ABSTRACT
A charitable trust is a public trust which is enforceable by the Attorney General on behalf of the Crown. The purpose of the trust is to benefit society as a whole, or a sufficiently large section of the community so that it may be considered public. Charitable trusts may be treated as a species of purpose trusts, that is, trusts designed for the benefit of purposes such as the RSPCA, the promotion of cremation of bodies, or the maintenance of the graves in a churchyard. However, in benefiting or furthering a purpose directly, the trust may result in individuals enjoying indirect benefits, such as from the maintenance of schools or places of worship, or the trust may be designed for the benefit of individuals pure and simple, such as the NSPCC, Oxfam, etc.
