By this Trust Disposition and Settlement dated 19 January 1893 (with three Codicils dated 17 October 1894 and 13 and 14 May 1895, the last signed on the day before his death) the 12th Duke of Hamilton left very detailed instructions for the administration of his estate, which included what were concisely referred to as (a) the Hamilton Estates, comprising land on the mainland of Scotland, (b) the Arran Estate, comprising the greater part of the Island of Arran, and © the Easton Estate and Great Glemham Estate in Suffolk.

The duke had only one child, Lady Mary Louise Hamilton, born on 1 November 1884, and he was succeeded as duke by his kinsman Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton. The Trustees were given power to sell the Glemham Estate and apply the proceeds, and that of some moveable property, including the duke's yacht, towards paying off the debts on the Easton Estate. The Arran and Easton Estates were to be held for Lady Mary (only 10 years old at the duke's death) during her lifetime and (once the debts secured over them had been paid off) for her children in fee.

The Hamilton Estates were burdened with payment of the debts over the Arran and Easton Estates as well as those over the Hamilton Estates themselves, and once all the debts were paid off the Hamilton Estates were to be held under a Strict Deed of Entail for successive Dukes of Hamilton. Additionally, the Trustees were given power, in their sole discretion, 'to entirely displenish and dismantle Hamilton Palace' (no longer used by the duke as a residence) 'and take down and remove the building or allow the same to fall into disuse'.