Hugh Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Mount Alexander (24 February 1651 – 12 February 1717) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and peer. Montgomery was the son of Hugh Montgomery, 1st Earl of Mount Alexander and his first wife, Mary, daughter of Charles Moore, 2nd Viscount Moore of Drogheda. Montgomery succeeded to his father's title as

Earl of Mount Alexander Earl of Mount Alexander was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1661 for Hugh Montgomery, 3rd Viscount Montgomery. He was the grandson of Hugh Montgomery, known as one of the "founding fathers" of the Ulster Scots, who was raised ...

in 1663. His father had been encumbered by debt and Montgomery was forced to sell Newton House and much of his estate in County Down to Sir Robert Colville to raise capital. In 1674 he received a commission as a captain of a troop of horse and in 1683 he was appointed

Custos Rotulorum of County Down The Custos Rotulorum of Londonderry and Down was the highest civil officer in counties Londonderry and Down. Incumbents Londonderry * 1663–1665 John Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene * 1666–1695 John Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Massereene ( ...

. In 1685 he received favours from

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

, including an annual pension of £400 and a seat in the Privy Council of Ireland. Despite this, Montgomery adhered to

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic f ...

following the Glorious Revolution and was appointed a colonel in William's army in January 1689. On 14 March 1689 he commanded Williamite Protestant militia forces in their defeat at the

Break of Dromore The Break of Dromore took place on 14 March 1689 near Dromore, County Down in the early stages of the Williamite War in Ireland. It featured Catholic Jacobite troops under Richard Hamilton and Protestant Williamite militia led by Hugh Mon ...

. Following the battle, Montgomery fled from Ireland, first to the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and then to London. He returned to Ireland after the defeat of the

Jacobites Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometime ...

in 1691. From 1692, Montgomery regularly attended the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...

and he was reappointed to the Privy Council in 1693. Between 1698 and 1705 he was Master-General of the

Irish Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance in the Kingdom of Ireland (1542–1800) performed the equivalent duties of the British Board of Ordnance: supplying arms and munitions, overseeing the Royal Irish Artillery and the Irish Engineers, and maintaining the for ...

. He was made a brigadier-general in 1699 and was one of the

Lords Justices of Ireland The Lords Justices (more formally the Lords Justices General and General Governors of Ireland) were deputies who acted collectively in the absence of the chief governor of Ireland (latterly the Lord Lieutenant) as head of the executive branch o ...

from 1702 to 1704. He married twice but had no surviving children, and was succeeded in his title by his brother, Henry Montgomery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Alexander, Hugh Montgomery, 2nd Earl of 1651 births 1717 deaths 17th-century Anglo-Irish people 18th-century Anglo-Irish people Earls in the Peerage of Ireland Members of the Irish House of Lords Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Williamite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland