Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton

Hugh Montgomerie
12th Earl of Eglinton
Hugh Montgomerie 12th Earl of Eglinton, circa 1780 Oil on canvas by John Singleton Copley
Tenure	1769–1819
Other names	Hugh Montgomerie of Coilsfield
Born	(1739-11-05)5 November 1739
Died	14 December 1819(1819-12-14) (aged 80)
Nationality	Scottish
Locality	Ayrshire
Spouse(s)	Eleanora Hamilton
Issue	4

Colonel Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton, KT (5 November 1739 – 14 December 1819) was a Scottish peer, politician, soldier and composer.[1]

Biography

Montgomerie was styled Lord Montgomerie from 1769.[2] 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, 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.[3] He was made a Knight of the Thistle in 1814.

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.[3] 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.[4]

Family

Montgomerie married Eleanora Hamilton, daughter of Robert Hamilton and Jean Mitchell, around 3 June 1772. They had two sons, and two daughters:^[citation needed]

• Maj.-Gen. the Hon. Archibald Montgomerie, Lord Montgomerie (30 July 1773 – 4 January 1814)
• The Hon. Roger Montgomerie (d. June 1799), Officer in the Royal Navy
• Lady Jane Montgomerie (d. 23 February 1860)
• Lady Lilias Montgomerie (d. 10 September 1845)

Notes

1. Also known as Hugh Montgomerie of Coilsfield (Gazetteer editor 2011)
2. Kentish Weekly Post or Canterbury Journal. 22 April 1794. p. 4. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. Henderson 1895.
4. David Johnson. "12th Earl of Eglinton", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Retrieved 20 May 2006), grovemusic.com Archived 16 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine (subscription access).

References

• Gazetteer editor (2011), Hugh Montgomerie of Coilsfield, The Gazetteer for Scotland {{citation}}: |last= has generic name (help)
• Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1894). "Montgomerie, Hugh (1739-1819)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Further reading

• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eglinton, Earls of" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 17–18.
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Eglinton

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir Adam Fergusson, Bt	Member of Parliament for Ayrshire 1780–1781	Succeeded by Sir Adam Fergusson, Bt
Preceded by Sir Adam Fergusson, Bt	Member of Parliament for Ayrshire 1784–1789	Succeeded by William McDowall
Preceded by Sir Adam Fergusson, Bt	Member of Parliament for Ayrshire 1796	Succeeded by William Fullarton
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Eglinton	Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire 1796–1819	Succeeded by The Earl of Glasgow
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Ardrossan 1806–1819	Succeeded by Archibald Montgomerie
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Archibald Montgomerie	Earl of Eglinton 1796–1819	Succeeded by Archibald Montgomerie