CP85

Collection

The Buchanan Trust (originally called the Bosbury Trust) is a charitable trust established on 24 September 1918 by Robert Buchanan, in memory of his eldest son, Alan, who died in Belgium in 1915. It was set up under the Sailors and Soldiers (Gifts for Land Settlement) Act 1916 with the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries given trusteeship. Initially the objectives of the Trust were to provide farming opportunities to soldiers and sailors returning from the Great War. In 1918 the Trustees were given discretion to select suitable men who had served overseas during the war. On 31 March 1932 the class of beneficiaries was widened by a scheme approved by the Charity Commission. In 1972 Hereford County Council took over the role as Trusteeship of the charity. Robert Buchanan originally donated around 750 acres of land from his Bosbury Estate to the state. As of March 2008, the estate comprised the following properties listed by location, acreage and type: Green Farm, 118.96, Stock/arable Orchard Farm, 130.52, Stock/arable North Farm, 69, Stock Beaconhill Farm, 103.46, Dairy Birchwood Farm, 136.32, Dairy Lower House Farm, 113.62, Dairy Woodlands, 26.21, Woodlands Aurals Cottage, 0.17, Cottage Aurals Farm, 1.68, Stock Land at Fromes Hill*, 63.84, Stock/arable Cotmeadow, 0.34, Cottage *Sold by auction in November 2009. This collection consists of six photocopied files created by The Property Evaluation – Estates and Valuation Team of Herefordshire Council from the originals at The National Archives (TNA). The copies were obtained for use in a legal dispute. The material copied was originally created or inherited by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Departments, and related bodies of central government (TNA reference: MAF). It all relates to the Buchanan (Bosbury) Trust Estate.