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Chequers Estate Act 1917

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There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Chequers Estate Act 1917, VII.—The Trusts to be administered by the Administrative Trustees. Help about Changes to Legislation

VII.—The Trusts to be administered by the Administrative TrusteesU.K.

7U.K.During the joint lives of the settlor and Lady Lee and the life of the survivor of them the Administrative Trustees shall have no administrative functions unless the settlor and Lady Lee or the survivor of them previously surrender their rights in the Chequers Estate and in the Chequers Trust Fund in which case the following duties shall be accelerated.

8U.K.After the death of the survivor of the settlor and Lady Lee or such earlier date at which they or the survivor of them may have surrendered their his or her rights in the Chequers Estate and the Chequers Trust Fund the Administrative Trustees shall administer the said hereditaments hereby conveyed and the said furniture pictures tapestry books manuscripts china relics works of art silver linen and other effects hereby assigned and also the income of the Chequers Trust Fund according to the following trusts viz.:—

(a)As to the Mansion House and grounds and the said furniture pictures tapestry books manuscripts china relics works of art silver linen and other effects hereby assigned upon trust to keep the same in good repair and condition with a staff of not less than four resident indoor servants and with the necessary number of gardeners and labourers and properly warmed and lighted and generally in a fit state as a furnished residence fit for occupation and upon further trust to permit and suffer the Prime Minister for the time being to occupy use and enjoy the same as a furnished country residence for such periods continuous or discontinuous as he may in his absolute discretion think fit.

(b)But if any Prime Minister shall decline to avail himself of the rights hereby conferred upon him then so long as he shall so decline similar rights shall be offered by the Administrative Trustees to the following persons and in the following order viz.;—

  • The Chancellor of the Exchequer for the time being

  • The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for the time being

  • The Secretary of State for the Colonies for the time being

  • The United States Ambassador at the Court of Saint James’s for the time being

  • The [F1Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food] for the time being

  • The [F2Secretary of State] for the time being

  • The Speaker of the House of Commons for the time being

  • The Lord Chief Justice of England for the time being

or to the respective persons for the time being holding similar positions to the above:

Provided that it shall be lawful for the Prime Minister at any time (not withstanding that he may have declined to avail himself of the rights hereby conferred upon him) to occupy use and enjoy the said mansion house and premises on his giving to the Administrative Trustees three calendar months’ notice in writing of his intention so to do.

(c)(d). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F3

(e)As to the income of the Chequers Trust Fund the Administrative Trustees shall apply the same from time to time to the following purposes or any of them viz.:—

(i)In payment of the annual fees of the Public Trustee and of rates and other necessary outgoings and expenses;

(ii)In payment of the wages and board wages of not less than four resident indoor servants at Chequers;

[F4(iii)In the upkeep repair and maintenance of the mansion house and other buildings and the gardens pleasure grounds and other lands comprised in the Chequers Estate (including the wages of gardeners and other persons employed in connection therewith);]

(v)In the maintenance and renovation of the furniture and fixtures at Chequers and the purchase where deemed necessary of new or additional furniture . . . F5;

(vi)In payment of any expenses of the Administrative Trustees necessarily incurred by them;

(vii)In payment to the Prime Minister or other official occupant for the time being of the mansion house and grounds of a sum of fifteen pounds for every week end actually spent by him at Chequers to cover any expenses thereby incurred by him for which purpose a “week-end” shall be deemed to be any continuous period of not less than thirty-six hours during any seven consecutive days;

[F6(f)If from time to time there is any income of the Chequers Trust Fund which in the opinion of the Administrative Trustees is not required to meet the payments mentioned in the last preceding paragraph or to be set aside for meeting future payments thereunder the Administrative Trustees shall direct that income to be added to the capital of the Fund and it shall be paid to the Public Trustee and held by him as part of the Fund accordingly.]

Textual Amendments

F1Words substituted by virtue of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Act 1919 (c. 91), s. 1 and S.I. 1955/554 (1955 I, p. 1200), art. 3

F4Clause 8(e)(iii) substituted for Clause 8(e)(iii)(iv) by Chequers Estate Act 1958 (c. 60), Sch. para. 9

[F78AU.K.For the purposes of section twenty-nine of the M1Settled Land Act 1925 the trusts hereof shall be deemed to be public trusts and accordingly the powers referred to in subsection (1) of that section shall be exercisable by the administrative trustees in relation to the Chequers Estate provided that the powers to sell lease or exchange land and the power to raise money on the security of land—

(a)shall not apply to the mansion house or to the gardens adjacent thereto or any part thereof, and

(b)shall not be exercised in respect of any other part of the Chequers Estate unless the transaction has previously been approved by the person who (on the date of the contract of sale or other contract in question) is the Prime Minister.]

Textual Amendments

Marginal Citations

8BU.K.The administrative trustees shall secure that all woodlands for the time being comprised in the Chequers Estate shall be managed in accordance with the rules or practice of good forestry.

8CU.K.Without prejudice to the generality of clause 8a hereof the administrative trustees shall have power to cut and sell any timber on the Chequers Estate but where any such timber is sold by the administrative trustees the whole of the net proceeds of sale shall be treated as capital money arising as mentioned in clause 6a hereof and shall be paid to the Public Trustee accordingly.

8DU.K.The purposes for which money may be raised by mortgage shall (in addition to the purposes authorised by section seventy-one of the M2Settled Land Act 1925) include the payment of any compensation from time to time payable in respect of any part of the Chequers Estate under the [F8Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, except section 60(2)(b) or 62 of that Act].

Textual Amendments

Marginal Citations

8EU.K.The administrative trustees may sell any of the chattels from time to time vested in the custodian trustee upon the trusts hereof and where any such chattels are sold the net proceeds of sale may either be dealt with as capital money in accordance with clause 6a hereof or may be applied as if they were income of the Chequers Trust Fund or may be invested by the administrative trustees in the purchase of other chattels of the same or any other nature which when purchased shall be held by the custodian trustee upon and subject to the same trusts and powers as the chattels sold provided that the power to sell chattels under this clause shall not be exercised except in pursuance of a decision of the trustees in which the chairman of the trustees concurs.

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