George Leslie Montgomery (c. 1727 – March 1787) was an Irish politician. Montgomery sat as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Strabane Strabane ( ; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Strabane had a population of 13,172 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the east bank of the River Foyle. It is roughly midway from Omagh, Derry and Letterkenny. The River Foyle marks ...

from 1765 to 1768. He purchased the seat from John McCausland of Strabane for £2,000 after the death of the incumbent Robert Lowry when a new writ was issued for the borough on 22 October 1765. Subsequently, he represented

Cavan County County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (''Bréifne' ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

from 1768 until his death in 1787. The Cavan poll result on 2 August 1768 was Maxwell 727, Montgomery 648, Pratt 570, Newburgh 402; The poll finally closed on 11 November 1768 and the final poll was Maxwell 927, Montgomery 739, Pratt 668, Newburgh 451. When the new Parliament met in 1769, Mervyn Pratt, the defeated candidate, petitioned against the election of Montgomery on grounds of bribery, corruption and undue influence. This petition was not finally determined owing to the premature prorogation of Parliament in December 1769, so Montgomery survived and continued to represent the county until his death. He had previously stood as a candidate for Cavan in the 1761 general election but was defeated. The youngest son of George Leslie D.D., (Rector of Clones & Kilmore) and Margaret Montgomery (sister of Colonel

Alexander Montgomery (1686–1729) Colonel Alexander Montgomery (1686 – 19 December 1729) was an Irish soldier and politician. Montgomery, of the Scots Greys cavalry, lived in Convoy House, Convoy, County Donegal, Ireland. He was born into an Ulster Scots gentry family in 1686, ...

of Convoy House, County Donegal and Ballyconnell House, County Cavan) and first cousin of James Leslie, Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe.

died in 1729 and left the

Ballyconnell Ballyconnell () is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It is situated on the N87 national secondary road at the junction of four townlands: Annagh, Cullyleenan, Doon (Tomregan) and Derryginny in the parish of Tomregan, Barony of Tullyhaw. Ball ...

estate of about 4,000 statute acres to his nephew George Leslie who then assumed the name George Leslie Montgomery. He was in the inner circle of the Irish Parliament but his low-church Northern background clung to him and whilst he became a general of volunteers and supported Flood, he opposed any relaxation of the laws against Catholics. He was

High Sheriff of Cavan The High Sheriff of Cavan was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Cavan, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Cavan County Sheriff. The sherif ...

in 1752 and in the same year he married Hannah Clements, the daughter of fellow Cavan MP

Nathaniel Clements Nathaniel Clements (1705 – May 1777) was an Irish politician and financial figure, important in the political and financial administration of Ireland in the mid-18th century. Early history Clements was the fifth son of Robert Clements (1664� ...

but his only son George was declared a lunatic. "The Irish Parliament 1775" states- ''"He obtained a Barrack Master's place @ £150 per annum, for his Friend. He is Son-in-Law to Mr. Clements. On some few Questions during Lord Townshend's Administration He voted with Government. In Lord Harcourt's Administration He has been constantly against, and hates all Government."''. Sketches of the Members of the Irish Parliament in 1782 stated- ''"George Montgomery Esq., member for County Cavan has a pretty good estate, but not a foot of land in the county he represents-is brother in law of Mr Clements-but acts independently and uniformly opposed Government till the Duke of Portland arrived-a dull and tiring speaker."''. He lived in a leased house at 12 North Frederick Street, Dublin when attending parliament. He was the head of the local militia in Ballyconnell.
"Notes on Volunteers, Militia, Yeomanry of County Cavan", by Oliver Snoddy, in Breifne Journal, 1968, No. 11, pp. 320-340

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, George 1730s births 1787 deaths Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Irish MPs 1776–1783 Irish MPs 1783–1790 High Sheriffs of Cavan Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cavan constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Tyrone constituencies

See also

References