Lucretia Pauline Rebecca Ann Farrel 1917-1994
Born August 21 1917 Glasgow, Scotland 
Died June 22 1994, Scotland
Wife of Francis Cameron-Head (died 1957) and sister of Jean (Maclaren) Farrell

The Times July 2nd 1994 
Obituaries 
Pauline Cameron-Head 
Pauline Cameron-Head, OBE, landowner and hostess in the Scottish highlands,
died on June 22 aged 76. She was born on August 21 1917

The death of Pauline Cameron-Head of Inverailot Castle,
Invernessshire, has robbed the highlands of a colourful character and
leader of the Roman Catholic community whose household was a
significant political center for more than half a century. Much of the
renown enjoyed by Mrs "C-H" came from her association with the world
famous Glenfinnan Games, which she founded and of which she was
convenor for 49 years. But she was also revered as a Celtic political
hostess who combined charm with acumen.

This regard stemmed partly from her many years as a senior county
councillor and advisor to St Andrews house, and as a hostess who not
only had the ear of senior statesmen up to cabinet level, but also
offered her own advice to anyone who came to her in trouble. Born in
Glasgow, a kinswoman of Viscount Gormanston, Lucretia Pauline Rebecca
Ann Farrel was educated at Stove school in Devon before the war, after
which she became a teacher.

She met and became engaged to Francis Cameron-Head, the Laird of
Lochailot, while she was billeted in Lochailot Inn as a wartime
ambulance driver in support of the Commandos stationed at his castle.
These were being trained by Colonel David Stirling of the SAS. The
Laird of Lochailot courted her with rationed tinned jam and proposed
to her on an island in Loch Eilt. They were married in 1942. When the
war was over the couple restored the castle into what a big house
should surely be, but too rarely are the living heart of the local
community and a source of inspiration and excellence.

Francis Cameron-Head died in 1957 leaving a young widow to run the
huge estate, a task she undertook with verve. When the Post Office
withdrew their local office she converted her morning room into a sub
branch, a role it still serves. For more than a year she herself
delivered the mails to Glen Uig by small launch until, after her
vigorous lobbying, the link to the Malliag road was built. In addition
she was both Deputy Lieutenant and a JP for Inverness-shire, and for
theses duties and for the multitude of other services she rendered to
the community she was appointed OBE 1971. (Order of the British
Empire) Her work for the less fortunate was prodigious. The ballroom
of Inverailot Castle was frequently converted to sleep groups of
dozens of handicapped children (300 staying in or near the castle was
the record).

Her library was made public and, with "Annox" the long suffering cook
at her side the dinning room became one of the most famous in the
Gaeltachd-  the Highland Gaelic speaking area. The guest came from all
kinds of backgrounds. There would often be as many as twenty house
guests and at dinner the head of the Highland board was quite likely
to find himself sitting next to a crofter, an expert of fish farming
or the talented local historian, who was invited to stalk for a day
and was still there three years later.

The stories about her "smeddum"(spirit) were legion. Once, for
example, she found her local poachers net in her salmon river. She
responded by hanging the net up to dry within the public hall of the
castle where it looked rather at home. Mortified, her poacher friend
replied by writing an anonymous Gaelic song about the incident, the
net was removed and half the Highlands were soon laughing with them
both. She had her detractors. Some claimed she should spend more on
maintaining her castle and less on her court, others that her "open
house" encouraged scroungers. Indeed her castle was once infamously
dubbed by a local bard as a "bourach (chaos) of hungry cats and lonely
colonels". But the people she herself respected loved her back and
last week almost a thousand of them flocked to her funeral. Her life
was proof of how the Highland estate system can indeed work to benefit
the community. Particularly if the landowner is selfless, competent
and resident.

The Daily Telegraph 3rd August 
Pauline Cameron-Head 
Pauline Cameron-Head, who has died aged 76, was founder, and for 40
 years convenor, of the Glenfinnan Highland Games. A generous hostess,
 an active county councillor and a leading member of the Roman
 Catholic community, Cameron-Head- known to her intimates as
 "Putchie"- was one of the highlands most colourful characters. Her
 castle at Inverailot was thronged with as many as twenty guests at a
 time; foreign students rubbed shoulders with crofters and cabinet
 ministers. The local historian, invited for a days stalking, stayed
 for three years. Cameron-Head's openhandedness made her much loved,
 though occasional detactors sniffed she should spend more on
 maintaining her castle than her court.
 
 
 The local bard once dubbed the household a "bourach (chaos) of hungry cats and lonely colonels". Cameron-Head opened her
 library to the public and often convert the ballroom to sleep large
 groups of handicapped children-  300 staying in or near the castle at
 one time was the record. When the Post Office withdrew the local
 office, Cameron-Head converted her morning room into a sub-branch- a
 role it still serves. For more than a year she donned sou'wester to
 deliver the post to Glen Uig by a small launch until, as a result of
 her vigorous lobbying, the link to the Malliag road was built.
 
 Lucretia Pauline Rebecca Ann Farrel was born in Glasgow on Aug 21
 1917. The family had a house in Ireland, but this was burnt down by
 the Black and Tans in her infancy. Pauline and her sister were
 rescued from the flames by the gardener. The family moved constantly
 and in the course of her teens had some 21 homes. She was educated at
 Stover school Newton Abbott, where she was head girl. Afterwards she
 taught for a while. During the Second world war she served first as a
 Land Girl and then as an ambulance driver to the Commandos based at
 Lochailot. There she became engaged to Francis Cameron Head, the
 local laird, whose castle Inverailot had been requisitioned. The
 laird plied her with tins of rationed jam, and proposed to her on an
 island on Loch Eilt; they were married in 1942. 
 
 In 1945 the Cameron-Heads returned to Lochailot, which soon became
 the heart of the community; the same year they founded the Glenfinnan
 games. Francis Cameron-Head died in 1957. His young widow ran the
 huge estate with verve, showing how the Highland system can benefit
 the community if the landowner is resident and competent.
 
 Pauline Cameron-Head was known throughout the Gaeltachd (the Highland
 Gaelic-speaking area) for her "smeddum" ("people sense"). She loathed
 commercial poaching but was sympathetic to locals out for "one for
 the pot". Once she found her local poacher's net in her salmon river.
 She responded by hanging the net up to dry within the public hall of
 the castle. Her friend the poacher was mortified, and responded by
 writing an anonymous Gaelic song about the incident, the net was
 removed, and lady and poacher were reconciled in laughter. On another
 occasion she withdrew from the bidding for a strawberry net at a
 local auction on overhearing a neighbour mutter how much he wanted
 the net to use in the river. Cameron-Head served for many years as a
 senior county councillor and advisor to St Andrews House; she was
 deputy lieutenant and a JP for Inverness-shire. She was appointed OBE
 in 1971