Colonel John Campbell, of Shawfield and Islay ( – 13 March 1809) was a Scottish soldier in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. After his early death, his widow

Lady Charlotte Bury Lady Charlotte Susan Maria Bury (née Campbell; 28 January 1775 – 1 April 1861) was an English novelist, who is chiefly remembered in connection with a ''Diary illustrative of the Times of George IV'' (1838). Life Lady Charlotte Susan Maria ...

achieved fame as a

diarist A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

and novelist. He was also briefly a politician.

Early life

Campbell was the oldest son of Walter Campbell of Shawfield and Islay, an advocate who served as

Rector of the University of Glasgow The (Lord) Rector of the University of Glasgow is one of the most senior posts within University of Glasgow, the institution, elected every three years by students. The theoretical role of the rector is to represent students to the senior manage ...

from 1789 to 1791, and his first wife Eleanora, daughter of Robert Ker of New Field.

Career

He joined the British Army in 1789 as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the

3rd Foot Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

. In 1793 he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and then

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He left the army in about 1799, and was later a Colonel of the Argyll

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. In 1796, he married

Lady Charlotte Susan Maria Campbell Lady Charlotte Susan Maria Bury (née Campbell; 28 January 1775 – 1 April 1861) was an English novelist, who is chiefly remembered in connection with a ''Diary illustrative of the Times of George IV'' (1838). Life Lady Charlotte Susan Maria ...

, daughter of the 5th Duke of Argyll. They had at least two sons and six daughters, but only two of the daughters survived their parents. On the death of Walter Campbell in 1816, John's son

Walter Frederick Campbell Walter Frederick Campbell of Shawfield (sometimes given "of Islay") (1798–1855), was a Scottish politician. He served as the MP for Argyllshire, 1822–1832 and 1835–1841. Early life and political career He was born on 10 April 1798, th ...

inherited the 240 square mile island of

Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...

in the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...

. In 1794, he was elected on the interest of his brother-in-law, the 6th Duke of Argyll as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayr Burghs. He supported Argyll in opposing the

Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

's ministry, and died two years after his election, aged about 39. After his death, Lady Charlotte was appointed as a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

in the household of

Caroline of Brunswick Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Caroline Amelia Elizabeth; 17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until her death in 1821, being the estranged wife of King George IV. She was Pr ...

(then Princess of Wales, later Queen) until 1815, when she married John Bury, who became a Church of England rector. Her first novel was published anonymously in 1812 and followed by a dozen more. She also kept a diary of life in court which was published anonymously in 1838, but widely attributed to her.

Children

Children of Colonel John Campbell and Lady Charlotte: * Walter Frederick (1798–1855), MP for Argyllshire 1822–32 and 1835–41, and inheritor of the island of

* John George (1800–1830), married Ellen, daughter of

Sir Fitzwilliam Barrington, 10th Baronet There have been two baronetcies created for people with the surname Barrington. As of 2014 one creation is extant. The Barrington Baronetcy, of Barrington Hall in the County of Essex was created in the Baronetage of England on 29 June 1611, for ...

* Eliza Maria (1795-1842), palaeontologist, married

Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 2nd Baronet Sir William Gordon Gordon-Cumming, 2nd Baronet of Altyre and Gordonstoun FRSE (20 July 1787 – 25 November 1854), was a Scottish Member of Parliament. Gordon-Cumming was member of parliament (MP) for Elgin Burghs from 1831 to 1832. Life He wa ...

* Eleanora (died 1828), married Henry, Earl of Uxbridge (later (2nd

Marquess of Anglesey Marquess of Anglesey ( cy, Ardalydd Môn) is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge, a hero of the Battle of Waterloo, second in command to the Duke of Wellington. The Marquess ...

) * Harriet Charlotte Beaujolois (died in Naples in February 1848), an author, married Charles, Lord Tullamore (later 2nd

Earl of Charleville Earl of Charleville was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1758 when Charles Moore, 2nd Baron Moore, was made Earl of Charleville, in the King's County. The title Baron Moore, of Tullamore in the ...

) * Emma, married William Russell, youngest son of

Lord William Russell Lord William Russell (20 August 1767 – 5 May 1840) was a member of the British aristocratic Russell family and longtime Member of Parliament. He did little to attract public attention after the end of his political career until, in 1840, he was ...

* Adelaide, married

Lord Arthur Lennox Lord Arthur Lennox (2 October 1806 – 15 January 1864) was a British politician. He was the youngest son of the 4th Duke of Richmond and the uncle of Lord Henry Lennox. Lennox was commissioned into the 71st Foot. He was promoted lieutenant ...

* Julia, married Peter Langford-Brooke, of Mere Hall in Cheshire After John's death the family commissioned

Lorenzo Bartolini Lorenzo Bartolini (Prato, 7 January 1777 Florence, 20 January 1850) was an Italian sculptor who infused his neoclassicism with a strain of sentimental piety and naturalistic detail, while he drew inspiration from the sculpture of the Florentine ...

to sculpt the youngest daughters, Julia and Emma.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, John Year of birth uncertain 1770 births 1809 deaths People from Islay Scots Guards officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1807–1812 British Militia officers