Posture

Petition to Nobile Officium (court of Session, Scotland) / Final Judgment

  1. 1 Whether the Court can authorise trustees of a charitable trust to invest proceeds of sale of trust land in non-land trust securities contrary to the express terms of the trust deed via its nobile officium.

Ratio Decidendi

The Court held that the trust deed's directions were clear and specific, requiring proceeds of any sale of the trust's land to be reinvested in other land, and that the Court had no power, even under its nobile officium, to authorise investment in trust securities contrary to those directions.

Court Disposition

Petition dismissed

Orders

  • Prayer of the petition refused; trustees not authorised to invest proceeds in trust securities.