Ref:

The Scottish Nation- Vol. III, p. 182

b.c.930
m. ELIZABETH de TRIPON

Issue-

b.c.950
m.1. JOSCELINE ______
2. Sibella de Crepon
d.c.1034

Issue-

b.c.985
m.1. JOCSELINE de POINT AUDEMER, d. of Tourude de Harcourt and Senfrie de Crepon
2. Josceline de Bolbec

Roger de Montgomerie was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy. The elder Roger had large holdings in central Normandy, chiefly in the valley of the Dives, which the younger Roger inherited.

Roger was one of the young nobles who gravitated around Robert, Count d'Hiemois who later became the Duke of Normandy upon the death of his brother Richard. Robert "the Magnificent", Duke of Normandy, allows Roger to open a market in Montgomery (now St. Germain de Montgomery and Ste. Foy de Montgomery). Roger is the founder of the collegiate church of Troarn. In 1059 his son Roger expells the 12 canons whose discipline was poor and installs a community of monks thus founding the Abbey of St. Martin de Troarn.

Abbey of Saint-Martin de Troarn

After the death of Robert "the Magnificent" in 1035 Roger was out of favor with the young Duke William "the Bastard" who later became William "the Conqueror". Issue- first child by Josceline de Point Audemer, last two by Josceline de Bolbec.

Ref:

Histoire des ducs de Normandie- Guillaume de Jumieges, �d. Guizot, Mancel, 1826, avec annotations d'Ord�ric Vital et Robert de Thorigny
Les fiefs de deux familles vicomtales au XIe si�cle : les Goz et les Montgommery- L. Musset, in Revue Historique de droit fran�ais et �tranger- Vol. XLVIII, 1970, p.342-343.

m.1. c.1052 MABEL TALVAS de ALENCON de BELLEME (murdered by Hugh de la Roche, bur. 5 Dec. 1082 Troarn Abbey, Eure, France), d. of William de Talvas, Lord of Belleme and Bildeburge de Beaumont
2. Adelaide de Puiset
d. 27 July 1094, bur. Shrewsbury Abby

The Dictionary of National Biography tells us "Of the old Norman family of Montgomery, his great-great grandfather was Rodger-Gormsen, Comte Montgomery and Prince of Denmark, who with the Norwegian Hrolf (Rollo) when, in the year 911, Normandy was ceded to them by the Frankish king.

Roger inherited from his father, Roger the Great, his estates as Vicomte L'Heimois and Lord of Montgomery. He added greatly to them by marrying Mabel Talvas, the daughter and "terrible heiress" of William Talvas, Lord of Belleme, Alencon, and Seez," who possessed a large territory on both sides of the border between Normandy and Maine and thus became the greatest of the Norman lords.

Before 1048 Roger became a trusted supporter of his first cousin William, Duke of Normandy (whom we also know as William the Conqueror and William I of England). Roger was present at the Council of Lillebonne in 1066 and pledged sixty ships for the invasion of England later that year. In the battle of Senlac (often called Hastings, but fought ten miles from there on Senlac Hill) by tradition he showed his bravery, while commanding the French mercenaries on the right flank of the invading army, by fighting and killing an English giant." Other sources state that Roger did not fight in the initial invasion of England in 1066, instead staying behind to help govern Normandy.

Afterwards he was entrusted with land in two places critical for the defense of England, receiving the rape of Arundel at the end of 1067 (or in early 1068), and in November 1071 he was created Earl of Shrewsbury. A few historians believe that while he received the Shropshire territories in 1071 he was not created Earl until a few years later.

Roger was thus one of the half dozen greatest magnates in England during William the Conqueror's reign. In addition to the large part of Sussex included in the Rape of Arundel, and seven-eighths of Shropshire which were associated with the earldom of Shrewsbury, he held no less than 57 lorships/estates in Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Cambridgeshire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire. The income from Roger's estates amounted to about �2,000 per year. In 1086 the landed wealth of England was about �72,000, so Roger's assests amounted to about 3% of GDP.

Roger made a raid into Wales and took the castle of Baldwin and gave it his own name of Montgomery which the town and county has retained.

After William I's death in 1087, Roger joined with other rebels to overthrow the newly crowned King William II in the Rebellion of 1088. However, William was able to convince Roger to abandon the rebellion and side with him. This worked out favourably for Roger, as the rebels were beaten and lost their land holdings in England.

A few months later the Duke of Normandy, Robert "Courteheuse" stopped his brother Henry Beauclerc and Robert of Belleme, son of Roger de Montgomery, because he suspected them of plotting against him. The Earl of Shrewsbury did not appreciate this affront to his family and crossed the Channel, landed in Normandy and won Hiemois. There he commanded the defenses of the family castles and those that his son had captured: Belleme, Alencon, St. Ceneri le Gerei, and Domfront. The Duke of Normandy led a campaign against the rebel strongholds, but, eventually made peace with Roger and agreed to release his son Robert. Roger then went back to England and retired as a monk at Shrewsbury Abbey where he died three days later.

Shrewsbury Abbey- 1836

Mabel was the daughter of William II Talvas and Hildeburge. According to the 12th century historian Orderic Vital, Mabel inherited the vices of her father to which he added the defects peculiar to females according to the judgments of the time: "cruel", "cheat", "amoral", "arrogant", without forgetting "talkative".

Mabel and Roger were married about 1050, a union that was desired by her father William Talvas and by William the Conqueror who was distrustful of the impulses of the independant Belleme family. By marrying Mabel, the heiress of the Lordship of Bell�me, with one of his faithful followers, Roger Montgomery, the Duke ensured the tranquility of his southern Duchy.(1)

Mabel and Roger founded or restored several monasteries: Almen�ches, Troarn, Saint-Martin de Sees. Around 1070, after the death of her uncle, Yves, Bishop of Sees, Mabel inherited the Lordship of Bell�me.

The Belleme family had an ongoing feud with the Giroie family and Mabel was accused of trying to poison Ernauld Fitz Giroie. Mabile's death in 1077 was horrible and occured while she stayed at her castle at Bures (near Caen). A friend of Giroie, Hugues de Saugei, and his two brothers manage to break into the fortress and behead the woman! This usually male punishment shows the hatred felt towards the "terrible heiress" . She is buried in Troarn monastery that she and her husband had restored. Her epitaph reported by Orderic Vital shows the strong and terrible character of this woman "her genius was enterprising, her spirit vigilant, her activity constant, her eloquence persuasive, her wisdom showed foresight. Small of stature, she was great in her virtues, beautiful and magnificent, she loved to dress. She was the shield of her country, the bulwark of her borders, and for her neighbors, sometimes enjoyable, sometimes terrible".(2)

Issue- all children by Mabel, except Everard who is by Adelaide

Ref:

(1) Histoire des ducs de Normandie- Guillaume de Jumieges, �d. Guizot, Mancel, 1826, avec annotations d'Ord�ric Vital et Robert de Thorigny, p. 188; l'Etat normand : croissance et apog�e- Lucien Musset, in Michel de Bouard's Histoire de la Normandie, Toulouse, Private, 1970, p. 135.
(2) Histoire des ducs de Normandie- Guillaume de Jumieges, �d. Guizot, Mancel, 1826, avec annotations d'Ord�ric Vital et Robert de Thorigny, p. 398

b.c.1060
m. LAFRACOTH O'BRIEN, d. of Murchertach, King of Munster
d.c.1122

Around 1090 he along with his elder brother Robert built a castle at Pembroke in West Wales. In 1093 king William II of England rewarded his efforts with the formal lordship of Pembroke; some historians say that he was in fact created Earl of Pembroke. In any case the lordship was smaller than the later Pembrokeshire.

Pembroke Castle

His holdings were greatly expanded in 1096 when William Rufus gave him the lordship of Holderness, which in addition to that part of Yorkshire included land in Lincolnshire.

It is likely that Arnulf had been designated heir of his brother Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, but after Hugh's death in 1098 Arnulf was outmaneouvered by the eldest brother Robert, who became the 3rd earl of Shrewsbury. This caused some rift between the brothers but nevertheless Robert participated in their rebellion of 1102 against Henry I of England which caused the loss of all their English and Welsh lands, and their banishment from the kingdom of England.

Arnulf then turned his attention to Ireland, where not long before he had married Lafrocoth, daughter of the Irish king Muircheartach Ua Briain in about the year 1100, and certainly before 1102, when he is mentioned by Muirchertach as his son-in-law in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm of Bec . Muirchertach provided support for Arnulf's rebellion, and as a result King Henry I of England placed a trade embargo on Ireland. It is suggested by Orderic Vitalis that Arnulf went to Ireland after the rebellion failed and served for Muirchertach Ua Briain, although the Irish Annals make no mention of this. In later years he was in the entourage of count Fulk V of Anjou. A tombstone in Tulsk, Ireland bears the name Arnoulf and the date 1122.

Issue-

Ref:

"The Last of the Montgomerys: Roger the Poitevin and Arnulf"-Victoria Chandler, Historical Research, 62 (1989) 1-14 Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnulf_of_Montgomery"

b.c.1102 Pembroke, Wales
m. MARGARET DUNBAR of March
d.c.1177 Thornton

Issue-

b.c.1125
m. MARJORY STEWART, d. Walter FitzAlan, Lord High Steward
d.c.1178 Eaglesham, Ayr

Robert obtained the lands of Eaglesham from Walter, 1st High Steward of Scotland by his marriage to Walter's daughter Marjory. Walter was from Oswestry, near Shrewsbury, and came to Scotland to take possession of several grants which had been given to him by King David. Robert was one of the barons who came with him from Wales. Robert was a witness to the foundation charter from Walter, High Steward, to the monastery of Paisley in 1160 and witnessed other charters until 1175.

Issue-

Ref:

The Scottish Nation- Vol. III, p. 182
Europaische Stammtafeln- Detlev Schwennicke, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, 1980- Vol. III, p. 640

b.c.1144
m. _____ St. MARTIN, d. of Henry Martin of Paisley (Henrico de St. Martino)
d.c.1190

Issue-

Ref:

Europaische Stammtafeln- Detlev Schwennicke, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, 1980- Vol. III, p. 640

b.c.1170
m. HELEN de KENT, d. of Robert de Kent of Innerwick
d.c.1214

Seal of John Montgomery of Eaglesham

Issue-

Ref:

Europaische Stammtafeln- Detlev Schwennicke, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, 1980- Vol. III, p. 640

b. 20 Jan. 1199 Inverwick
m. CASILLIS STAIR
d.c.1237

Issue-

Ref:

Europaische Stammtafeln- Detlev Schwennicke, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, 1980- Vol. III, p. 640

m. MARGARET MURRAY, d. of William Murray of Bothwell
d.c.1285 Eastwoode

Issue-

Ref:

Europaische Stammtafeln- Detlev Schwennicke, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, 1980- Vol. III, p. 640

m. JANET ERSKINE, d. of Sir John Erskine
d. before 1328

John and his brother Murthaw appear in the Ragman Roll as being two of the barons who swore fealty to King Edward in 1296.

Issue-

Ref:

Scots Peerage- Vol. III, p. 427

m. ?MARGARET DOUGLAS, d. of William, 1st Earl of Douglas
d. 1401

Alexander participated in the battle of Otterburn in 1388.

Issue-

Ref:

Scots Peerage- Vol. III, p. 427

b.c.1338
m.c.1360 Otterburn, ELIZABETH de EGLINTON, d. of Sir Hugh Eglinton and Agnes Mores
d. before July 1401

John Montgomerie of Eaglesham is the first member of the family whose position can be ascertained with certainty, and from whom the descent is clear.

By his marriage with Elizabeth de Eglinton, sole heiress of Sir Hugh de Eglinton of Eglinton, justiciary of Lothian in 1361, he obtained the baronies of Eglinton and Ardrossan.

The Battle of Otterburn- Froissart

In 1388 he accompanied his brother-in-law, Sir James Douglas, second earl of Douglas, in an expedition to England. At the battle of Otterburn, where Douglas was slain, Montgomerie, according to the Scots version of the ballad on the battle, fought 'handle to handle right valyauntly' with Sir Henry Percy, known as 'Hotspur,' the commander of the English, in single combat and took him prisoner.(1) It is said that, in lieu of ransom, Sir Henry was required to build at Eaglesham the castle of Polnoon, now in ruins, but long the chief seat of the Eglinton family. In 1391 Montgomerie, for service to the king and the Duke of Rothesay, received an annuity from the customs of Edinburgh and Linlithgow (2)

Ruins of Polnoon Castle

The Percy and Montgomerie met,
Of other they were richt fain,
They swakked swords until they swat,
And their red blude ran between.
Yield thee, yield thee, Percy, he said,
Or I swear I�ll lay thee low!
To whom shall I yield, said Earl Percy,
Since I see that it maim be so?
As soon as he knew it was Montgomerie,
He stuck his sword-point in the ground;
But the Montgomerie was a courteous knight,
And quickly took him by the hand.(5)

His son Hugh was killed during the battle as recorded in the The Ballad of Chevy Chase:

He had a bow bent in his hand,
Made of a trusty tree:
An arrow of a clothyard long
Up to the head drew he:
Against Sir Hugh Montgomerie
So right the shaft he set,
The gray goose-wing that was thereon,
In his heart-blood was wet.

On 9 December 1389 Sir James Lindsay granted to his 'cosyng' John Montgomerie of Eagleshame an obligation not to deprive him of the lands of Dunbulg and Carney. He styles himself John of Montgomerie, Lord of Eaglesham, in a charter of the lands of Little Benan, dated at Eagleshame on 8 October 1392. He is said to have died between that date and 1398, but is found receiving payment of a pension for attendance on the King and Duke of Rothesay for the year May 1399 to May 1400. He, however, deceased before July 1401. (3)

Issue-

Ref:

(1) Chronicles of England, France, Spain and the adjoining countries, from the latter part of the reign of Edward II to the coronations of Henry IV- Jean Froissart, translated by Thomas Jhones, Esq, 1857- Vol. I, p. 428
(2) Exchquer Rolls of Scotland, iii. 280 et seq.; Memorials- Sir William Fraser, Vol. I, pp.15,17; II, 17
(3) Scots Peerage- Vol. III, pp. 427-9
(4) Ibid- p.428
(5) The Battle of Otterburn- from "The Border Minstrelsy" by Sir Walter Scott- go to: http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/scottish/itfellab.htm

b.c.1362
m.1. Agnes, d. of John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles
2. MARGARET MAXWELL, d. of Sir Herbert Maxwell of Caerlaverock
d. 22 Nov. 1429 Androssan

John was the 10th Laird of Eaglesham & Ardrossan.

Ardrossan Castle

Ardrossan Castle is haunted by the ghost of William Wallace who wanders the ruins on stormy nights. Also, one of the previous owners, Sir Fergus Barclay, known as the "De'il of Ardrossan" was a horseman famous for his skill which lay in a magic bridle given to him by the Devil in exchange for his soul. However, the Devil was tricked by Barclay into giving his soul back. The infuriated Devil attacked the castle and left his hoof prints on one of the rocks. Sir Fergus was buried in the castle chapel down the hill from the castle.

Ref:

The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant- G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), Vol. IX, p. 134
Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage- Charles Mosley, ed., 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003)- Vol. 1, p. 1279