Colonel Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton, KT (5 November 1739 – 14 December 1819), styled Lord Montgomerie from 1769 to 1796;[a] was a Scottish peer, politician, soldier and composer.
Early life
Montgomerie was born on 5 November 1739. He was the son of Alexander Montgomerie (d. 1783) and Lillias Montgomery (1715–1783).[2] Among his siblings were Lillias Montgomerie (wife of John Hamilton of Sundrum), Frances Montgomerie (wife of James Ritchie of Busbie and Craigton), Alexander Montgomerie (who married Elizabeth Taylor), Archibald Montgomerie (who married Marie Chantrey), Lt.-Gen. James Montgomerie (who married Harriet Elizabeth Jackson).
His paternal grandparents were Hugh Montgomerie (a grandson of the 6th Earl of Eglinton) and Katherine (née Arbuckle), widow of John Hamilton of Letham. His paternal grandparents were Sir Robert Montgomery, 5th Baronet and the former Frances Stirling (eldest daughter of Col. Francis Stirling).
Career
He sat as a Member of Parliament for Ayrshire off and on from 1780 to 1796. That year he became Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire, a post he held until his death. In 1794 he raised a fencible regiment, the West Lowland Fencibles of which he was colonel.[2]
In 1798, having previously succeeded to the earldom through his third cousin,[b] he was elected a Scottish representative peer and moved to the House of Lords. On 15 February 1806, he was created Baron Ardrossan in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, enabling him to sit the Lords in his own right.[4] He was made a Knight of the Thistle in 1814.[5]
As large ships were unable to reach Glasgow due to the silting of the River Clyde, Montgomerie promoted and partially funded the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal. However, funds ran out, and the canal was only constructed from Glasgow to Johnstone via Paisley.[4] The Glasgow terminus of the canal was at Port Eglinton. Though the wharf is now filled in, the neighbouring Eglinton Street still bears his name. Preparatory work on the canal from the new harbour created at Ardrossan was used as the basis for Glasgow Street, which is the main thoroughfare of the town.
Montgomerie was an amateur composer and cellist. His best-known work is the dance tune "Ayrshire Lasses," and other composers dedicated works to him, including Thomas Arne.[6]
Personal life
In c. 3 June 1772, Montgomerie married Eleanora Hamilton (c. 1742–1817), daughter of Robert Hamilton of Bourtreehill (the son of Hugh Hamilton of Clongall) and Jean Mitchell. Among her siblings were Jean Hamilton, who married George Lindsay-Crawford, 21st Earl of Crawford.[c] Together, they had two sons, and two daughters:[7]
- Hon. Archibald Montgomerie (1773–1814), styled Lord Montgomerie; a Maj.-Gen. in the British Army; he married Lady Mary Montgomerie, daughter of Gen. Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton and, his second wife, Frances Twysden (a daughter of Sir William Twysden, 6th Baronet), in 1803. After his death, she married Sir Charles Lamb, 2nd Baronet.[7]
- Hon. Roger Montgomerie (d. 1799), an officer in the Royal Navy who died at Port Royal, Jamaica.[7]
- Lady Jane Montgomerie (d. 1860), who married her cousin, Capt. Archibald Hamilton, son of John Hamilton of Sundrum and Lillias Montgomerie, in 1828.[9]
- Lady Lilias Montgomerie (d. 1845), who married Robert Dundas MacQueen of Braxfield in 1796. After his death, she married Richard Alexander Oswald, son of George Oswald of Scotstoun, in 1817.[7]
Lady Eglinton died on 18 January 1817. Lord Eglinton died on 14 December 1819. As his eldest son predeceased him, he was succeeded in his titles by his grandson, Archibald Montgomerie.[10]
Notes
- ^ Also known as Hugh Montgomerie of Coilsfield[1]
- ^ While the title passed to Hugh Montgomerie, the majority of the 11th Earl of Eglinton's wealth passed to his daughter, Lady Mary Montgomerie, who later married the 12th Earl's eldest son, keeping the title and wealth of the family intact.[3]
- ^ Eleanora's niece, Lady Jean "Jane" Lindsay (daughter of Jean Hamilton and the 21st Earl of Crawford) married Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton. Upon her death in 1778, without issue, the 11th Earl of Eglinton married Frances Twysden (a daughter of Sir William Twysden, 6th Baronet), with whom he had Lady Mary Montgomerie who married Archibald Montgomerie, Lord Montgomerie (the eldest son of Eleanora Hamilton and the 12th Earl of Eglinton).[7] The 11th Earl and Frances Twysden divorced in 1788, however, on account on her affair with Douglas Hamilton, 8th Duke of Hamilton.[8]
References
- ^ Gazetteer editor 2011
- ^ a b "Earl of Eglinton". Kentish Weekly Post or Canterbury Journal. 22 April 1794. p. 4.
- ^ Fullarton, John (1864). Historical Memoir of the Family of Eglinton and Winton, Together with Relative Notes and Illustrations. Arthur Guthrie. p. 78. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ a b Henderson 1894.
- ^ Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1894). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ Johnson, David, Macy, L. (ed.), "12th Earl of Eglinton", Grove Music Online, archived from the original on 16 May 2008, retrieved 20 May 2006
- ^ a b c d e Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, vol. 1, p. 1284.
- ^ Debrett p. 702, Peerage of United Kingdom
- ^ Lodge's Peerage and Baronetage (knightage & Companionage) of the British Empire. Hurst & Blackett. 1861. p. 220. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ Hugh Montgomerie of Coilsfield, The Gazetteer for Scotland, 2011
Further reading
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 17–18.
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Eglinton
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