Montagu Venables-Bertie, 2nd Earl of Abingdon PC (4 February 1673 – 16 June 1743), styled Hon. Montagu Bertie until 1682 and Lord Norreys from 1682 to 1699, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

nobleman.

Career

Montagu was the eldest son of

James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon (16 June 1653 – 22 May 1699), styled Hon. James Bertie until 1657 and known as the 5th Baron Norreys from 1657 until 1682, was an English nobleman. Early life and relations Bertie was the eldest son of Montag ...

and Eleanora Lee. Though young and not yet matriculated, he was chosen captain of the company of militia foot raised from Christ Church during the

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, the Revolt of the West or the West Country rebellion, was an attempt to depose James II, who in February 1685 succeeded his brother Charles II as king of England, Scotland and Ir ...

. Through the influence of his father, he was made a freeman and common councilman of

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

in 1686, and a freeman of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1687. On 22 September 1687, he married Anne (d. 28 April 1715), the daughter and coheiress of Peter Venables (d. 1679), baron of

Kinderton Kinderton is an electoral ward in Middlewich, Cheshire, England. Kinderton was also historically the name of a township in Middlewich on the opposite side of the River Croco from the current ward. In the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wale ...

. He shortly afterwards assumed the additional surname of Venables. At the January 1689 election, he was returned, though underage, as a

knight of the shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

for

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

on his father's interest. During the year, he was made a bailiff of Oxford and appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, holding that office until 1701. Despite his age, he appears several times in the records of the Convention Parliament. Like the bulk of his family, he was a Tory, and voted to agree with the Lords that the throne was not vacant after the flight of James II. A member of several committees, he spoke briefly in May on the quarrel between his uncle Henry Bertie and Sir William Harbord. Norreys stood for Berkshire again in the 1690 election, but the field was far more crowded; Lord Lovelace agitated on behalf of a Whig candidate, Richard Neville, and Abingdon put Norreys in on his interest for

as well. With two other Tories, Sir Henry Winchcombe and Sir Humphrey Forster, in the field, Norreys may have given up campaigning in Berkshire before the poll. An acrimonious campaign in Oxfordshire led to accusations of Jacobitism against Norreys and his father, but he and Sir Robert Jenkinson triumphed by a substantial margin over their Whig opponents, Sir John Cope and Thomas Wheate. He was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

1690–1699. He was

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

and

Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets. The Lord Lieutenancy was created in 1660 at the Restoration. It was generally held by the Constable of the Tower of London. Lieutenants were appointed until 1889, ...

between 1702 and 1705. He held the office of

Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Oxfordshire. Deputy lieutenants A deputy lieutenant of Oxfordshire is commissioned by the Lord Lie ...

between 1702 and 1705. After the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

, the entrance of the Whigs into government meant that he was deprived of his offices in October 1705. He was Chief

Justice in Eyre In English law, the justices in eyre were the highest magistrates, and presided over the ''court of justice-seat'', a triennial court held to punish offenders against the forest law and enquire into the state of the forest and its officers ('' eyr ...

, south of the

Trent Trent may refer to: Places Italy * Trento in northern Italy, site of the Council of Trent United Kingdom * Trent, Dorset, England, United Kingdom Germany * Trent, Germany, a municipality on the island of Rügen United States * Trent, California, ...

, 1711–1715. He held the office of Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire again between 1712 and 1715. On the death of Queen Anne in 1714 he was appointed a Lord Justice of the Realm. Abingdon bought the manor of

Godstow Godstow is about northwest of the centre of Oxford. It lies on the banks of the River Thames between the villages of Wolvercote to the east and Wytham to the west. The ruins of Godstow Abbey, also known as Godstow Nunnery, are here. A bridge s ...

from

Sir John Walter, 3rd Baronet Sir John Walter, 3rd Baronet (c. 1674–1722) of Sarsden House, Oxfordshire was a British politician who sat in the English House of Commons between 1694 and 1717 and in the British House of Commons from 1708 to 1722. Biography Walter was the ...

in 1702, but sold it off in 1710 to

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...

, who also bought the adjoining manor of

Wolvercote Wolvercote is a village that is part of the City of Oxford, England. It is about northwest of the city centre, on the northern edge of Wolvercote Common, which is itself north of Port Meadow and adjoins the River Thames. History The Domesday B ...

from Walter. In 1703–1704, Abingdon purchased the manor of Littleton Auncells from George Bowditch and James Townsend, which he added to his adjoining estate at

West Lavington, Wiltshire West Lavington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, on the north edge of Salisbury Plain, on the A360 road between Devizes and Salisbury, about south of Devizes. The parish includes the hamlet of Littleton Panell. The parish w ...

. Sometime before 1738, he sold the manor of Bradenstoke,

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 ...

to Germanicus Sheppard.

Family

He married firstly, Anne Venables, daughter of Peter Venables, Baron of Kinderton and Catharine Shirley, on 22 September 1687. She was a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

to Queen Anne from 12 May 1702 to November 1705, when she resigned, and again from January 1712 until Queen Anne's death in 1714. Anne died on 28 April 1715 and was buried at Rycote. He married secondly, Mary Gould, daughter of James Gould and Mary Bonde and the widow of Charles Churchill, on 13 February 1716/7 at

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

, and had issue: *James Bertie, Lord Norreys (14 November 1717 – 25 February 1717/8), died of smallpox Mary, Dowager Countess of Abingdon, was buried at St Peter's Church, Dorchester on 7 January 1757. Arms of Bertie with Gould in pretence

Abingdon died on 16 June 1743 and was buried on 27 June at Rycote. He was succeeded by his nephew

Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon (28 November 1692 – 10 June 1760), of Wytham Abbey, Berkshire and Rycote, Oxfordshire, was an English landowner and Tory politician who sat briefly in the House of Commons in 1715. Early life Bertie was ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abingdon, Montagu Venables-Bertie, 2nd Earl Of 1673 births 1743 deaths Deputy Lieutenants of Oxfordshire 2 Lord-Lieutenants of Berkshire Lord-Lieutenants of Oxfordshire Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Montagu Members of the Parliament of England for Berkshire English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700