He joined the British Army as an ensign in the 15th (East Riding Yorkshire) Regiment in 1797 and was promoted to lieutenant later that year.

In 1805, he joined a company and when on passage to the West Indies, the transport ship in which he was embarked was attacked by a large French privateer schooner, which was beat off with great loss.

Burrell became a major in the 90th Light Infantry in 1807, was at the capture of Guadeloupe in 1810, and served during the war in Canada in 1814 and 1815, having commanded the post of Fort-Major during the winter of that year.

[2] In 1820, Burrell went to the Mediterranean, where he held the civil and military command of Paxo for over five years, one of the Ionian Islands under a British protectorate.

His second marriage was to Marianne Theresa Thomas; they had two sons and two daughters:[1][2] Media related to George Burrell at Wikimedia Commons