John Campbell, Lord Stonefield

The Hon John Campbell, Lord Stonefield FRSE (c. 1720–1801) was an 18th-century Scottish lawyer who rose to be a Senator of the College of Justice.

Life

He was born around 1720 the son of Mrs Jane Ogilvie or Ogilvy (née Frend, Freend or Friend) (1701-1771). Her husband at that time was Cpt Alexander Ogilvy of Forglen. Cpt Ogilvy (b.1687) was the son of Sir Alexander Ogilvy, 1st Baronet of Forglen. However other sources give Captain Ogilvy's father as Alexander Campbell of Stonefield (implying illegitimacy). The connection to Sir Alexander Ogilvy would make him the illegitimate half-brother of Sir Alexander Ogilvy, 7th Lord Banff.

In 1732 his mother (certainly widowed but perhaps also disgraced) married Archibald Campbell (1697-1777) of Stonefield in Argyllshire. If the second source of Captain Ogilvy's fatherhood is correct this would mean she married her husband's half-brother. If young John was indeed the son of Alexander Campbell, this complicated relationship would make him half-brother of his own (adoptive) father. As a third, and perhaps more logical conclusion, Archibald was perhaps truly the biological father of John, but conceived very young and definitely out of wedlock. Either way, Archibald Campbell appears to have raised John as his own son, and his presumed birth-name of John Ogilvy disappears and is deliberately obscured. Archibald was a lawyer who became Sheriff of Argyllshire.

John trained as a lawyer and passed the Scottish bar as an advocate in 1748. In 1753 he became Sheriff of Forfarshire.

In 1756 he bought Elphinstone Court in Edinburgh, the home of the late Peter Wedderburn, Lord Chesterhall, whose son Alexander had inherited the property but had no use for it, as he worked in London.

In 1763 he became a Senator of the College of Justice on the death of Charles Erskine, Lord Tinwald. He served this role for 38 years, one of the longest serving Senators.

Around 1765/1770 (on its initial construction) he moved to George Square on the south side of Edinburgh.

in 1783 he was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 1784 he became Director of the Highland Society. In 1787 he became a Lord of the Justiciary. on 19 June 1801. Their children included Lt Col John Campbell of Stonefield

In 1791, following Grace's death, he married Miss Phoebe Lloyd (c. 1756-29 Sep 1818), who was buried at St George's Hanover Square in London.

Artistic recognition He was portrayed by Allan Ramsay in 1849.

He was portrayed by David Martin around 1770.

He was portrayed in later life by John Kay in 1799.