Charles Counsel (d. 1806) was a resident of Martin and later Edgecombe County. In 1777 he became a member of the Gourd Patch Conspiracy. One member of the plot, Isaac Barbee claimed that after some members of the plot were arrested that summer and they were fearful of their plan being discovered, Counsel formulated a plan to kill James Mayo, a local office holder who opposed their plot. Whether Counsel did formulate a plan against Mayo or not, it does not appear that he was arrested as a consequence of his alleged involvement.