Hector Cameron (1924–1994) was a Free Church of Scotland minister who served as

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...

in 1980.

Life

He was born in

Resolis Resolis (from the Scottish Gaelic Ruigh Sholais meaning ''Bright Slope'') is a village and parish on the B9163 road, in the Black Isle in Scotland. It is part of the Presbytery of Ross. In 2011 it had a population of 362. At the 2011 census, th ...

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting o ...

in 1924 the son of Rev William Cameron (1885-1950), descended from shepherds in the

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creatio ...

district,Glasgow Herald 16 March 1994 and his wife, Elizabeth Mackintosh. His paternal grandfather was Rev Hector Cameron (1835-1915) of Lochs and Backs (who was a noted Gaelic poet). All three generations were ministers of the Free Church of Scotland. His family had left the established

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

in the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...

to join the Free Church. He served with the Signal Corps during the latter part of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. He then studied Divinity and was ordained as a minister of the Free Church in 1954. He initially served in a Free Church in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

then obtained a post in

Lybster Lybster (, gd, Liabost) is a village on the east coast of Caithness in northern Scotland. It was once a big herring fishing port. The Waterlines heritage museum is located in Lybster Harbour and provides information on the history and geology ...

in Caithness. He then spent time at both

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placename ...

and

Dornoch Dornoch (; gd, Dòrnach ; sco, Dornach) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray ...

before going to

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. He was minister of Bon Accord Free Church in

from 1975 to 1982. During this period, from 1980 to 1981, he served as

the highest position in his church. In 1983 he moved to the more sedate joint parish of Killearnan and

Fortrose Fortrose (; gd, A' Chananaich, sco, Chainry) is a town and former royal burgh in Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is on the Moray Firth, about north-east of Inverness. The burgh is a popular location for trying to spot bottlenose dolp ...

on the

Black Isle The Black Isle ( gd, an t-Eilean Dubh, ) is a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands. It includes the towns of Cromarty and Fortrose, and the villages of Culbokie, Jemimaville, Rosemarkie, Avoch, Munlochy, Tore, and ...

. in 1990 the parishes split into separate congregations. He retired to Inverness in 1989 and died there in March 1994. Following his death 1200 of his books were donated to found the Hector Cameron Library in the Highland Theological College.

Family

His wife Lois Anna Mackay died in Inverness in 2018 aged 91. They had two children: Martin and Jane.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Hector 1924 births 1994 deaths People from Ross and Cromarty 20th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland