Contents [hide]

Montgomerie History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Montgomerie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Montgomerie

What does the name Montgomerie mean?

The Montgomerie family name comes originally from a place name in Normandy, such as Saint Foi de Montgomery. The name made its way to Scotland with the Normans, where it became Mac Gumaraid, in Gaelic.

The name is "of territorial origin from the ancient casde of Sainte Foi de Montgomery in the diocese of Lisieux in Normandy. The name of this castle, enjoys a peculiar privilege above all others in Norman geography. Other spots in Normandy have given their names to Norman houses and these Norman houses have transferred these names to English castles and English towns and villages. But there is only one shire in Great Britain which has had the name of a Norman lordship impressed upon it forever." 1

Early Origins of the Montgomerie family

The surname Montgomerie was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they were granted lands by Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland.

The manor of Eaglesham became the Clan seat of the family for many centuries. Looking further back, we found Roger de Montgomery (died 1093?), who came from the Castle of Sainte Foi de Montgomery, in Lissieux, Normandy, arrived in England with William the Conqueror. 2

Soon after the Battle of Hastings, Roger was granted lands on the Welsh Border in the County which later took his name, Montgomeryshire. "In reward for his services, he was created Earl of Arundel and Shrewsbury, and received manors in many counties. From him the town and shire of Montgomery, in Wales, derive their name." 3

Roger's grandson, Phillip de Montgomerie went to Scotland with Walter FizAlan, also of the Welsh border country, "settled in Scotland, where he received a grant of the lands of Eaglesham in Renfrewshire and died in 1140, was the ancestor of the Scottish family of Montgomery." 4 Some claim he became high Steward of Scotland and was the progenitor of the great Stewart Clan.

Although Normandy has so far been established as the origin of this family, a family legend related in a poem places their origin earlier, perhaps, even to Roman times: "A noble Roman was the Root, from which Montgomeries came, Who brought his legions from the war, and settled the same. Upon a hill twixt Rome and Spain. Gomericus by name; from which he and his offspring do their sire name still retain." 1

Early History of the Montgomerie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Montgomerie research. Another 299 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1177, 1449, 1460, 1470, 1507, 1508, 1545, 1556, 1610, 1623, 1642, 1649, 1661, 1663, 1667, 1694, 1700, 1713, 1718, 1722, 1726, 1733, 1761, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Montgomerie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montgomerie Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Montgomery, Mongomery, Montgomerie, Mungummery and many more.

Early Notables of the Montgomerie family

Notable among the family at this time was

Alexander Montgomerie (c.1556-1610), Scottish Poet Laureate in the service of King James VI of Scotland best remembered for his allegorical poem 'The Cherrie and the Slae'

Migration of the Montgomerie family to Ireland

Some of the Montgomerie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 175 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montgomerie migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Montgomerie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Montgomerie, who landed in New Jersey in 1701 5
Robert Wilson Montgomerie, who arrived in Virginia in 1775 5
Thomas Montgomerie, who arrived in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1787

Montgomerie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Montgomerie, who settled in Trinidad in 1800
Hugh Montgomerie, who landed in Virginia in 1820 5

Montgomerie Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. J. L. Montgomerie, aged 30, who immigrated to America from Addingston, Scotland, in 1907
Christina Montgomerie, aged 27, who settled in America from Kilbirnie, Scotland, in 1909
Esther Montgomerie, aged 34, who landed in America from Perth, Scotland, in 1911
John L. Montgomerie, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States from Perth, Scotland, in 1911
John Montgomerie, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Montgomerie migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Montgomerie Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alexander Montgomerie, aged 40, who settled in Halifax, N.S., Canada, in 1923

Montgomerie migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Montgomerie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Montgomerie, (b. 1792), aged 36, Scottish farmer who was convicted in Ayr, Scotland for 14 years for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1860 6
Mr. Peter Montgomerie, Scottish doctor who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1860 7
Mr. Robert Shaw Montgomerie, (b. 1811), aged 23, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1865 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Montgomerie (post 1700) +

Colonel John Montgomerie (b. 1731), Scottish colonial governor, 5th Royal Governor of New Jersey (1728-1731), 22nd Colonial Governor of New York (1728-1731)
Archibald George Montgomerie (1939-2018), 18th Earl of Eglinton and 6th Earl of Winton, Scottish peer and aristocrat
Archibald Montgomerie (1914-1966), 17th Earl of Eglinton, Scottish peer
Archibald Montgomerie (1880-1945), 16th Earl of Eglinton, Scottish peer
Archibald Montgomerie (1841-1892), 14th Earl of Eglinton, Scottish noble and member of the House of Lords
Archibald Montgomerie (1726-1796), 11th Earl of Eglinton, Scottish general, and Member of Parliament (MP)
Archibald Seton Montgomerie (1880-1945), 16th Earl of Eglinton and 4th Earl of Winton, Scottish Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland (1920-1921)
Alexander Montgomerie (1723-1769), 10th Earl of Eglinton, a Scottish peer
Archibald William Alexander Montgomerie (1914-1966), 17th Earl of Eglinton Scottish Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland (1957-1961)
Janet Lucretia Montgomerie DBE (b. 1923), Countess of Eglinton and Winton, née Janet Lucretia Cuninghame
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Montgomerie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Gardez bien
Motto Translation: Look well.

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia