Edward Montagu (1692–1776) was a wealthy English landowner, who owned numerous coal mines and had several rents and estates in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. The son of Hon. Charles Montagu, MP, by Sarah Rogers, and the grandson of

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, (27 July 1625 – 28 May 1672), was an English military officer, politician and diplomat from Barnwell, Northamptonshire. During the First English Civil War, he served with the Parliamentarian army, and was ...

, he was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

and

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

. In 1730 he became the leaseholder of the small estate of

Sandleford Sandleford is a hamlet (place), hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Greenham, in the West Berkshire district, in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is located approximately south of the town of Newbury, Berkshire, ...

, south of Newbury on the Berkshire-Hampshire border, and in 1742 he married Elizabeth Robinson (despite her seeing marriage as a rational and expedient convention rather than something done out of love). At that date, she was twenty-two and he was fifty years old. The marriage was advantageous, but it was apparently not very passionate. All the same, she bore a son, John, the next year, and she loved her child immensely. When John died unexpectedly in 1744, Elizabeth was devastated and, though the couple remained friendly throughout their remaining time together, there were no more children or pregnancies. In December 1745 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

, on the grounds of being ''a gentleman of great merit, well versed in mathematical and Philosophical Learning, curious in most of the branches of natural learning'', his proposers were Montagu;

Martin Folkes Martin Folkes (29 October 1690 – 28 June 1754) was an English antiquary, numismatist, mathematician and astronomer who served as the president of the Royal Society from 1741 to 1752. Life Folkes was born in Westminster on 29 October 1690, ...

; William Jones;

John Machin John Machin (bapt. c. 1686 – June 9, 1751)Anita McConnell, ‘Machin, John (bap. 1686?, died 1751)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Accessed 26 June 2007. was a professor of astronomy at Gresham ...

; Shallet Turner;

Abraham de Moivre Abraham de Moivre FRS (; 26 May 166727 November 1754) was a French mathematician known for de Moivre's formula, a formula that links complex numbers and trigonometry, and for his work on the normal distribution and probability theory. He move ...

; Peter Davall (d.1763, the society's secretary); and his brother-in-law George L. Scott. Beginning in 1750, he and Elizabeth established a routine where they would winter in London in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

and then, in the spring, go to Sandleford Priory. He would then go on to Northumberland and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

to manage his holdings, while she would occasionally accompany him. In the late 1760s, he fell ill, and his wife took care of him, although she resented giving up her freedom. He died on 20 May 1776, in his eighty-fourth year,Inscription of memorial in north aisle of

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

: "Here lies the body of EDWARD MONTAGU, Grandson to the first Earl of Sandwich, who after serving his country in Parliament with disinterested fidelity, retired to a life of Study and contemplation, preserving to the latest hour of a long life the most perfect use of his understanding and of his senses. He died on the 20th May 1776 in his 84th Year..." bequeathing her all his wealth and property.

MP for Huntingdon

For over 30 years, from 1734–1768, Montagu was MP for the borough of

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

, a seat controlled by his cousin

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, Privy Council of Great Britain, PC, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (13 November 1718 – 30 April 1792) was a British politician, statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwic ...

Some of Montagu's and his wife's ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montagu, Edward 1692 births 1776 deaths People from Newbury, Berkshire People from Greenham Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Members of Lincoln's Inn 18th-century English landowners British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Edward Montagu (1692-1775) Fellows of the Royal Society Burials at Winchester Cathedral