John Montagu (21 August 1797 – 4 November 1853) was a British army officer and civil servant who served as
Colonial Secretary of Van Diemen's Land
The Colonial Secretary of Van Diemen's Land (later Colonial Secretary of Tasmania) was the representative of the British Colonial Office in Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania
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from 1834 to 1842, and Colonial Secretary of the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...
from 1843 to 1853.
Montagu is best known for his highly publicised dispute with
Sir John Franklin
Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through t ...
, the famed polar explorer who held the office of
Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land
The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the ...
at the time. After Montagu's suspension from office by Franklin, he travelled to London and managed to successfully plead his case and find the necessary support to nullify his suspension. Instead of a return to
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
, Montagu was offered the position of Colonial Secretary of the Cape Colony, which he accepted.
Franklin's subsequent removal from office meant he would be available for command of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
's renewed attempt to complete the charting of the
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arct ...
, through the
Arctic archipelago
The Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago lying to the north of the Canadian continental mainland, excluding Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark).
Situated in the northern extremity of No ...
. The
Franklin expedition
Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sect ...
set out in 1845, and was never heard from again.
Early life
Montagu was born in
Lackham,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel
Edward Montagu, and his wife Barbara, Fleetwood. Edward Montagu was great-great-grandson of Lord James Montagu (d. 1665), who was younger son of
Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester
Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester (7 November 1642) was an English judge, politician and peer.
Life
He was the 3rd son of Edward Montagu of Boughton and grandson of Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1539 to ...
. Edward died of wounds in India in 1799.
Army career
Montagu was sent to England to be educated; he was taught at
Cheam School
Cheam School is a mixed preparatory school located in Headley, in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley in Hampshire. Originally a boys school, Cheam was founded in 1645 by George Aldrich.
History
The school started in Cheam, Surrey. ...
in Surrey,
Parson's Green
Parsons Green is a mainly residential district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The Green itself, which is roughly triangular, is bounded on two of its three sides by the New King's Road section of the King's Road, A308 road a ...
, in Knightsbridge, and by a private tutor. In February 1814, Montagu was commissioned
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in the
52nd Regiment of Foot. Montagu fought at the
battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
, was promoted to lieutenant in November 1815, and to captain in the
64th Regiment of Foot in November 1822.
In 1823, having transferred to the
81st Regiment of Foot and then the
40th Regiment of Foot, he went to
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
in 1824, where he became Governor
George Arthur
Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet (21 June 1784 – 19 September 1854) was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras from 1814 to 1822 and of Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) from 1823 to 1836. The campaign against Aboriginal Tasmania ...
's private secretary. In 1826, he was made clerk of the Executive and
Legislative Councils, but was recalled to England to take up his military duties in 1829. Montagu resigned from the army a year later and was re-appointed clerk of the councils at
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
.
Colonial secretary
Van Diemen's Land
In 1832, Montagu acted as colonial treasurer, and in 1834, was appointed
colonial secretary. Montagu was still in this position when Sir
John Franklin
Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through ...
became governor in 1836, and for five years the two worked in harmony. Montagu devoted time to the question of convict discipline, and in 1841, prepared the necessary instructions for a probation system which was then established.
In October 1841, a strong difference of opinion arose with governor Franklin over the reinstatement by Franklin of a surgeon who had been dismissed after being charged with culpable negligence. Franklin reinstated him because he thought that further evidence showed the penalty to have been unjust, Montagu declared that the reinstatement would degrade the colonial secretary's office, and that if Franklin persisted in his determination he must not expect the same assistance from the colonial secretary that had been hitherto given. Franklin would not be intimidated and friction continued for some time.
On 17 January 1842, in writing to Franklin, Montagu said, "while your excellency and all the members of your government have had such frequent opportunities of testing my memory as to have acquired for it the reputation of a remarkably accurate one, your officers have not been without opportunity of learning that your excellency could not always place implicit reliance upon your own."
[ In the circumstances this could only be taken as insulting, and Franklin feeling there was no possibility of their working together, dismissed Montagu from his office. Montagu withdrew the offending phrase but Franklin's mind was made up. Montagu, however, went to England and so successfully brought his case before ]Lord Stanley
Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...
, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India).
The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.
Hist ...
, that Governor Franklin was recalled.
Cape Colony
In April 1843, Montagu took up duties as colonial secretary to the Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...
, where he did useful work. Soon after his arrival he "ascertained that there was a large amount of revenue many years overdue, and set about collecting it with an intensity of purpose from which even pity for the distressed was absent".[Theal, ''History of South Africa'', vol. II, p. 198.]
Montagu introduced a system of constructing roads by convict labour, and worked with great energy for the good of the colonies in many other directions. Montagu Pass near George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, built by an Australian named Henry Fancourt White in 1843–1847, was named in his honour, as was the town of Montagu. Over-work on constitutional changes which were taking place in the government, led to a nervous breakdown in 1852, and on 2 May, he left for England.
He never fully recovered his health and died on 4 November 1853. He is buried at Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...
, London.
Legacy
Montagu married Jessy, daughter of Major-General Edward Vaughan Worseley, in April 1823, who survived him with children. Montagu, who had suffered losses in connection with his transfer from Van Diemen's Land, died poor, and a civil list pension of £300 a year was granted to his widow.
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Montagu, John
19th-century Australian public servants
52nd Regiment of Foot officers
81st Regiment of Foot officers
1797 births
1853 deaths
Burials at Brompton Cemetery
Colonial Secretaries of Tasmania
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
North Staffordshire Regiment officers
South Lancashire Regiment officers