Sir George Campbell of Cessnock in Ayrshire was a 17th-century statesman. His lineage was from the Campbells of

Loudoun Loudoun ( gd, Lughdan) is a parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland and lies between five and ten miles east of Kilmarnock. The parish roughly encompasses the northern half of the Upper-Irvine Valley and borders Galston Parish (which encompasses the ...

. His father was

Sir Hugh Campbell Sir Hugh Campbell of Cessnock in Ayrshire was a 17th-century baronet of Cessnock. His lineage was from the Campbells of Loudoun.G. Harvey Johnston, ''The Heraldry of the Campbells'', vol. II (1921p. 59 Sir Hugh was the MP for Ayrshire in the ...

and his mother was Elizabeth Campbell.G. Harvey Johnston, ''The Heraldry of the Campbells'', vol. II (1921
p. 59
He married Anna McMouran, an heiress to an estate in Fife, in 1665. He was tried along with his father for high treason in March 1684 for being part of the rising at

Bothwell Bridge Bothwell is a conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, east-south-east of Glasgow city centre. Description and history An anc ...

. A

not proven Not proven (, ) is a verdict available to a Courts of Scotland, court of law in Scotland. Under Scots law, a Criminal procedure, criminal trial may end in one of three verdicts, one of conviction ("guilty") and two of acquittal ("not proven" and ...

verdict was returned but nevertheless he and his father were imprisoned on the

Bass Rock The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass (), ( gd, Creag nam Bathais or gd, Am Bas) is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcan ...

on the Firth of Forth in

Haddingtonshire East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

. The order for his transport from the Tolbooth is dated 15 September 1684. It apparently took about 4 days to put into effect. He was sent at the same time as John Rae but neither he nor Rae were permitted to ride in a coach or on a horse someone provided. In 1685 George and his father were accused of accession to the

Rye House Plot The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the ...

. This was a plot for the assassination of Charles II. and the elevation of his illegitimate son, by Lucy Walters, the Duke of Monmouth, to the throne. Although the proof failed, Parliament adjudged them guilty. Their lives were spared, but an act of attainder was taken out against them, by which their lands passed to the Crown and themselves again committed prisoners to the Bass. On 13 June 1685 notice of his forfeiture and that of his father were recorded. Both Campbells were released on 6 August 1685 but later re-arrested. He was appointed to the posts of

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...

and became one of the

Lord of Session The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session) ...

in 1665. He was succeeded by his daughter Margaret who married Alexander Hume-Campbell in 1697.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, George 1704 deaths People from East Ayrshire 17th-century Scottish judges Covenanters 17th-century Scottish landowners Scottish prisoners and detainees Covenanting Prisoners of the Bass Rock