Lord Neill Campbell

1630 - Bef 1692  (< 62 years)

• Name	Neill Campbell  [1]
  Title	Lord
  Birth	1630	Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland
  Gender	Male
  Education	1645	Lanarkshire, Scotland
  	At the University of Glasgow
  Residence	13 Nov 1658	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland   [2]
  	Made an Honorary Burgess of Aberdeen along with Sir James Campbell of Lawers (Lord Lyon King of Arms) and his servants Hew Montgomerie and Archibald Campbell
  Residence	Jun 1684	Scotland
  	Suspected of conspiracy with his brother, arrested and freed on pledging to remain loyal to the government and persuade others to do the same
  Property	1 Aug 1684	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [3]
  	Gave a bond of £5,000 to confine himself to the town of Edinburgh. Cautioners: Robert, Earl of Lothian and Sir Francis Scot of Thirlstaine. Later applied to the Privy Council for permission to sail to New Jersey
  Legal	Sep 1684	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [4]
  	Petitioned the Privy Council to transport willing prisoners to plantations in America, provided that they not be declared traitors, rebels or fugitives
  Role	1685	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA
  	Proprietor
  Legal	14 Mar 1684/85	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [4]
  	Granted a warrant to transport willing prisoners, provided they were not heritors with property worth more than £100 annual rent, or fined
  Imprisonment	19 May 1685	Blackness, West Lothian, Scotland
  	Date of warrant to Sir William Paterson, Clerk to the Privy Council, to secure Lord Neill, William Cochran, younger of Ochiltree, Alexander melville, the Master of Melville and James Pringle, younger of Torwoodlie in Blackness Castle
  Imprisonment	28 May 1685	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [5]
  	Held in Edinburgh Tolbooth. His wife, Vere Ker was allowed to "stay in the roome with her Lord" and William Campbell was allowed to visit him.
  	On 17 Jun 1685, his sister, Lady Jean Campbell, Countess of Lothian was also allowed to visit him. (BOEC Vol XI, 1922, pp69-70)
  Imprisonment	17 Jun 1685	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [5]
  	Released from Edinburgh Tolbooth, on a warrant granted by the Privy Council
  Property	13 Aug 1685	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [6]
  	Conveyance by 'George Tarbott' [George Mackenzie of Tarbet] of 1/4 or 1/24 of East New Jersey
  Departure	26 Aug 1685	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
  	Aboard the America Merchant
  Arrival	Nov 1685	Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [7, 8]
  	Arrived in Perth Amboy with a group of 55 settlers for the new Scots colony
  Property	2 Apr 1686	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [9]
  	Sold 1/2 of 1/4 of 1/24 of East New Jersey to Robert Blackwood
  Occupation	30 Sep 1686	Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [10]
  	Deputy Governor of East Jersey, chairing the resident Board of Proprietors (to 29 Jan 1686/87). Succeeding Gavin Lawrie
  Departure	10 Jun 1687	New York, New York, USA   [11]
  	Returned to Scotland. Cut his losses, having invested £1,100 sterling with Robert Blackwood and accepted £300 'ready money of Citty security pay[ab]ll in a short time'
  	GD112/16/7/1, item 55. Receipt by John Wake for £10 as passage money due by Lord Neil Campbell for himself and his man, from New York to London, 10 June 1687. John Wake was master of the Elizabeth and Katherine (see Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 8, 1685-1689. Entry Book: 26-30 November 1687, pages 1626-1637. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol8/pp1626-1637
  Title Suffix	of Ardmaddie
  Name	Neil Campbell  [5]
  Name	Nill Campbell  [12]
  Occupation	24 Dec 1689	Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland   [13]
  	Keeper of Dumbarton Castle. - date commissioned by the Privy Council
  Death	Bef 30 Apr 1692  [14]
  	Died considerably in debt. On 30 April, Lieutenant Governor Ferguson of Dumbarton Castle was ordered to remove "all the household plenishing, Furnitur, and other moveables" belonging to Campbell.
  Probate	18 Jan 1692/93	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA
  	Will covering East Jersey property administered by James Dundas of Perth Amboy,
  Origin	Argyll, Scotland
  Person ID	I37677	East Jersey Genealogies
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

  Father	Archibald Campbell,   b. 1607   d. 27 May 1661, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland (Age 54 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Margaret Douglas,   b. 1610   d. 13 Mar 1678 (Age 68 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F30234	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Dame Susan Menzies,   b. Weem, Perthshire, Scotland
  Marriage	1685
  Marriage Contract	1685  [15]
  	Contract of marriage between Lord Neil Campbell and Susanne Menzies, eldest daughter of Sir Alexander Menzies of that ilk
  Children	1. Susan Campbell,   b. Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Christian Campbell,   b. Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland d. Apr 1736  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Neil Campbell  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Alexander Campbell  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F23393	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

  Family 2	Vere Ker,   b. 24 Apr 1649   d. 17 Apr 1674 (Age 24 years)
  Marriage	16 Jan 1667/68	Newbattle, Midlothian, Scotland   [16]
  Marriage Contract	16 Jan 1667/68	Newbattle, Midlothian, Scotland   [17]
  	Pre-nuptial contract of marriage between Lord Neil Campbell, brother of Archibald, Earl of Argyll, and Lady Vere Ker, daughter of William, Earl of Lothian
  Children	1. Archibald Campbell,   b. 1668, Rosneath, Dunbartonshire, Scotland d. 15 Jun 1744, Westminster, London, England (Age 76 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Charles Campbell   d. Bef 16 Nov 1694  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Mary Campbell   d. Apr 1744  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Anna Campbell  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. Jean Campbell  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F23394	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1630 - Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland Education - At the University of Glasgow - 1645 - Lanarkshire, Scotland Residence - Made an Honorary Burgess of Aberdeen along with Sir James Campbell of Lawers (Lord Lyon King of Arms) and his servants Hew Montgomerie and Archibald Campbell - 13 Nov 1658 - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Marriage - 16 Jan 1667/68 - Newbattle, Midlothian, Scotland Marriage Contract - Pre-nuptial contract of marriage between Lord Neil Campbell, brother of Archibald, Earl of Argyll, and Lady Vere Ker, daughter of William, Earl of Lothian - 16 Jan 1667/68 - Newbattle, Midlothian, Scotland Residence - Suspected of conspiracy with his brother, arrested and freed on pledging to remain loyal to the government and persuade others to do the same - Jun 1684 - Scotland Property - Gave a bond of £5,000 to confine himself to the town of Edinburgh. Cautioners: Robert, Earl of Lothian and Sir Francis Scot of Thirlstaine. Later applied to the Privy Council for permission to sail to New Jersey - 1 Aug 1684 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Legal - Petitioned the Privy Council to transport willing prisoners to plantations in America, provided that they not be declared traitors, rebels or fugitives - Sep 1684 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Legal - Granted a warrant to transport willing prisoners, provided they were not heritors with property worth more than £100 annual rent, or fined - 14 Mar 1684/85 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Imprisonment - Date of warrant to Sir William Paterson, Clerk to the Privy Council, to secure Lord Neill, William Cochran, younger of Ochiltree, Alexander melville, the Master of Melville and James Pringle, younger of Torwoodlie in Blackness Castle - 19 May 1685 - Blackness, West Lothian, Scotland Imprisonment - Held in Edinburgh Tolbooth. His wife, Vere Ker was allowed to "stay in the roome with her Lord" and William Campbell was allowed to visit him. - 28 May 1685 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Imprisonment - Released from Edinburgh Tolbooth, on a warrant granted by the Privy Council - 17 Jun 1685 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Departure - Aboard the America Merchant - 26 Aug 1685 - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Arrival - Arrived in Perth Amboy with a group of 55 settlers for the new Scots colony - Nov 1685 - Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Occupation - Deputy Governor of East Jersey, chairing the resident Board of Proprietors (to 29 Jan 1686/87). Succeeding Gavin Lawrie - 30 Sep 1686 - Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Departure - Returned to Scotland. Cut his losses, having invested £1,100 sterling with Robert Blackwood and accepted £300 'ready money of Citty security pay[ab]ll in a short time' - 10 Jun 1687 - New York, New York, USA Occupation - Keeper of Dumbarton Castle. - date commissioned by the Privy Council - 24 Dec 1689 - Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland Origin - - Argyll, Scotland  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S3562] Fryer, Linda G., "Campbell, Lord Neil, of Ardmaddie (c.1630–1692), Colonial Speculator". [S3636] New Spalding Club, Aberdeen Burgess Register p56. [S3611] Privy Council of Scotland, The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd Series, IX, p382. [S3611] Privy Council of Scotland, The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd Series, X, pp184-185. [S3522] Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, (Name: Old Edinburgh Club; Location: Edinburgh; Date: 1916;), Vol. XI, 1922, pp63, 69-71. [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 227 (SSTSE023). [S3607] Nelson, William, Calendar of Records in the Office of the Secretary of State, 1664-1703, p68. [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 225 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, B(EJ): Folio 23 (SSTSE023). [S3720] Miller, George J., The Minutes of the Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey from 1685 to 1705, p2. [S3526] National Records of Scotland, (Location: Edinburgh;), GD112/16/7/1.55 Papers of the Campbell Family, Earls of Breadalbane, Estate Papers. [S3522] Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, (Name: Old Edinburgh Club; Location: Edinburgh; Date: 1916;), Vol. XII, 1923, p174. [S3611] Privy Council of Scotland, The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd Series, XIV, p591. [S3797] Privy Council of Scotland, Scottish Privy Council Records Database, The, (Name: Universities of Stirling and Dundee; Location: Stirling and Dundee; Date: 2024-;), D1692/4/11. https://spcr.ac.uk/warrant-30-april-1692-edinburgh/ [S3526] National Records of Scotland, (Location: Edinburgh;), GD112/63/2.15,16 Papers of the Campbell Family, Earls of Breadalbane. [S3608] Marriages (OPR) Scotland, (Name: National Records of Scotland; Location: Edinburgh;), Newbattle 695 40/25. [S3526] National Records of Scotland, (Location: Edinburgh;), GD40/5/61.5 Papers of the Kerr Family, Marquises of Lothian GD112/25/145 Papers of the Campbell Family, Earls of Breadalbane.