The Name and Family of MONTGOMERY

The Memorables of the Montgomeries,
a narrative in rhyme (Glasgow, 1770) referring to the origin of this name says:

A noble Roman was the root
from which Montgomeries came,
Who brought his legions from the war, and
settled same upon an Hill
'twixt Rome and Spain,
Gomericus by name;
From which he and his offspring do
Their sir-name still retain."

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Clan Montgomery Society International.
From: http://www.scotclans.com/clans/montgomery.htm

The name of Montgomery derives from an ancient Norman family, who held the Castle of St. Foy de Montgomery near Lisieux, in France. Tradition asserts that the name can be traced back to a Roman commander called Gomericus.

Gaelic Name:	MacGumerait
Motto:	Garde bien (Watch well)
Lands:	Eglington, Ardrossan and Kintyre
Origin of Name:	Placename, Norman

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One theory for the origin of the name Montgomery goes as follows: Among the Viking chieftains who ravaged Europe in the 9th century was Gomeric, son of Ingvar Ragnarson, the King of East Anglia and Northumberland. Gomeric settled in the Calvados area of Normandy and fortified a hill which gave the family its name - Mons Gomerici. In 1066 Gomeric's great great grandson Roger de Montgomerie commanded the right wing of the Norman army at Hastings and was rewarded with titles and wealth in England and Wales, and after several generations descendants arrived in Ayrshire, Scotland about 1160.
Author Unknown

MONTGOMERY

APPROVED BY THE STANDING COUNCIL OF SCOTTISH CHIEFS
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MONTGOMERY
A brief History:

Although the actual derivation of this name is obscure, the Norman family who bore it held the Castle of Sainte Foy de Montgomery at Lisieux. One tradition asserts that the name refers to a hill and a Roman Commander called Gomericus. Roger de Mundegumbrie, whose mother was the niece of the great-grandmother of William the Conqueror, accompanied his kinsman on the invasion of England and commanded the van at Hastings in 1066. He was rewarded with Chichester, Arundel and the Earldom of Shrewsbury. He soon consolidated his possessions, and then invaded Wales, where he captured the Castle of Baldwin, to which he gave his own name of Montgomery. There was later to be not only a town, but an entire county of this name.

The first Montgomery who appears on record in Scotland is Robert, who obtained the lands of Eaglesham in Renfrewshire. He appears as a witness in a charter to Monastery of Paisley around 1165. It is generally supposed that Robert, a grandson of Earl Roger, accompanied Walter Fitz-Alan the first High Steward of Scotland, when he came to Scotland to take possession of lands conferred upon him by David I. Eight centuries later the Montgomerys still held on lands in Renfrew and Ayrshire.

John de Montgomery and his brother are listed on the Ragman Roll, rendering homage to Edward I of England for their estates in 1296. A later Sir John, the seventh Baron of Eaglesham, was one of the heroes of the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, capturing Sir Henry Percy, the renowned Hotspur. According to a vivid Borders ballad, Hotspur and Montgomery met in hand-to-hand combat, and Montgomery carried the day. The Percys paid a great ransom for the release of Hotspur, building for Montgomery the Castle of Polnoon. The hero of Otterburn cemented his good fortune by marrying the heiress of Sir Hugh Eglington, thereby acquiring the Barony of Eglinton and Ardrossan.

His son, Sir John Montgomery of Ardrossan, was one of the hostages for James I, and took for his second wife Margaret, the daughter of Maxwell of Caerlaverock. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Alexander, a member of the king's council who was sent on several important missions to England. He was created Lord Montgomery sometime prior to 31 January 1449. Hugh, the third Lord Montgomery, supported Prince James in rebellion against his father, James III, and fought at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. Montgomery was rewarded with the grant for life of the island of Arran and the keepership of Brodick Castle. More honours followed, and in the year after Sauchieburn he was made baillie of Bute and Cunningham. But Cunningham was claimed by the Glencairns, and a feud arose during which Eglinton Castle was burned. In either 1507 or 1508, Lord Montgomery was created Earl of Eglinton. He escaped the carnage of Flodden Field in September 1513, and was part of the Parliament at Perth in October of that year which proclaimed the infant James V king.

Hugh, the second Earl, succeeded his grandfather in June 1545, but died a year later, and his son, another Hugh, became the third Earl. A devout Catholic, the Earl rejected the Reformation and staunchly supported Mary, Queen of Scots, throughout her troubled reign. He fought for her at the Battle of Langside, where he was taken prisoner. He was imprisoned and declared guilty of treason, but remained unrepentant until 1571, when he was convinced to accept James VI. He sat in the Parliament in Stirling in September of that year. Twice married, he died in 1585, leaving two sons and two daughters. His daughter, Margaret, married Robert, Earl of Winton, and their son was later to succeed as the sixth Earl of Eglinton.

Margaret's brother, the fourth Earl, fell victim to his family's ancient enmity with the Cunninghams of Glencairn. In 1586 the earl was riding from Eglinton to Stirling when he was attacked by John Cunningham, brother of the Earl of Glencairn, with several of his close kinsmen and retainers. Eglinton was shot dead, probably by John Cunningham of Colbeith. The Montgomerys on discovering the murder, killed every Cunnigham that came in their path. Colbeith was pursued, and when captured was cut to pieces on the spot.

The infant who succeeded his murdered father as fifth Earl was brought up by his maternal uncle, Robert Boyd of Badenheath. He was a favourite of James VI. When he died without issue, the Eglinton title passed to Alexander Seton as heir of line. A rigid Protestant, the new Earl of Eglinton could not accept the religious policies of Charles I, and he fought in the Army of the Covenant during the civil war. He was able to accept Charles II, who had agreed to his Scottish subjects terms concerning religion, and he was made a colonel of the King¹s Lifeguard of Cavalry. He was captured at Dumbarton and remained imprisoned in Berwick until the Restoration in 1660.

The thirteenth Earl organised the celebrated tournament at Eglinton Castle in 1839 which set up to recapture the spectacle of medieval jousting. The present chief is the eighteenth Earl of Eglinton and ninth Earl of Winton.

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Montgomery Family Name History

The English surname Montgomery is local in origin being derived from the place where a person once lived or where he once held land. In this case, Montgomery is associated with the towns of Saint Germain de Montgomery and Saint Foy de Montgomery, both situated near lisieux in the northern French province of Normandy and means simply 'of Montgomery'. After the Norman invasion of England in 1066, French influence there was great and surname Montgomery is just one legacy of this period. In fact, as will be seen from the examples below, the Montgomerys were closely associated with William the Conqueror.

Early records show that the surname Montgomery was introduced into England in the first days of the invasion of 1066. The Patronymica Britannica says of the Normans: 'One of them, Roger de Montgomery, a dinsman of the Conqueroe, accompanied him and led the centre of his army at Hastings'. Other early instances of the name in England include one Hugo de Montgomeri who appeared in the Domesday Book in the year 1086 and one Fulco de Montgomery who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in the year 1273. Notable bearers of this surname during World War II defeated Rommel's powerful army and drove the Germans back to Tunisia.

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Last updated August 1999 by Web Genealogist Chris Stefanovich.