CONNECTING TO CLAN MONTGOMERY

I grew up in a family of four girls - a middle child. My parents followed the Southern custom of naming their children for family members. My mother, Anna Withers Montgomery, had three sisters: Mary, Margaret, and Jane. My father, Carl Ruffin Pritchett had one sister: Dorothy. My two older sisters became Mary Anna and Peggy Jane. I became Dorothy Montgomery and my youngest sister became Elizabeth Withers. I loved my Montgomery middle name and felt part of a larger family -Clan Montgomery.

Mama-Anna Withers Montgomery Pritchett-And Daughters Top: Mary Anna, Peggy Jane. Botton:Elizabeth Withers, Dorothy Montgomery

Uncle, Hugh Reid Montgomery, often spoke about Clan Montgomery and was the Chaplain of Clan Montgomery Society International for many years. I loved seeing him wear his Montgomery tie. His wife, Martha, wore a Montgomerytartan skirt, and sash to clan gatherings.

They wore pins with the clan crest and Montgomery (also spelled Montgomerie in ) motto: Gardez Bien (Look Well). The clan crestis rather gruesome – a woman holding an anchor in one hand and holding the hair of a savage’s head in the other hand. One source reasoned that the

woman is considered a symbol of liberty, virtue, and victory of the weak over the strong in a just cause. The anchor is a symbol of good luck.

Clan Montgomery Family Crest

Clan Montgomery Tartan Designs

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1. Montgomery Eglinton District Ancient Tartan Fabric 2. Clan Montgomery Scottish Tartan 3. Clan Montgomery Dress Scottish Tartan

Clan Montgomery tartan colors are red, blue, green and black. Ancient clan members did not wear these particular . More recent commercial enterprises determined the characteristics of a tartan to make money.

Reid and Martha invited me to join them at a gathering of the clan in Stone Mountain, GA while I was living in Atlanta. This was the first time I participated in activities of Clan Montgomery. The clan celebrated Scottish games, a tattoo with drums and bagpipes, anda Robert Burns dinner. We tasted haggis, toasted Bobbie Burns, sang Ole Auld Syne and listened to

bagpipe music. I joined the Montgomery Society International and was surprised to learn there are Montgomery societies in Australia, Canada, Scotland, , and across the United States.

The Clan Montgomery I knew growing up was a fun-loving and caring group who gathered for family reunions at the Montgomery home at 203 Lawsonville Ave. in Reidsville, NC. There were always lots of aunts and uncles and their families who came together in the summer. We would sing in the back yard, eat Brunswick stew (which had cooked all night in a cast iron pot) and listen to stories.

The Montgomery who seemed to be in charge of this clan was Aunt Mary (some cousins called her Mimi). She did not have children. She lived in the Reidsville home place and taught school across the street. She was a strong woman who exercised authority over all those who came to visit. My father laughed and said whenever he went to the Montgomery house in Reidsville, he lost all parental authority – Mary was in charge!

I learned to appreciate her softer side when I went to Woman’s College in Greensboro, NC (now known at UNC at Greensboro). Mary had married Reuben King by this time and they often came to campus and took my roommate and me to dinner. They invited us to the Montgomery home for weekends which I loved because my parents lived in Bethesda, Maryland. I stayed at the Montgomery home one summer while attending summer school in Greensboro.

I read that people who live in the South have a certain “sense of place.” Our personal identity includes speech, food, people around us, and the land where we live. The Lawsonville home in Reidsville always felt like the place where Montgomerys gathered.

The Montgomery family followed the same southern tradition of naming children for relatives. My grandfather, Robert Scales Montgomery, had six boys: Bob, Dave, Jack, Alex, Peyton and Reid. In addition to the female names I mentioned earlier, these male Montgomery names continue to appear in many generations of this Montgomery family.

My experience has been that Clan Montgomery of Reidsville supports one another in times of joy and sadness. We are scattered across the country but continue to gather together from time to time. I appreciate being part of

a family where members respect one another and describe differences as, “That’s just the way they are.”

When my mother told me about a tour of Clan Montgomery historical places Reid and Martha Montgomery had enjoyed, I decided I would like to make a similar journey one day. I was curious about the “sense of place” of the Scottish Montgomerys.

In 2016 I decided to take a trip to Scotlandto learn more about the origins of Clan Montgomery. My sister, Elizabeth, agreed to join me.

To prepare for the trip, I read about the history of the Montgomery family in a publication of the Clan Montgomery Society International and information from the Gaelic College Foundation in Nova Scotia which I found in my mother’s papers.

 Gomeric, a Viking Chieftain and son of Ingvar Ragnarson, the king of East Anglia and Northumberland ravaged Europe in the 9th century and settled in the Calvados of Normandy and fortified a hill which gave the family its name MONS GOMERICI

 Gomeric’s great great grandson, Roger de Montgomerie, commanded the right flank of the Norman army at Hastings and was rewarded with titles and wealth.He became the Earl of Chichester, Arundel and Shrewsbury.

 The first Montgomerys arrived in Ayrshire, Scotland around 1160, where they grew and prospered. They received the manor of , Renfrew. This remained in the family for 2 centuries. Roger’s descendant, Sir John 7th of Eaglesham, captured Henry Percy, nicknamed Hotspur, at the in 1388. Sir John built the Castle of Polnoon, south of Eaglesham. Later there began a bloody feud between the Cunninghams and the Montgomeries which lasted for several generations. During this feud, the 4th was murdered by Cunningham of Colonbeith. Eventually Colonbeith was chased to a house near Hamilton. He hid inside the chimney but was discovered and “cut to pieces on the spot.”

 During the Plantations of the 1600s, many Montgomerys left Scotland for Northern Ireland. They came first to County Down and then to various parts of . They grew but not many prospered. They began the Scotch- Irish Montgomerys.

 Between 1700 and 1850, Montgomerys in the first wave came into the Philadelphia area. They left Ireland, Scotland, and England for economic and political reasons.

In reviewing my mother’s Montgomery historical records, I found that Alexander Montgomery,ancestor of Robert Scales Montgomery, came from Dublin, Ireland around 1730. He first lived in Lancaster County, PA and later traveled south on an Indian trail to Amherst County, Virginia. Alexander had at least one brother and sister who came to Virginia with him. His brother Michael was killed in an Indian raid. Descendants of these Montgomerys live in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, and Tennessee (and across the country)! Alexander and his wife Mary moved to Caswell County in North Carolina. Alexander Montgomery was one of the petitioners to the General Assembly in New Bern in 1777 and asked that Caswell County be formed out of northern Orange County. Mary’s will was probated in the county in 1791. Alexander and Mary had 8 children. One of their children, JamesMontgomery(1752-1838), married Rebecca Davis (1754- 1837) of Eastern Shore, Virginia. Their home site was on Rattlesnake Creek, Montgomery Road, Caswell County. They had 11 children. One child, David Montgomery (1793-1847), married Jane Watt (1825- 1854). One of their children, Robert Alexander, lived and was buried at the Greenwood home place on Narrow Gauge Road in Rockingham County. Reidsville, NC is located in Rockingham County. Alvis David Montgomery, a direct ancestor of the Robert Scales Montgomery family, was born September 28, 1835 in Caswell County. He became a captain in the Confederate Army and served as Adjutant to General Alfred Moore Scales. He owned and operated a store on the corner of Main and East Market Streets and traveled as a shoe manufacturer’s representative. He married Annie Elizabeth Scales

Lawson, the widowed sister of Governor Scales. Alvis David Montgomery was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Reidsville, NC. Alvis David and Annie had 3 children: Robert Scales (1876-1937), Jane Watt (1878-1936), and Alvis Pinckney (1880-1933).

 Montgomerys came down the valley of Virginia as part of the “Scotch- Irish Tide.” They settled across the mountains to the South and Midwest.

 Montgomerys were mostly firm Presbyterians and developed a reputation for “keeping the Ten Commandments.”

I smiled at the last notation because my mother told us how her father was very strict about “keeping the Sabbath” when she was a child – no card playing! Her sisters, Margaret and Jane sang in the choir at the First Presbyterian Church of Reidsville, NC. My grandfather, Robert Scales Montgomery, waswell known for his church work and followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Reidsville. He taught Sunday School in the Smyrna, Wentworth, and Greenwood churches and was instrumental in the founding of Hillview Chapel. His son, Reid, became a Presbyterian minister.

My mother, a Presbyterian home missionary in the 1920’s, became the wife of a Presbyterian minister.

After doing this research, I had a general understanding of Clan Montgomery in Scotland and details of the Montgomerys journey to Reidsville, North Carolina. I remained curious about a “sense of place” for the Montgomerys in Scotland.

Sister Elizabeth and I decided to begin our trip on April 27, 2016 and continue the journey until May 12, 2016. We decided to include parts of Ireland and Scotland. In addition to visiting traditional tourist attractions, we each had specific goals for this trip.

My goal was to enjoy a vacation with my sister, visit specific Clan Montgomery sites and explore the Garden of Cosmic Speculation located in Portrack House near Dumfries, Scotland.

Elizabeth shared my goal to enjoy a vacation together. In addition she wanted to see beautiful places and to experience places where spiritual leaders had lived.

We agreed to travelat our own pace and drive through the country.We contacted a travel agent to book a mix of hotels and B&B’s.

We met at the airportin Seattle, Washington on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. Elizabeth flew from her home in Bend, Oregon and I flew from my home in Walnut Creek, California.

Our flight stopped in Reykjavik Iceland before landing in Glasgow on Thursday, April 28th.

Our plan was to tour Glasgow and then rent a car to drive to the Montgomery sites in the southwestern part of Scotland. We focused on seeing Montgomery ancestry points of Eaglesham, , and Aisle. After seeing beautiful places in that part of Scotland, we would drive to Edinburgh and visit the Thistle Chapel of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland to learn another piece of the Clan Montgomery story. SCOTLAND ADVENTURE

Thursday, April 28 and Friday April 29

We spent2 nights in Glasgow. We walked to many interesting places, ate great food and enjoyed the city sights from a big red Hop on-Hop off bus.

Glasgow Ale House.Presbyterian Mongtomerys have come a long way!

Saturday April 30

We drove our rental car to Eaglesham about 10 miles outside of Glasgow. Driving on the “wrong” side of the road and trying to get the GPS to work were challenges but we forged ahead!

Eaglesham is a village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. This is the first home of the Montgomerys in Scotland from the mid 1100’s. Some historians suggest that the road through the village follows a line originally developed by the Romans. The name of the village comes from egwys ham which means “the village by the church.” It probably served as a very early Christian center. By the 1300s the area was owned by the Montgomery family who lived at Eaglesham Castle. The family left Eaglesham Castle in the 1600s and moved to Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire.

In 1769, the 10th Earl of Eglinton, Alexander Montgomery, had the buildings and crofts of Eaglesham demolished and erected a new planned village. He created a long central green flanked by rows of houses. The Montgomerys built a cotton mill on the green powered by the water of the burn. The Eaglesham lands were sold in 1842 after 700 years of ownership by the Montgomerys.

In World War II, on May 10, 1941, Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy,flew a German fighter plane solo into Scotland.He intended to land at the home of the Duke of Hamilton who lived near Glasgow but miscalculated and bailed out of his plane in a field near Eaglesham. This flight was six weeks before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Hess’s mission, according to some

scholars, was to persuade the Duke of Hamilton (whom he had met at the Berlin Olympics in 1936) to urge the British government to stay out of the war. This would prevent the Germans from fighting on two fronts – Britain and its allies on the West and the Soviet Union on the East.

A local farmer found an injured Hess and immediately reported the crash to Scottish authorities. The authorities held Hess in custody until the end of the war when he was returned to Germany. Hess was convicted of crimes against peace and conspiracy at the Nuremberg Trials and was sentenced to serve a life sentence. He committed suicide in 1987 in prison at the age of 93.

In the 1960’s there was a local effort to maintain the village’s historic buildings. Eaglesham was declared Scotland’s first Conservation Village. Today there is a modern wind farm not far from Eaglesham.

It was late in the day on Saturday, April 30th, when we arrived. The exhibits were closed. We used our imagination about what life may have been like for the Montgomerys in this place.

Saturday, April 30, 2017

Village Green at Eaglesham

Row Houses In Eaglesham

Montgomery Street

Our next stop was Eglinton Castle - about a 30 minute drive from the village of Eaglesham.

EAGLINTON CASTLE

Eglinton Castle was located just south of the town of Kilwinning and 1.5 miles north of Irvine in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the seat of the Earls of Eglinton (House of Montgomerie) for over 600 years. The Earl of Eglinton is the Clan Chief of Clan Montgomery. The first Earl of Eglinton was Hugh

Montgomery. He created the position of Earl of Eglinton in 1508. The original Eglinton Castle was burned by the Earl of Glencairn in 1528. In 1788, Eglinton grounds totaled 23,144 acres.

The current castle was built between 1797 and 1802 in Gothic castellated style with a central round keep (100 feet) and four70 foot outer towers.

The foundation stone of the currentEglinton Castle was laid in 1797. Alexander Hamilton of Grange, the grandfather of the American Alexander Hamilton, performed the ceremony. Hamilton’s family lived on the Estate of Grange which bordered on the Kilwinning lands. Alexander Hamilton named his house in New York “The Grange” after his family home in Scotland.

Only the ruins remain today but this was an important part of the Montgomery history in Scotland for over two centuries.

In 1839 the castle was the scene of an extravagant medieval style tournament and attracted thousands of visitors to see the combatants and ladies dressed in fancy period costumes. One of the combatants was the future Emperor of – Napoleon III.For the first time excursion trains brought visitors to the event. It rained for 3 days and was a severe drain on the family fortune. Huge expenditures of the ArdrossanHarbour, the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal and the Glasgow Bank failure in 1878 further undermined the resources of the Montgomery family.

The castle began to deterioratewhen the family suffered financial losses. The entire contents of the castle were sold in December 1925. The last resident of the castle was the 16th Earl of Elginton.He left Eglinton Castle in 1925 and moved to Skilmorlie Castle located on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde in the north-western corner of the county of Ayrshire.

The roof and windows were removed in 1925 to eliminate paying taxes.It was reported that the house had 365 windows – one for each day of the year. After the roof was removed, there was further deterioration of the castle. There is a story that Elginton Castle had a haunted room which was never opened. When the castle roof was removed in 1925, locals claim that the skeleton of a woman was found under the interior woodwork.

The Eglinton Castle grounds were used for naval gunnery practice, a training camp, and for vehicle maintenance as a preparation depot for the Normandy and North Africa landings during World War II. The castle remains were demolished to their current level in 1973. Eglinton was designated a Country Park in Scotland in 1986 “for the benefit of the people in Ayrshire and beyond.”

From Eglinton Castle, we drove 104 miles to Gretna Green to spend the night. Gretna Green is famous as the town for “runaway marriages.” In the 1770’s English couples had to be at least 21 years old to marry without parental consent. In Scotlandboys at age 14 and girls at age 12 could marry without parental consent. Gretna Green was the first easily reachable city in Scotland from England. It was our destination because it was 30 miles from one of my goals - The Garden of Cosmic Speculation.

Sunday, May, 1, 2017

Garden of Cosmic Speculation

I felt “drawn” to visit this unique 30-acre garden on my journey to connect with Clan Montgomery. The garden was designed by Charles Jencks, an architecture theorist, and his late wife, Maggie Keswick, an expert on Chinese gardens, to bridge the worlds of art, nature, and science.

Although I was engaged in a different kind of bridging in my Clan Montgomery journey,I resonated with the creativity and unconventional approach to landscaping when I first read about this garden in a mystery, How The Light Gets In by author Louise Penny. I build fairy houses and fairy gardens to bring people together and to encourage imagination. I look for heart shapes in nature - reminders to show kindness.

The garden, as described by Charles Jencks, “features a landscape of waves, twists and folds, a landscape pattern designed to relate us to nature through new metaphors presented to the senses.”

There are 5 major areas connected by man-made lakes, bridges and other architectural features. It is located on land owned by Maggie Keswick’s family, Portrack House, near Dumfries, Scotland. The garden is open only one day each year from 12:00 – 5:00. Proceeds are used to fund Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centers. The day in 2016 was May 1st. It was raining when we arrived but later in the afternoon, the rain stopped!

The garden is located in a rural area with cows grazing in green pastures surrounding the property. We parked our car in one of fields. There were spring bulbs in full bloom and flowering shrubs lined garden paths. Unique metal sculptures, signs and unusual fence designs fit into the landscape and added a sense of humor and wonder. There was a sign, for example, between two landscaped hills “Don’t climb on the buttocks.”

Other features included a Rail Garden, Birchbone Garden, Fractal Terrace, Garden of Worthies, Snail Mound, Snake Mound, Quark Walk, DNA Garden, Garden Of Taking Leave Of Your Senses, Time Garden, Black Hole Terrace, Comet Bridge, and Flower Paradise Garden.

I saw heart-shaped leaves – my little fairy Corbilina must have been to this magical Scottish garden!

We returned to Gretna Green to spend the night.

Monday, May 2, 2017

Travel to to see Clan Montgomery Skelmorlie Aisle.

Skelmorlie Aisle is a place of worship and the ornate tomb (painted barrel vaulted ceiling with painted panels and heraldic emblems and signs of the Zodiac signed by Mr. Stalker in 1638) built by Sr. Robert Montgomerie of Skelmorlie as a resting place for his wife, Margaret Douglas, who was kicked by her horse and died as a result of the accident.

Sir Robert is said to have become a changed man after his wife died and repented for his participation in the ongoing feud with the Cunninghams. According to the stories, he spent many nights alone praying for his

salvation in the vault. He behaved as though he was already “dead” and was inhabiting the tomb.

Sir Hugh Montgomerie of Eaglesham, hero of Battle of Otterburn, is also buried here. The aisle was added to the old church (kirk) of Largs in 1636 but the aisle is all that remains today.

We had trouble locating the tomb and finally found it next to a funeral home. The tomb is part of an ancient cemetery surrounded by an iron fence. The gate was locked and we could not locate anyone with a key.

Photo taken looking through the iron fence.

We were told by a person in the funeral home that the town keeps the gate locked because vandals were destroying theproperty. It is open only on a limited basis to the public.

This completed our tour of Clan Montgomery sites on the southwestern side of Scotland. We enjoyed visiting beautiful places in Androssan, Inverary, Oban, Isle of Mull before driving to Edinburgh to see the Thistle Chapel at St. Giles Cathedral.

Thistle Chapelat St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Order of the Thistle is the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland. It recognizes 16 Knights and is the highest honor in the country. England recognizes chivalry in the Order of the Garter.

The Queen of England appoints members of the Order as a personal gift to recognize men and women who have contributed significantly to national life. The thistle is the national flower of Scotland.

The Order was established by King James II of England on May 29, 1687. One source indicated that he was an absentee monarch who wanted to

have a close relationship with Scottish subjects and his ministers came up with the idea to combine “regal authority, ceremony, exclusivity and importance.”

Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton (1739-1819)

Hugh was made a Knight of the Thistle in 1814. He was a member of the House of Lords. He promoted and helped to fund the Glasgow, Paisley and Androssan Canal which was needed because silt had filled much of the River Clyde. This canal was to help large ships reach Glasgow but it was never completed because of insufficient funds. Hugh Montgomerie was an amateur composer and cellist.

After visiting Edinburgh for two days, we flew to Ireland. The Clan Montgomery story in Ireland will be a trip for another day!

In 2017 I received a shadow box to remind me of the trip to connect with Clan Montgomery. My sisters Mary Anna and Elizabeth gave me a special shadow box. Mary Anna wove the Montgomery plaid as background for a picture of Eglinton Castle. Elizabeth added a stone she found from the grounds of Eglinton Castle and a shell from the beach at Androssan.

I treasuremy relationships with the Montgomerys of Reidsville and our family reunions. I treasure the lands and places in Scotland Montgomerys called home. This journey has inspired me to re-connect with the living Mongtomerys and promote a gathering of the clad whenever possible!

Connecting to Clan Montgomery is more than visiting places, learning about ancestors, castles, feuds, and tartans. For me it is about connecting with family. Family is not perfect – we hurt one another with words and actions but we also embrace one another with love and compassion.

Montgomery gatherings include stories, songs and lots of laughter. I always feel a powerful sense of connectedness at these times. It feels light, happy and full of joy.Leonard Cohen captured this connectedness in Anthem.

Ring the bells that still can ring,

Forget the perfect offering,

There’s a crack in everything,

That’s how the light gets in.

OLD AULD SYNE

Old Auld Syne is a popular song by Robert Burns of Scotland. He was inspired by the lyrics of an older poem and added his version in 1788.

The song calls for preserving our oldest, dearest friendships (“for the sake of old times”) – especially those times spent in each other’s company.

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?

CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you'll buy your pint cup! and surely I'll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. CHORUS We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine; But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. CHORUS We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne. CHORUS And there's a hand my trusty friend! And give me a hand o' thine! And we'll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. CHORUS