"From Medieval England to contemporary NZ
The role of a trustee and its variants have evolved significantly over many centuries. Grain surpluses 7,000 years BCE apparently led to the development of the concept of “bailment” and increasing trade in commodities and precious metals led to the concepts of “agency”, “brokerage”. “custody” and “mandate”. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all had legal relationships and structures similar to modeFrom Medieval England to contemporary NZrn day trusts which they used to hold and manage property for estate planning and commercial purposes (K Wallace, “The First Professional Trustees”, (2018) Trust Quarterly Review, vol.16, issue 2, p 12).
The influence of the Knights Templar
The Knights Templar are perhaps the forerunners of the modern day trustee. In the 11th century, devout pilgrims from Europe visited the Holy Land but were frequently robbed or exploited on their pilgrimage across south-east Europe and the Middle East. In response, knights were mobilised to guard the pilgrims on their travels.
