Founded in
1972
Applicants
1.000+
50+
years of
expertise
WHAT WE DO
Since 1972, the Christina Mary Hendrie Trust has provided support to charities across Scotland and Canada, helping to meet the needs of the youth, the elderly and veterans.
These special groups of people are at the heart of why the Trust exists. Our trustees are seeking to bring about tangible and positive change.
They take their responsibilities seriously and consider it a privilege to be involved. They will often engage with applicants either before the meetings or to follow up on progress following a successful grant.
War veteran, Murray Hendrie tries to exchange a title deed for a bottle of whisky. The land, granted to Hendrie by the Canadian government was rich in natural minerals, although this was unbeknown to anyone at the time. The barman refuses the exchange and the land remains in Hendrie’s possession.
Murray Hendrie dies, leaving his estate, including the land, to his wife and family. Later, proceeds from the sale of the land were passed on to his sister, Christina Mary.
Christina Mary dies, leaving her estate to charity. Her niece, Mary Hendrie Cumming, becomes the appointed trustee of her estate.
Mary Hendrie Cumming sets up the Trust and establishes its founding principles.
War veteran, Murray Hendrie tries to exchange a title deed for a bottle of whisky. The land, granted to Hendrie by the Canadian government was rich in natural minerals, although this was unbeknown to anyone at the time. The barman refuses the exchange and the land remains in Hendrie’s possession.
The year was 1904, somewhere in the wilds of Western Canada. A man walked into a bar and having no money on him, asked the barman to give him a bottle of whisky in exchange for a piece of paper he had in his pocket. The paper was in fact the title deed to an area of wilderness in Northern Ontario. The barman refused the offer, declaring the land to be worthless, mosquito ridden and desolate. Had the barman swapped the title deed for a bottle of whisky, this story would never have been told.
The man's name was Murray Hendrie, youngest of the ten children of William Hendrie, a Scotsman from Ayrshire who emigrated Canada as a young man and made his fortune by starting Canada’s largest cartage business. The title deed had been granted to Murray by the Canadian government for his services as a soldier with the Allied Army in South Africa’s Boer War. He had been one of over seven thousand volunteers who had signed up to assist the Old Country.Murray had a passion for racing and passed on his love of horses to his children. The family, always proud of their Scottish origins, lived in great style in a house William had built in Hamilton, Ontario.
After the war, Murray married a widow with a son of her own whose name was William Gilmour. He took his new wife and her son to live on a ranch at High River, Alberta. Murray was a dashing character and a great horseman. Unfortunately his love of horses was to cause his death five years after his marriage. He was killed driving a four in hand, no doubt too fast. He died leaving no children of his own. In his will Murray left his apparently modest estate to his wife, and after her death, which wasn’t until 1968, to his remaining family, but no mention was made of his stepson, William Gilmour.
Fifty years after Murray’s death in 1914, prospectors found large deposits of zinc, copper and silver on the neglected land he left behind. This changed the outlook of the will. William Gilmour made a claim through the courts and was initially successful. However, before the Hendrie family took the case to the appeal court, William Gilmour agreed to a settlement. The land was sold and a share of the proceeds passed to the estate of Murray's sister, Christina Mary. In 1900, she had married a Scot named Herbert Eckford and they had settled in the borders of Scotland.
Christina Mary died in 1950 leaving no children. In her will she stated that the residue of her estate was to be left to charity. She had made her niece, Mary Hendrie Cumming, a trustee of her estate and it was she who arranged to set up the Trust in 1972. It was indeed fortunate that the barman had refused the offer of the title deed from Murray Hendrie, although neither of them ever knew what treasure the land had kept secret for so many years.
OUR SPECIALISTS
Most of our trustees are family members who share a strong, open-minded outlook and a keenness to understand the issues charities are dealing with. Together, they distribute funds in accordance with what they understand to have been the wishes of Christina Mary.
Anthony Cox has been a trustee since 1987 and is a direct descendant of Christina Mary Hendrie. As a fan of the creative teaching methods of German educator, Kurt Hahn, Anthony applied his learnings to his work with various charities that serve the needs of youth who require life coaching and guidance. He has also worked extensively with charities that provide support for the elderly. A large part of his life has been dedicated to working with small organisations and start-up charities, and coming to an acute understanding of their unique challenges.
Andrew Desson is a trained and qualified Chartered Accountant and has worked as a senior private client fund manager in Edinburgh for the last twenty years. In 2002, he became a Chartered Fellow at The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (The CISI), which is regarded as the leading global body of choice for financial services professionals. He is currently the director of the Edinburgh Academicals Football Club. Andrew grew up in Canada and attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He returns to Canada regularly to visit family and friends.
As a Canadian by birth, Susie Hendrie currently lives in Toronto after spending 15 years living and working in the UK. Susie’s son is named after her great-great grandfather, William, Christina Mary Hendrie’s father. She is committed to giving back and has served on a number of not-for-profit boards including that of employee resource group, Rogers RISE for Women and Toronto’s Youth Employment Services. Susie is happiest when on the ski slopes, hiking up a trail, or drawing water with a paddle.
John Scott Moncrieff, an Edinburgh lawyer, became a Trustee in 1987. Active in the British Arts sector, a wide range of charities and urban living, John's main interests are football, theatre, hill-walking and writing doggerel. He is married with three adult children.
Charles Cox is a former investment manager, having worked in institutional and private client fund management for over forty years. He was a director of a merchant bank in London before co-founding a discretionary wealth management business in Scotland. He has extensive experience in the financial sector and has been a trustee of several endowment funds. He is a long standing trustee of the Christina Mary Hendrie Trust.
Mary-Rose Grieve is the chair of the Trust and a great granddaughter of Mary Hendrie Cumming. She currently lives in Dubai, where she works as a school librarian at a prominent international school as well as a volunteer for several charitable groups and committees. Within this capacity, she is co-chair of the Great School Libraries campaign and a member of the CILIP School Library Group national committee. Her work in the educational sector saw her win the 2019 UAE School Librarian of the Year.
Laura Irwin is a great granddaughter of Mary Hendrie Cumming and has been a trustee for over five years. She lives and works in the Scottish Highlands and has valuable experience in the charitable sector. As a trustee, she has a particular interest in helping charities based in rural communities, whether in Scotland or Canada as she understands the unique challenges that face remote rural communities
Alan Sharp is a retired solicitor, having previously acted as Secretary to the Trust. He has a particular interest in the issues facing the elderly, which was a significant feature of his professional career. He enjoys walking in Scotland and elsewhere and the occasional Parkrun.
