STANDISH AYER & WOOD INVESTMENT TRUST
24F-2NT, 1997-02-24
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                                   FORM 24 F-2
                        Annual Notice of Securities Sold
                             Pursuant to Rule 24f-2

             Read instructions at end of Form before preparing Form.
                              Please print or type.


1.       Name and address of issuer:     Standish, Ayer & Wood Investment Trust
                                         One Financial Center
                                         Boston, MA  02111


2.       Name of each series or class of funds for which this notice is filed:

                            Standish Small Capitalization Equity Fund
                            Standish Fixed Income Fund
                            Standish Equity Fund
                            Standish International Fixed Income Fund
                            Standish Short-Term Asset Reserve Fund
                            Standish Global Fixed Income Fund
                            Standish Securitized Fund
                            Standish Controlled Maturity Fund
                            Standish Fixed Income Fund II
                            Standish Small Capitalization Equity Fund II
                            Standish Small Capitalization Equity Asset Fund
                            Standish Global Fixed Income Asset Fund
                            Standish Equity Asset Fund
                            Standish Fixed Income Asset Fund    

3.       Investment Company Act File Number:  811-4813

         Securities Act File Number:  33-8214

4.       Last day of fiscal  year for which this notice is filed:  December  31,
         1996


5.       Check box if this  notice is being  filed  more than 180 days after the
         close of the issuer's fiscal year for purposes of reporting  securities
         sold after the close of the fiscal year but before  termination  of the
         issuer's 24f-2 declaration:

                                                                 [  ]


6.       Date of termination of issuer's declaration under rule 24f-2(a)(1),  if
         applicable (see instruction A.6):

                                    None


7.       Number and amount of  securities  of the same class or series which had
         been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 other than pursuant to
         rule 24f-2 in a prior fiscal  year,  but which  remained  unsold at the
         beginning of the fiscal year:

                                    None
<PAGE>

8.       Number and amount of securities registered during the fiscal year other
         than pursuant to rule 24f-2:

                                    None


9.       Number and aggregate  sale price of  securities  sold during the fiscal
         year:

              Number of securities sold:  43,322,271
              Aggregate sales price of securities sold:  $957,278,891


10.      Number and aggregate  sale price of  securities  sold during the fiscal
         year in reliance upon registration pursuant to rule 24f-2:

              Number of securities sold:  43,322,271
              Aggregate sales price of securities sold:  $957,278,891


11.      Number and aggregate sale price of securities  issued during the fiscal
         year in connection with dividend reinvestment plans, if applicable (see
         instruction B.7):

              Number of securities issued:  12,058,794
              Aggregate sales price of securities issued:  $286,359,143

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
12. Calculation of registration fee:

<S>                                                                             <C>
    (i)   Aggregate sale price of securities sold during the fiscal
          year in reliance on rule 24f-2 (from Item 10):                        $   957,278,891
    (ii)  Aggregate price of shares issued in connection with
          dividend reinvestment plans (from item 11, if applicable)               + 286,359,143
    (iii) Aggregate price of shares redeemed or repurchased during
          the fiscal year (if applicable):                                        - 764,516,105
    (iv)  Aggregate price of shares redeemed or repurchased and
          previously applied as a reduction to filing fees pursuant to
          rule 24e-2 (if applicable):                                           +       -0-
    (v)   Net aggregate price of securities sold and issued during
          the fiscal year in reliance on rule 24f-2 [line (i), plus line (ii),
          less line (iii), plus line (iv)] (if applicable):                         479,121,929
    (vi)  Multiplier prescribed by Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of        1/33 of 1%
          1933 or other applicable law or regulation (see instruction C.6):      x (.00030303)

    (vii) Fee due [line (i) or line (v) multiplied by line (vi)]                $145,188.32
                                                                                =================

</TABLE>
Instruction: Issuers should complete line (ii),  (iii), (iv) and (v) only if the
         form is being  filed  within 60 days  after  the close of the  issuer's
         fiscal year. See instruction C.3.


13. Check box if fees are being remitted to the Commission's  lockbox depository
    as described in section 3a of the  Commission's  rules of Informal and Other
    Procedures (17 CFR 202.3a).
                                                                     [ X  ]

    Date of mailing or wire transfer of filing fees to the Commission's  lockbox
    depository:

                                    February 20, 1997


<PAGE>

                                       SIGNATURES

    This report has been signed below by the following  persons on behalf of the
    issuer and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

    By (Signature and title)  /s/ James E. Hollis
                            ----------------------------------------------------
                              James E. Hollis, Treasurer

    Date February 20, 1997

*Please print the name and title of the signing officer below the signature.




<PAGE>

                                   HALE & DORR
                               Counsellors at Law

                  60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
                         617-526-6000 o  fax 617-526-5000





                                                     February 21, 1997



Standish, Ayer & Wood Investment Trust
One Financial Center
Boston, Massachusetts  02111

         RE:      Rule 24f-2 Notice (File Nos. 33-8214; 811-4813)

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         Standish, Ayer & Wood Investment Trust (the "Trust") is a Massachusetts
business  trust  created under a written  Declaration  of Trust dated August 13,
1986,  and executed  and  delivered in Boston,  Massachusetts  on that date,  as
amended  from time to time (as so amended,  the  "Declaration  of  Trust").  The
beneficial  interests  thereunder  are  represented  by  transferable  shares of
beneficial interest, $.01 par value per share.

         The Trustees of the Trust have the powers set forth in the  Declaration
of Trust,  subject to the terms,  provisions  and conditions  therein  provided.
Pursuant  Article VI, Section 6.1(a) of the Declaration of Trust,  the number of
shares of beneficial  interest  authorized to be issued under the Declaration of
Trust is unlimited  and the Trustees are  authorized  to establish and designate
one or more  separate,  distinct  and  independent  funds,  and to  authorize  a
separate  series  of shares  for each  such  fund,  as they  deem  necessary  or
desirable.  Pursuant to Article VI, Section 6.1(d) of the  Declaration of Trust,
the Trustees may issue  shares of any series for such  consideration,  including
property,  on such  terms  as they may  determine  (or for no  consideration  if
pursuant to a share dividend or split up), all without action or approval of the
Shareholders.

         Pursuant to Article VI, Section 6.1(b) of the Declaration of Trust, the
Trustees have established twenty separate series of shares designated  "Standish
Fixed Income Fund",  "Standish  Securitized  Fund",  "Standish  Short-Term Asset
Reserve  Fund",   "Standish  Small   Capitalization   Equity  Fund",   "Standish
International  Equity  Fund",   "Standish   International  Fixed  Income  Fund",
"Standish  Emerging  Markets Fund",  "Standish  Massachusetts  Intermediate  Tax
Exempt  Bond Fund",  "Standish  Intermediate  Tax Exempt  Bond Fund",  "Standish
Equity Fund",  "Standish Global Fixed Income Fund" "Standish Controlled Maturity
Fund", "Standish Fixed Income

<PAGE>

Fund  II",   "Standish   Small  Cap   Tax-Sensitive   Equity  Fund,"   "Standish
Tax-Sensitive Equity Fund", "Standish Fixed Income Asset Fund", "Standish Global
Fixed  Income  Asset  Fund",  "Standish  Equity  Asset  Fund",  "Standish  Small
Capitalization Equity Asset Fund" and "Standish Small Capitalization Equity Fund
II".

         We understand that, pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company
Act of 1940,  the  Trust  has  registered  an  indefinite  number  of  shares of
beneficial interest under the Securities Act of 1933.

         We  understand  that you are  about to file  with  the  Securities  and
Exchange  Commission  a notice on Form 24F-2  pursuant  to Rule 24f-2 (the "Rule
24f-2  Notice")  making  definite  the  registration  of  43,322,271  shares  of
beneficial  interest of the Trust (the "Shares") sold in reliance upon said Rule
24f-2 during the fiscal year ended  December 31, 1996,  consisting of 20,679,081
Shares of Standish  Fixed Income Fund,  241,487  Shares of Standish  Securitized
Fund,  9,748,426  Shares of Standish  Short-Term  Asset Reserve Fund,  1,100,618
Shares  of  Standish  Small  Capitalization  Equity  Fund,  8,454,273  Shares of
Standish  International  Fixed Income Fund,  561,325  Shares of Standish  Equity
Fund,  3,450 Shares of Standish  Global Fixed Income Fund,  1,494,596  Shares of
Standish  Controlled  Maturity Fund, 23,750 Shares of Standish Fixed Income Fund
II,  1,015,265  Shares of Standish Small  Capitalization  Equity Fund II, and no
shares of each of Standish Fixed Income Asset Fund, Standish Global Fixed Income
Asset Fund, Standish Equity Asset Fund and Standish Small  Capitalization  Asset
Fund.  We further  understand  that a separate  Rule 24f-2  Notice will be filed
making definite the registration of shares of Standish Emerging Markets Fund and
Standish  International  Equity Fund sold in  reliance  on said Rule  24f-2.  In
addition a separate  Rule 24f-2  Notice was filed on  November  29,  1996 making
definite  the  registration  of shares of  Standish  Massachusetts  Intermediate
Tax-Exempt Bond Fund, Standish Intermediate Tax-Exempt Bond Fund, Standish Small
Cap  Tax-Sensitive  Equity Fund and Standish  Tax-Sensitive  Equity Fund sold in
reliance on said Rule 24f-2.

         We have examined the Declaration of Trust, the By-laws, as amended from
time to time, of the Trust,  resolutions of the Board of Trustees, a certificate
of the Treasurer of the Trust to the effect that the Trust or its agent received
the  consideration  for each of the Shares in  accordance  with the terms of the
Declaration of Trust,  and such other  documents as we have deemed  necessary or
appropriate  for the purposes of this  opinion,  including,  but not limited to,
originals or copies certified or otherwise  identified to our  satisfaction,  of
such documents, Trust records and other instruments.  In our examination of such
documents,  we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures,  the authenticity
of all  documents  submitted to us as originals  and the  conformity to original
documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies.

         For purposes of this opinion  letter,  we have not made an  independent
review of the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than The Commonwealth of

<PAGE>

Massachusetts   and  express  no  opinion  with  respect  to  the  laws  of  any
jurisdiction other than the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Further,
we  express no opinion  as to  compliance  with any state or federal  securities
laws, including the securities laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

         Our opinion below, as it relates to the non-assessability of the shares
of the  Trust,  is  qualified  to  the  extent  that  under  Massachusetts  law,
shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust may be held personally liable for
the  obligations of the Trust. In this regard,  however,  please be advised that
the Declaration of Trust disclaims shareholder liability for acts or obligations
of the Trust and  provides  that the  Trustees of the Trust shall use their best
efforts to ensure that every note, bond,  contract,  instrument,  certificate or
undertaking made or issued by the Trustees or officers of the Trust shall recite
to the effect that the same was executed or made by or on behalf of the Trust or
by them as Trustees or officers,  and not  individually and that the obligations
of  such  instrument  are not  binding  upon  any of  them  or the  shareholders
personally,  but are binding  only upon the Trust  property or the assets of the
particular  series in question,  as the case may be. Also,  the  Declaration  of
Trust  provides  for  indemnification  out of  Trust  property  for all loss and
expense  of any  shareholder  charged  or held to be  personally  liable for any
obligation or liability of the Trust;  provided,  however, no Trust property may
be used to indemnify any shareholder of any series of the Trust other than Trust
property allocated or belonging to that series.

         We are of the opinion that all necessary Trust action  precedent to the
issuance of the Shares has been duly taken, and that the Shares were legally and
validly issued, and are fully paid and  non-assessable by the Trust,  subject to
compliance  with the Securities Act of 1933, the Investment  Company Act of 1940
and the applicable state laws regulating the sale of securities.

         We consent to your filing this opinion with the Securities and Exchange
Commission  together  with the Rule 24f-2  Notice  referred to above.  Except as
provided  in this  paragraph,  this  opinion may not be relied upon by, or filed
with, any other parties or for any other purpose.

                                                              Very truly yours,

                                                              /s/Hale and Dorr

                                                              Hale and Dorr LLP





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