The House of Montagu ( ; historically Montagud, Montaigu, Montague, Montacute and Litinised as ''de Monte Acuto'' ("from the sharp mountain" (French: "mont aigu")) is an English noble family founded in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

of 1066 by the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

warrior ''Drogo de Montagud'' (so named in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

). They rose to their highest power and prominence in the 14th and 15th centuries as

Earls of Salisbury Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the Marquess of Salisbury, marquessate of Salisbury. Background The title was first cre ...

, the last in the male line being

Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury, KG (13 June 13883 November 1428) of Bisham in Berkshire, was an English nobleman and one of the most important English commanders during the Hundred Years' War. Origins He was the eldest son of John Monta ...

(1388-1428), the maternal grandfather of " Warwick the King-Maker", 16th Earl of Warwick, 6th Earl of Salisbury. Montagu (of Boughton, Northamptonshire) arms

Montagu (of Boughton, Northamptonshire) arms

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 Boughton House is a country house in the parish of Weekley in Northamptonshire, England, situated about north-east of Kettering. It is situated within an estate of . The present house was built by Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu (d.1709), ...

, claimed descent from the ancient

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

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, 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. 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. It is suggested by the Complete Peerage 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 suggests that the Montagu family of Boughton was descended from James "Montagu", a natural son of

(1388-1428), the maternal grandfather of " Warwick the King-Maker", 16th Earl of Warwick, 6th 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 of Boughton, Lord Chief Justice, was the ancestor of Montagu,

Duke of Montagu The title of Duke of Montagu has been created twice, firstly for the Montagu family of Boughton, Northamptonshire, and secondly for the Brudenell family, Earls of Cardigan. It was first created in the Peerage of England in 1705 for Ralph Mo ...

, Montagu, Earls and

Dukes of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu The House of Montagu ( ; historically Montagud, Montaigu, Montague, Montacute and Litinised as ''de Monte Acuto'' ("from ...

, Montagu,

Earls of Sandwich Earl of Sandwich is a noble title in the Peerage of England, held since its creation by the House of Montagu. It is nominally associated with Sandwich, Kent. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu. ...

and Montagu,

Earls of Halifax Earl of Halifax is a title that has been created four times in British history—once in the Peerage of England, twice in the Peerage of Great Britain, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name of the peerage refers to Halifax, We ...

, as well as the extant Montagu Baronies of Kimbolton,

St Neots St NeotsPronunciation of the town name: Most commonly, but variations that ''saint'' is said as in most English non-georeferencing speech, the ''t'' is by a small minority of the British pronounced and higher traces of in the final syllable ...

and Beaulieu. The head of the family is the

Duke of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named afte ...

Drogo de Montagud

The founder of the English family of Montagu was "Drogo de Montagud", as his name appeared in its Latinised form in the

of 1086. From his pattern of landholdings he appears to have been a knight or follower of Robert, Count of Mortain, the half-brother of King

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

. Most of his sixteen English estates listed in the Domesday Book were held from Robert, Count of Mortain as his feudal overlord, with only one held directly from the king, namely Knowle. His principal landholdings were in the Hundred of Wincanton in Somerset, near

Bruton Priory Bruton Abbey in Bruton, Somerset was founded as a house of Canons regular#Canons Regular of Saint Augustine, Augustinian canons in about 1127, and became an abbey in 1511, shortly before its dissolution in 1539. It was endowed with manors, chur ...

where some of the early family were buried. His Domesday Book holdings included:

Held in-chief

Knowle

''Chenolle'' (Knowle) (in the Hundred of Wincanton), held in-chief from the crown. In the Domesday Book entry for ''Chenolle'' he is called "Drogo de Montagud". The ancient estate is situated between the villages of Shepton Montagu and Stoney Stoke, on the east side of a knoll or hill, now represented by Knowle Park Farm, 1.5 km east of Shepton Montagu Church, and by Knowle Rock Farm, 0.8 km further east. Grants of

free warren A free warren—often simply warren—is a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in medieval England to an English subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, u ...

were obtained for Knowle in 1314 and 1317 and a deer park was in existence in 1397, which in 1569 was a mile "in compass". It was retained by the Montagu family until the extinction of the senior male line on the death of

(1388-1428) when it passed through his daughter to the Neville family.

Held from Robert, Count of Mortain

Shepton Montague

''Sceptone'' (now

Shepton Montague Shepton Montague is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the River Pitt in the South Somerset district midway between Wincanton, Bruton and Castle Cary. It is known for its dairy farming and one of t ...

) (in the Hundred of Wincanton), held from Robert, Count of Mortain. He is named simply as "Drogo" in the Domesday Book entry.

Stony Stoke

''Stoche'' (now Stoney Stoke) (in the Hundred of Wincanton). It was an addition to the manor of ''Sceptone'', thus also held from Robert, Count of Mortain. He is named simply as "Drogo" in the Domesday Book entry.

Bishopstone

Montacute House, Somerset, 1787 engraving by Thomas Bonner

''Biscopestone'' in the hundred of Tintinhull, Somerset. Now Bishopstone, the site of

Montacute Priory Montacute Priory was a Cluniac priory of the Benedictine order in Montacute, Somerset, England. History It was founded between 1078 and 1102 by William, Count of Mortain, in face of a threat that if he did not do so, the King would take the land ...

within the village of

Montacute Montacute is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 831 (2011 census). The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referrin ...

, and to the immediate north of the Priory the Elizabethan mansion

Montacute House Montacute House is a late Elizabethan mansion with a garden in Montacute, South Somerset. An example of English architecture during a period that was moving from the medieval Gothic to the Renaissance Classical, and one of few prodigy house ...

. In this manor Robert, Count of Mortain "has his castle, which is called "Montagud" (''Ipse Comes (Moriton) tenet in dominio Biscopestone et ibi est castellum eius quod vocatur Montagud'' The summit of the Iron Age hill fort of Ham Hill (or St Michael's Hill), a fort of the Durotriges tribe, is situated 620 metres south-west of the present

. It became known at some time before 1086 by the Latin name of ''Mons Acutus'', meaning "Sharp Mountain", being referred to in the

"Montagud". One of the Count's four tenants at ''Biscopestone'' is named in the Domesday Book as "Drogo", who held one hide, believed to be the "Drogo de Montagud", the tenant of ''Chenolle'' (Knowle). This has added some mystery to the origin of the surname "de Montagu". It is stated in some sources that the English ''de Montagu'' family, Earls of Salisbury, took its surname from its supposed manor of origin in Normandy, said to be Montaigu-les-Bois, in the arrondissement of

Coutances Coutances () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France. History Capital of the Unelli, a Gauls, Gaulish tribe, the town was given the n ...

, which remained in the possession of a French family called "de Montaigu" until the death of Sebastien de Montaigu in 1715, without children. According to the Duchess of Cleveland (

Battle Abbey Roll The Battle Abbey Roll is a commemorative list, lost since at least the 16th century, of the companions of William the Conqueror, which had been erected or affixed as a memorial within Battle Abbey, Hastings, founded ''ex-voto'' by Duke William o ...

, 1889): ''"(Drogo de Montaigu) had come to England in the train of the Earl of Mortain, and received from him large grants of lands, with the custody of the castle, built either by the Earl or his son William, in the manor of Bishopston, and styled, from its position on a sharp-topped hill, Monte Acuto"'' (sic, ''Mons Acutus''). The French spelling "Mont-Aigu" means "sharp mountain", and the family's name was Latinised as ''de Monte Acuto'' (ablative form of ''Mons Acutus'' - "from the Sharp Mountain"). Authorities are not agreed as to whether the family was named after the hill in Bishopton, or whether the hill, village, parish and priory, were named after the family, thus ultimately after Montaigu-les-Bois in Normandy.

Tintinhull

''Tintehalle'' (Tintinhull), in the Hundred of Tintinhull, situated 1.5 miles north of Bishopstone.

Thorne

Torne (Thorne), in the hundred of Stone, Somerset, situated 3.4 km east of Bishopstone. Held from Robert, Count of Mortain. At some time before 1160 Drogo donated land at Thorne and at Bishopstone to

and made grants to

, where he was buried.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, p.75

Titles of the Montagu family

Montagu

Baron Montagu The titles Baron Montacute or Baron Montagu were created several times in the Peerage of England for members of the House of Montagu. The family name was List of Latinised names, Latinised to ''de Monte Acuto'', meaning "from the sharp mounta ...

; first creation (1299; extinct 1539) *

Earl of Salisbury Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury. Background The title was first created for Patrick de S ...

; second creation (1337; extinct or abeyant 1471) *

; second creation (1342; extinct 1375) *

; third creation (1357; extinct 1539)

Ladde-Montagu

For titles conferred on the Ladde "alias Montagu" family, descended from Sir Edward Montagu (1485-1557) of Boughton, Lord Chief Justice, see :

Duke of Manchester

* Baron Montagu of Kimbolton (1620; extant) a subsidiary title of the Duke of Manchester *

Viscount Mandeville A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

(1620; extant) a subsidiary title of the Duke of Manchester *

Earl of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named af ...

(1626 ; extant) a subsidiary title of the Duke of Manchester *

(1719 ; extant)

Duke of Montagu (First Creation)

Baron Montagu of Boughton Baron Montagu of Boughton is a British title which has been created twice for members of the Noble House of Montagu. First created in 1621, in the Peerage of England, for Sir Edward Montagu, eldest son of Sir Edward Montagu of Boughton

(1621; extinct 1749) a subsidiary title of the Earl, then Duke of Montagu * Earl of Montagu (1689; extinct 1749) a subsidiary title of the Duke of Montagu *

; First Creation (1705; extinct 1749)

Earl of Sandwich

* Baron Montagu of St Neots (1660; extant) a subsidiary title of the Earl of Sandwich * Viscount Hinchingbrooke (1660; extant) a subsidiary title of the Earl of Sandwich *

Earl of Sandwich Earl of Sandwich is a noble title in the Peerage of England, held since its creation by the House of Montagu. It is nominally associated with Sandwich, Kent. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu. ...

Brudenell-Montagu

For titles conferred on the family of Brudenell, Earl of Cardigan, descendants via a female line, who adopted the name and arms of Montagu, see : *

; first creation (1762; extinct 1770) *

; second creation (1766; extinct 1790) *

; second creation (1786; extinct 1845). This title passed on the family of Scott.

Douglas-Scott-Montagu

Title conferred on the family of Douglas-Scott-Montagu, descendants via a female line of the Brudenell-Montagu line : *

Baron Montagu of Beaulieu Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (, Engl. pronunciation: "bewley", from French ''beau'', "beautiful" and ''lieu'', "place"), in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for the Conservative poli ...

(1885; extant)

Browne-Montagu

Title conferred on the line of Browne, maternal descendants who retook the name and arms of Montagu, see : *

Viscount Montagu Viscount Montagu was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 2 September 1554 for Anthony Browne of the Noble House of Montagu. It became extinct on the death of the ninth Viscount in 1797. The title Viscount Montagu was chos ...

(1554; dormant 1797)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montagu, House of Noble families of the United Kingdom