appeals, ‘fell into a great weeping.’ In 1678 he went to Holland, where many like-minded men were in banishment, and in his absence a new indulgence was proclaimed which many accepted. Returning in 1680, he found very few ministers to share his views. Among the few were Donald Cargill and Thomas Douglas, who met with him several times to form a public declaration and testimony as to the state of the church. What is commonly called the Sanquhar declaration followed, so named from the town of Sanquhar, where it was published. It disowned the authority of Charles II, and declared war against him. It disowned likewise the Duke of York and his right to succeed to the throne. Substantially this was the very basis on which, a few years after, the revolution was effected. The work of but a handful of poor men, it had little effect, except to embitter the spirit of opposition, and set a price of 5,000 merks on the head of Cameron, and 3,000 on those of Donald Cargill and Thomas Douglas. For a few weeks, notwithstanding, Cameron, now accompanied by a small body of armed men, went on preaching here and there, and uttering very strong predictions against all who should favour the royal indulgence. On 22 July 1680 his party was surprised by a body of royal troops who came upon them at a place called Ayrsmoss or Airdsmoss, in the parish of Auchinleck in Ayrshire. The Cameronians resolved to receive the charge, Cameron having thrice prayed ‘Lord, spare the green and take the ripe,’ but notwithstanding their great valour, they were overpowered by superior numbers and mostly cut to pieces; Cameron and his brother were among the slain. The preacher's head and hands were cut off, and by order of the council were fixed to the Nether Bow gate in Edinburgh.
After his death the name of Cameron, though cherished with a kind of holy reverence by his friends, was very often applied vaguely by enemies to all sects or bodies who held advanced or unusual opinions. In particular it used to be given to the ‘reformed presbyterians’ who would not accept the settlement of church and state under William and Mary. It ought to be added that the ‘reformed presbyterians’ decline the term ‘Cameronian,’ although to this day it is applied to them in popular use in Ireland, Scotland, and the United States.
[Biographia Presbyteriana, vol. i.; Howie's Scots Worthies; Wodrow's History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland; Grub's Eccles. Hist. of Scotland, vol. iii.; McCrie's Story of the Scottish Church; Herzog and Schaff's Encyclopædia, art. ‘Cameronians.’]
CAMERON, WILLIAM (1751–1811), Scotch poet, was born in 1751, and educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, where he was a pupil of Dr. Beattie [q. v.] Having been licensed a preacher of the church of Scotland, he was ordained minister of the parish of Kirknewton, Midlothian, on 17 Aug. 1786. Along with the Rev. John Logan and Dr. John Morrison, he assisted in preparing the collection of ‘Paraphrases’ from Scripture for the use of the church of Scotland, and he wrote for the collection Paraphrases XIV and XVII. On the occasion of the restoration of the forfeited estates in the highlands, he wrote a congratulatory song, ‘As o'er the Highland Hills I hied,’ which was inserted in Johnson's ‘Museum’ adapted to the old air, ‘The Haughs o' Cromdale.’ He was also the author of a ‘Collection of Poems,’ published anonymously, 1790; ‘The Abuse of Civil and Religious Liberty,’ a sermon, 1793; ‘Ode on Lochiel's Birthday,’ 1796; ‘A Review of the French Revolution,’ 1802; ‘Poems on several Occasions,’ 1813; and the account of the parish of Kirknewton in Sinclair's ‘Statistical Account.’ His poems are for the most part of a moral and didactic character. He died on 17 Nov. 1811.
[New Statistical Account of Scotland, i. 441; Scots Magazine, lxxiv. 79; Forbes's Life of Beattie, i. 375; Rogers's Scottish Minstrel, i. 34–38; Hew Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scot. i. 143–4.]
CAMIDGE, JOHN, the elder (1735–1803), organist and composer, was born at York in 1735. His early musical education was obtained as a chorister of York Minster under Dr. Nares, to whom he was articled for seven years, after which he studied in London under Dr. Greene, and received some lessons from Handel. On his return to Yorkshire, Camidge became a candidate for the post of organist at Doncaster parish church, but the Dean of York hearing him play offered him the appointment of organist to York Minster, where he entered upon his duties on 31 Jan. 1756. Camidge was the first cathedral organist to introduce into the service, as anthems, selections from Handel's oratorios, an innovation which at the time was thought very bold, as the style of Handel's music was considered too secular for performance in churches. He was a florid and brilliant organ-player, and his extempore performances were celebrated. Camidge remained at York all his life. His wife was a Miss Mills, daughter of the chapter registrar, by whom he had a son Matthew [q. v.] He resigned his organistship 11 Nov. 1799, and died 25 April 1803.
[Authorities as under John Camidge the younger.]
