 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2018) |
| Montagu | |
|---|---|
 Arms of Montagu, Earls of Salisbury: Argent, three fusils conjoined in fess gules, usually shown quartering Monthermer | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Founded | 1066 |
| Founder | Drogo de Montaigu |
| Current head | Alexander Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester |
| Titles | |
| Motto | Latin: Equitas Actionum Regula ("Let equity be the rule of our actions") |
| Estate(s) | |
| Cadet branches | Montagues of Boveney (allegedly) |
The House of Montagu (/ˈmɒntəɡjuː/, MON-tə-ghew), also known throughout history as Montagud, Montaigu, Montague, Montacute (Latin: de Monte Acuto, lit. 'from the sharp mountain'; French: Mont Aigu), is an English noble family founded in Somerset after the Norman Conquest of 1066 by the Norman warrior Drogo de Montagud[1] (so named in the Domesday Book). They rose to their highest power and prominence in the 14th and 15th centuries as Earls of Salisbury, the last in the male line being Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury (1388–1428), the maternal grandfather of "Warwick the Kingmaker", 16th Earl of Warwick and 6th Earl of Salisbury.
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The surviving noble family of Montagu "of Boughton" in Northamptonshire, where in 1683 the 1st Duke of Montagu built the splendid and surviving Boughton House, claimed descent from the ancient Anglo-Norman family of Montagu, Earls of Salisbury, which connection is however unproven. The earliest proven ancestor of the Montagu family of Boughton is Thomas Montagu (d. 1516) of Hemington, Northamptonshire,[2] the son of Richard Ladde (d. 1484), "alias Montagu", of Hanging Houghton in Northamptonshire, whose family of Ladde is recorded in the deeds of that place from 1355.[3] Richard Ladde "alias Montagu" was the father of Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice (great-great-grandfather of the 1st Duke), who purchased the estate of Boughton in 1528.[4] It is suggested by the Complete Peerage[5] that the Ladde family adopted the surname of Montagu due to "having to deal with some Montagu inheritance", i.e. dictated by the terms of a bequest from a member of that family, as was common practice, requiring the legatee to adopt the surname and arms of the legator, where a branch of a family had died out in the male line. Collins Peerage[6] suggests that the Montagu family of Boughton was descended from James "Montagu", a natural son of Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury. The Montagu family of Boughton and its descendants use the coat of arms of Montagu, Earls of Salisbury, but differenced by a bordure sable, and quarters the arms of Monthermer, as did the Earls of Salisbury, but undifferenced.
Sir Edward Montagu was the ancestor of (Montagu) Duke of Montagu, (Montagu) Earls and Dukes of Manchester, (Montagu) Earls of Sandwich, (Montagu) Earls of Halifax, as well as the extant Montagu Baronies of Kimbolton, St Neots and Beaulieu. The head of the family is the Duke of Manchester.[7]
A cadet branch of the family lived in Boveney near Burnham, Buckinghamshire. The earliest recorded ancestor of this branch is Robert Montague (c. 1528–1575), who bore the coat of arms of Simon de Montagu. It is not known when this branch separated from the main line. Since they possess the same coat of arms as Simon de Montagu, it would put the Boveney Montagues separation from the main line some time after 1300.[8][9]
- ^ Chenolle (Knowle) (in the Hundred of Wincanton), held in-chief from the crown. In the Domesday Book entry for Chenolle (Knowle) he is called "Drogo de Montagud", see page image opendomesday.org [1]
- ^ Appendix D of Cokayne, G. E.; H. A. Doubleday & Lord Howard de Walden, eds. (1936). The Complete Peerage, or a history of the House of Lords and all its members from the earliest times (Moels to Nuneham), Vol. 9 (2nd ed.). London: The St. Catherine Press
- ^ Appendix D, Complete Peerage, Vol.9
- ^ 'Weekley', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northamptonshire, Volume 2, Archaeological Sites in Central Northamptonshire (London, 1979), pp. 152-164 [2]
- ^ Appendix D, Complete Peerage, Vol.9
- ^ Collins Peerage, Vol.II, p.42,
- ^ Montagu Family, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- ^ "Hissem_Boveney Montagues". shissem.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Philipot, John; Ryley, William; Harvey, William; Rylands, W. Harry (William Harry); College of Arms (Great Britain) (1909). The visitation of the county of Buckingham made in 1634 by John Philipot, esq. ... Harold B. Lee Library. London : [Mitchell, Hughes & Clarke, printers].