April 29, 2009
Pamela Sandilands, The Dowager Lady Torphichen 0
Obituary of Pamela (nee Howard-Snow) Sandilands, widow of the Rt Hon James Bruce Sandilands, 14th Lord Torphichen; born 11 July, 1920, in London; died 20 March, 2009, in London, aged 88.
Pamela and James had their wedding in the United States, where he was a history professor, yet within a short time James’s elderly father (the 13th Lord Torphichen) died suddenly at home in Scotland. This forced James and Pamela to return to Britain earlier than envisaged to look after the Sandilands historic family seat, Calder, in Midlothian, a castle built in the 1300s.
It must have interested Pamela to learn that among the many distinguished people to have visited or stayed in Calder were King Robert II, whose daughter Princess Jean had married the 2nd Feudal Baron Sandilands of Calder; the renowned protestant preacher John Knox, in the 16th century; and the celebrated composer and pianist Chopin, in the 19th century.
After James had properly reacquainted himself with Calder, and begun shouldering the responsibilities of its management and upkeep, he made a point of taking Pamela, along with her two children, to see Torphichen Preceptory. There he explained to them in greater detail the history of Torphichen and his family’s ancient links with the Hospitaller Order of St John (Order of Malta).
The order was familiar to Pamela. On becoming widowed [by the death of her first husband, Thomas Philip Hodson Pressinger, a former RAF officer] she had involved herself each year with helping the sick at Lourdes with members of the order. She made many good friends, and in 1990 she was elected a Companion of the Order of Malta (Delegation of Scotland).
For almost 35 years Pamela was president of the Ladies of Charity of St Vincent de Paul (Westminster division), one of the oldest charities, established in 1617. Pamela later obtained a diploma in psychotherapy and counselling to assist her dealing with those in need of help. Among her other activities she was involved with the charity Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic Prisoners Aid Society, and the Hospital of St John and Elizabeth in St John’s Wood, north London.
In 1996 Pamela was honoured with the award of Catholic Woman of the Year in recognition of her charity work.
• Full story at The Scotsman.
