Faith Raven 1930-2026; A tribute by Angus Robertson

Faith Raven was born in London on the 31st of July 1930. She was barely a month old when her parents, Owen and Emmeline Hugh Smith brought her and her older sister, Fortune, for their first introduction to Morvern and their newly acquired Ardtornish Estate. A place which was destined to be a corner stone of huge significance throughout all of Faith’s long and fulfilled life.

She died peacefully, in her sleep at her home, Docwra’s Manor, on the 22nd of March this year. That took her bond with Ardtornish and Morvern to just five years short of a century.

I first visited Ardtornish in the early 1970’s as a school friend of the late Andrew Raven, Faith’s eldest son. In the spring of 1984, I returned with a very modest degree in Agriculture and some experience of sheep to fill in as estate manager for the summer until they found someone suitable. 38 years later I retired and moved 3 miles to just along the road from here where Jennie and I are well settled. Faith had been a great friend of us both for all that time and we will miss her terribly.

I am going to use my time here today to pay tribute to the very important bond between Faith, Ardtornish and Morvern over the past century, and seek to share some of the details, stories and memories which illustrate the enormous influence that the place and its communities had on her, and that she had on all of us and it. It will be impossible for me to know or remember all the names and details so please forgive me if my memory fails in any way along this route

Following the death of her father and later her mother, Faith inherited the whole estate, but then put it in trust for her children, to be operated by a company. Faith retained responsibility for several things including the farm and conifer woodland development, while also retaining an interest in Ardtornish House and gardens and various other similar projects that interested her.

In one of her two books about Morvern, published in recent years, she described her father’s letter from Morvern in May 1930, to her mother, heavily pregnant with the future Faith, in London. Describing his first impressions on viewing Ardtornish for a potential purchase he found “the whole place very attractive but for the hideous house, which however is very well found and comfortable”. Despite the “hideous house”, Faith in later life reflected that her own “interest and affection for Ardtornish House stemmed from nine decades of living there, Her childhood familiarity with every corner of the house led to a deep sense of belonging”.

I can just imagine the 9-year-old Faith’s excitement at discovering the secrets of all those darkest corners, while living there as an evacuee during the 2nd World War.

Once in charge, she determined to make the best of the house. Maintenance responsibilities, including roof work and such like, often at extremely long odds, had grown as time went by. There was never enough money and so many important and interesting things to do. Names to thank and remember who helped in this project on the house in my time included Jim Macleod, Raymond Gallagher, Peter Lindsay, Willie Lamont, Robin Bell, Allan Davidson, Pod Carmichael’s team of Joiners from Glenuig followed by Michael Faryma and sons from Caol.

Then of course there were all the disasters to cope with. I am thinking of: “the boiler’s broken”, frozen WCs and foul drains, burst pipes, Niagara-like waterfalls down the billiard room flat stairs, dangerous avalanches of cracked and falling plaster, patching up oil paintings and massive plate glass windows cracked by wayward billiard fives balls and so many other trials and tribulations that spring to my mind. Her resilience when such things went astray was legendary. I recall her usual reaction to problems – a measured dash of initial fury, if required, followed by calm and support to put the problem right. Her fortitude was brought home to me years ago when a ferocious winter storm felled trees and powerlines all over Morvern. Faith at the time was the sole occupant of the mansion house and Jennie and I went up to the house to check that she was ok. We found her sitting in her kitchen with complete aplomb, with the gas oven doors open for heat and a huge candelabra for light. She, nevertheless, when we quietly mentioned the option, agreed to drop everything and come home with us – just for the company!

We should also think of the warm-hearted team that looked after the family and their guests. Mrs Root and Mrs Titley who came from London for the season were very special and were supported by a host of local ladies and particularly remembering Katie MacCuish, Dolly Sorley as well as their respective daughters Treena McCuish and Isobel Carmichael.

The gardens were perhaps of even greater importance to Faith as they had been to her mother. Judging by the photo of the gardens in 1930 in Faith’s book they came on in leaps and bounds during her life. They gave such joy to so many over the years. We will hear more about them a little later but one particular highlight of mine was the charitable Scotland’s Gardens Scheme open day in May each year and the home baked cream teas in support of this, our church.

Reading Faith’s book, I gathered that Faith’s father, Owen, was first attracted to buy Ardtornish largely as a place where he and Emmeline could entertain friends and relations.

Faith continued this tradition in her own style. Every summer the place buzzed with all the “ologies” – professors of this and that, artists, poets and writers, students of everything, geologists hammering away, botanists with their bottoms up and heads down, bryologists magnifying, birders birding and dendrologists tree hugging. And you would find Faith engaging with all of the fun of it all. The tradition of offering spare and nearly uninhabitable houses, for long lets to friends, which I think Owen may have started, was popularised by Faith. It brought a great many extraordinary friends and families back to Ardtornish each year. Others would take a short lease on the self-catering holiday apartments and cottages for similar reasons. They too were almost uninhabitable when the new tourism business started but are now rather good and still very popular. So many of those who visited like this became a big part of what Ardtornish is about.

Not every visitor was initially welcome. Some years ago, a young man spent the entire winter squatting in Inninmore Cottage. Worried that the tenant, Chris Bacon, was about to arrive for the summer, Faith was determined to send the squatter packing. Hearing that he was walking round the loch to collect his giro cheque in Oban, Faith roared off in her Volvo to intercept him. She wound down the window to give him a dressing down, whereupon he said “Shhhh”, turned his back, rummaged in his backpack and finally produced a notebook, in which he wrote “I have taken a vow of silence for peace”. This took the wind out of Faith’s sails and when he lent her his journal with poetry written over the winter and confirmed he was just returning to tidy the cottage for the arrival of Chris, a man he had grown to respect enormously during his stay, she became a complete convert.

This was close to the hearts of both Faith and John from the start, and it was right for them to lean the management and direction of the estate firmly in that direction where they could. When neighbouring Rahoy Estate came up for sale, Faith was instrumental, in partnership with old family friend John Buxton, in setting up the SWT’s Rahoy Hills Reserve including the John Raven Extension. She was a member of its management committee for the remainder of her life. In much of the drive for conservation, Faith was supported by Brian Brookes, a first-class conservation scientist of his day. He was very productive in introducing, producing, and encouraging implementation, of his detailed Ardtornish Estate Conservation audit as well as chairing the local SWT management committee through some of its best and most productive years. Faith’s working relationship with him was what really made that all such a success.

The in-hand farm had been one of the main activities of Ardtornish Estates for many generations prior to the arrival of Owen Hugh Smith and his family. I may not have this exactly and historically right, but I understand this marked the beginning of a great new period for the Henry and Laurie connection around Ardtornish. Sam was promoted from head shepherd to estate factor and Bob Laurie, married to Sam’s sister, took over as head shepherd at Acharn. Both families had been in sheep for generations before but there was something of a change at this time which combined with the arrival of Faith on the scene. Over the years that followed the generations, particularly of Laurie’s, were always there to fill the gaps. The connection between these two families and the lands and farm of Ardtornish are so strong and Faith Raven’s connection to that during her long life was equally strong.

There developed a genuine bond of respect, understanding, pride and good will that Faith shared with them all and equally, importantly, with those who were not Henrys or Lauries but worked alongside them on the farm and in all aspect of the estate operations. Faith took great delight in all their company at both work and play, and (for the most part at least) we all responded accordingly!

Farming at scale in the west highlands right through from the 2nd World War to the more recent battle of Brexit was never going to be easy but Faith and the team gave it their best shot. The farm was generally modestly profitable and able to contribute to the running of the estate, but it became increasingly a matter of doing what you were told or the various subsidy systems demanded. Faith was a very uncomfortable ‘Subsidy Junkie’ but learned to live with it like the rest of us. Nowadays, the farm continues to develop and move with the moment, and with an appropriate increased awareness of conservation issues. Faith genuinely loved her period in farming and all the support she gave and received. Although she doesn’t need to worry about it anymore, I feel sure there will be something out there or up there , which will be wishing the future of the farm and estate well, from the comfort and shared memories of all of the good friends and relations that she shared her own farming and wider Morvern experiences with.

Angus Robertson 12-05-2026 (Keil Church).