Rev. James Montgomery

We don’t know his father’s given name, or have any information about his mother.

• Not the same as Lt.-Col. James ‘Jacob’ Montgomery
• Not the son of Hugh Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of the Great Ards
• Not the son of Robert Montgomery of Hessilhead
• Not the same as Col. James Montgomery, of Hessilhead

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A History of the Family of Cairnes Or Cairns and Its Connections. By Henry Cairnes Lawlor. (1902). “Appendix lll - The Montgomeries of Ballymagowan.” Page 268-269. < GoogleBooks >

THE first member of this family to settle in Ireland was Rev. James Montgomery. His father had been minister of Montrose in the early years of the seventeenth century. We do not know his christian name, but he was one of the nine sons of the laird of Ha'toune or Hall Town in the parish of Newbyle, Forfarshire. This family was a branch of the Montgomeries of Hassilhead in Ayrshire, who descended from Hugh, third son of Alexander Montgomery of Eglinton, who died 1452. The Braidstain Montgomeries descended from a second son, and the Earls of Eglinton from the eldest son of this Alexander.

The Rev. James Montgomery married in 1633, Elizabeth, widow of the Rev. David Magill, minister in Greyabbey, daughter of John Lindsay of the Dundrod family, by Isabel Shaw of Greenock, sister of the first Viscount Montgomery's wife. The Rev. James Montgomery's wife was therefore a first cousin of the second Viscount.

He had an elder brother Samuel, a Major in the army, who died unmarried “in Portaferry and is buryd wher Patt Savadge, Esqr has now his seat in ye church; over which there is an hollow place made in the wall, wherein it was designed his arms and epitaph should have been put." [1]

The Rev. James Montgomery married secondly a daughter of Hugh Montgomery, seneschal to the first Viscount Montgomery, and died in 1647. His widow married secondly one Smith, who treated his younger stepchildren very badly. On the death of his wife he turned them from his house. We do not know their names or ultimate history.

By his first wife, the Rev. James Montgomery had issue, Hugh MONTGOMERY OF BALLYMAGOWAN. He was born in the year 1635. He remained for some years with his kinsman William Montgomery of Rosemount, with whom he travelled a good deal in England and on the Continent. In 1660 he entered the household of the first Earl of Mount Alexander, his second cousin, "being made his Lds Privy Purs filler; his Cashiere and Paymaster to all his seryts, shop-keepers, sadlers, harness makers, tailors, &c., his master of his Escoury, giving him authority over all his men seryts to command and correct them, committing the hireing and choice of them unto him also he was deservedly our Lds Favorit, whence he obtained the designation of my Lords Hugh.” He became estate agent and seneschal to the second Earl of Mount Alexander.

After the Restoration of Charles II., his father's arrears of pay as chaplain to a regiment, and his own services in the army some years before, were rewarded by debentures, in satisfaction of which he obtained some valuable lands, including Ballymagowan and Ballylimp. About this time also he married Jane, daughter and eventual co-heiress of Hans Hamilton of Carnesure, first cousin of Viscount Clanneboye. In 1671 he went to live at Ballymagowan, which about this time began to be known as at present No. 19.

I regret extremely that through my own mistake the field of the Montgomery quartering in this shield appears azure instead of gules. The original proof-sheet of this illustration showed the shield as described in the Pont MS. Sir James Balfour Paul, however, very kindly went into this matter and found the Hassilhead emblazonment in the Lyon Register, a copy of which he sent me. In altering the shield on the lithographic stones I stupidly overlooked having this colour eliminated from the blue stone and placed on the red. I only found out my mistake after all the copies had been printed). It does not appear that any of the Ballymagowan family ever registered their arms in the Ulster Office ; but the correct emblazonment would have been as above for Hassilhead, with a difference, as not representing the headship of the family.

See shield of arms No. 19 in Chap. X., quartering the arms of Hamilton with Montgomery.

• 1. MS. of William Montgomery of Rosemount. See The Montgomery Manuscripts, edited by the Rev. George Hill, pp. 359 and 365-376. It is a pity these arms were not inscribed here, as much confusion bas arisen as to the proper emblazonment. Paterson, in Parishes and Families of Aryshire, vol. I., p. 292, quotes the Pont MS., in the Advocates' Library, which states that the arms of the Montgomeries of Hassilhead were azure, two lances of tournament proper between three fleur de lys or, and in the chief point an annulet or, stoned azure, with an indention on the side of the shield on the dexter side." The absurdity of this emblazonment is manifest. Burke's Landed Gentry under Montgomeries of Killee, who are the present representatives of these Montgomeries, confuses the arms with those of Eglinton, to which they have no real claim. The arms of Montgomery of Hassilhead in the MS. Register of the Lord Lyon in Scotland are, “Gules, two spears in saltire between three fleur de lys in chief and fanks, and as many annulets in base, or, stoned azure"-(See shield)

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References

• A History of the Family of Cairnes Or Cairns and Its Connections. By Henry Cairnes Lawlor. (1902). “Appendix lll - The Montgomeries of Ballymagowan.” Page 268-269. < GoogleBooks >
• Histories of Scottish families > Montgomery manuscripts > (377) Page 363. “Hugh Montgomery of Ballymagown”. < link >; < transcription >
  • … they were called the nyne bold brothers of the Hatoune aforesaid. These Gentlemen were unkles (by the Father) to the s d Mr. James. Whom I find to have marryed Elizabeth Lindsay, daughter of a younger son of the Ancient family of Dunrod,
  • 6 her mother being eldest daughter » of John Shaw, Laird of Greenock, Shee was also widdow of Mr. David M c Gill who dyed (as appears by his monument Stone in Grayabby Church wall) y e 14 th of Oct 1 1633.
  • 8 This Mr James was Chaplain to the first Vise' Montgomery, and appeared as such in the procession at his Lo ps funerall, in Sep": A° 1636.
  • 9 He brought with him into Ireland (as I am Credibly told) 300* ster : and his father secured to be paid unto him as much more, when himself should dy : which Last money was transacted for About A 1652 ; as shall herein be mentioned afterwards. This M r James succeeding to M r David afores d in his bed (and being thereby next cosen to by the bishop of Aberdeen. " — New Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. ix. , p. 591.
• A History of the Family of Cairnes Or Cairns and Its Connections. By Henry Cairnes Lawlor. (1902). “Appendix lll - The Montgomeries of Ballymagowan.” Page 268-269. < GoogleBooks >
• http://www.montyhistnotes.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I387... (Has errors)
• http://www.clanmontgomery.org/Genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I569... (has errors)
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G4XP-VM5 (has errors)
• Origin and history of the Montgomerys. Montgomerys of Greyabbey. Page 175-176. < AncestrySharing > Descended from John Montgomery of Granskeough