The Montgomery Manuscripts. : Containing Accounts of The

i!»'5ii»'i;rf : »f<a..- ^P^m-.^ 'f'Wi 'Kf'^3^rS-^f !^i< il^^W^^.: ."v^*,";' ".'!;• '^*5---. IS29.2 miG I in the ®itir <*f ilew ^ovk f> ^^/^^^^^^'^^^ft^ THE MOH^TOOmERY IHAIVU^CRIPTIS. CONTAINING ACCOUNTS OF THE COLONIZATION OF THE ARDES, IN THE COUNTY OF DOWN, IN THE REIGNS OF ELIZABETH AND JAMES. MEMOIRS OF THE FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD VISCOUNTS MONTGOMERY, AND CAPTAIN GEORGE MONTGOMERY: ALSO, A DESCRIPTION OF THE BARONY OF ARDS, WITH VARIOUS LOCAL AND HISTORICAL FACTS CONNECTED WITH THE COLONIZATION OF ULSTER. ALSO, AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING INCIDENTAL REMEMBRANCES OF THE TWO ANCIENT FAMILIES OF THE SAVAGES, FORMERLY THE LORDS OF THE LITTLE ARDES. Printed from Original Manuscripts and Transcripts of MSS. composed by William Montgomery, Esq. second son of Sir James Montgomery [between the years 169S and 1704,] BELFAST; PBINI£D AI THE NEWS-LETTER OiTICE. 1800. PREFACE. A considerable portion of the Montgomery Manit- SCRIPTS was printed in the Belfast News~LetUr so early as 1785 and 1786,* when their publication was suspended in consequence of their extent, which in some degree un- fitted them for the columns of a newspaper. Besides, it was suggested that their intrinsic interest and importance to a large proportion of the Nobility and Gentry of the Counties of Down and Antrim, required their publication in a permanent and portable form, and hence the origin of the present undertaking, The influential part which the family of Montgomery acted in the affairs of Ulster after its colonization by the Scots, is matter of historic record, and will be found minutely detailed in the sub- sequent pages ; while, in consequence of the matrimonial and other alliances, that were gradually formed between the several branches of that distinguished family and other families of rank at the time, there are not a few gentlemen in the counties referred to, who will naturally feel an interest in recurring to these simple, but authen- tic memoirs of their ancestorial dignity. The gratifica- calion which the recorded fame of ancestry may fairly minister to the ambition of posterity, is not, however, the only advantage derivable from the publication of these Memoirs* Their importance as historical docu- ments will be readily recognised by those who have studied the transactions of the agitated period to which * They were again re-priuted in part in the'Kews-Lctter in 1822. 59626 they refer, while, as illustrative of manners and customs and habits of thought, that are now comparatively an- tiquated^ their value cannot fail to be estimated even by those who have no hereditary interest in their details. In this view, it is hoped, that though the locality of the scenes that are described, and the individuality of the personages who are chiefly engaged in them, may limit to a portion of the community^ the specific interest of the volume; yet it will possess independent merit sufficient to engage the attention of the majority. In the early parts of the volume, references have been made to an Appendix, which has not been printed, and the omission of which requires explanation. The reasons of its omission were these — after a considerable portioh of the Montgomery Manuscript had been printed off, a second Manuscript by the author of the former, was discovered. It contained an interesting history of the family of the Savages, formerly the Lords of the Little Ards, and its publication was found to be neces- sary, not merely to complete the narrative of the for- iTicr, but for reasons equally cogent with those which had originally induced the determination of publish- ing that Manuscript. Hence, the omission of the pro- posed Appendix became indispensable, as the size of the work had been limited. Besides, no great inconve- nience can result from this omission, as there are nume- rous sources of information accessible to those who may be inquisitive regarding matters of mere antiquarian curiosity ; while the full insertion of the Appendix would have required either a separate volume, or would have enlarged this to an inconvenient size, and would, besides, have proportionably increased its price. The orthography of the original manuscripts, with its ncidental pecularities of contraction, has been strictly preserved. The printer has even followed the occasion- al defects of his copy, without attempting their cor- rection, which, in many instances, might have been easily done. It now remains that we close this preface with a brief notice ot the author of the following memoirs. He was the son of Sir James Montgomery, and was born at Aughaintain, in Tyrone, on the 27th of October, 1633. He represented the borough of Newtownards, in the Irish Parliament, which, shortly after the restoration, passed the celebrated act for the settlement of military adventurers in Ireland. In his habits he appears to have been studious, to have possessed persevering indus- try, extensive knowledge, and acuteness of observation, notwithstanding the quaint, parenthetical style of his coraiK)sition—a fault which is attributable, not to him, but to the age in which he lived. He wrote these memoirs in the interval between the years 1698 and 1704. In a historical view, their authority is indubitable— It has been alluded to by Lodge, in his Irish Peerage, and as they have never before been printed entire, it is pre- sumed that the present publication will fnrnish valua- able hints to the national annalist, as well aa acceptable information to the northern public in general. Copious extracts from the original MSS. of the Lords Mount- alexander and of Gaptain George Montgomery, were first pti Wished in the Belfast News.Letter of the years 1785 and 1786, with the consent of the late Daniel De- lacherois, of Donaghadee, Esq. (in whose family they had been preserved,) when a great poition of the Ori- ginal MS. became missing, and after repeated searches to recover them, it was found that a copy of them had V5 been taken, which, being traced out, was obligingly communicated. When compared with the parts printed in 1785 and 1786, they were found exactly to cor- respond, and have been used in completing the present publication. THE MONTGOMERY MANUSCRIPTS SOME FEW MEMOIRES OF THE MONT- GOMERIES OF IRELAND. »*W^»»l»^wi»<^'Wi»«»»'W W»i>^M»W^* CHAPTER I. Being to write of the MoNTGOMERiES of Ireland, (now planted therein) recourse must be first had to what I ha^re credibly heard, as truth never doubted of (that my enquiry could find out). And 2dly, to those authentick papers and parchments, which I have carefully perused, and which came to my hands among those left to me by my father, many others of them being lost or embeazled or burnt in Kosemount House: out of the remainder whereof, or from such as I have seen elsewhere, relations shall be made. Sdly, and lastly, I must, in this treatise, make use of my own certain knowledge and memory in those afiairs, having had conversation or concern with most of their famiJys (both the dead and yet sur- viving of them) to whom I have been a contemporary within the space of above tliose fifty years now last past, wherein I did more or less make observations as I best could, whilst I, grew up in age, and ac- quaintance with them, and thus furnished, I begin this following narrative (as near as I can) according to the order of time, wherein the several events came to pass, the like not having been attempted that I can any ways learne. Therefore, Imprimis, (as in duty I am bound) with the Montgomeries of the great Ardes, who were the first and chiefest of all that sirname, that came from Scotland, and mostly the procurers of other Montgomery families, and of many of divers sirnames besides them ; to follow and plant in this kingdom, of whom the most conspicuous and powerfull, and the 1st introducer and en- courager was Hugh Montgomery, the 6th Laird of Braidstane, whose genealogy is as next followeth, viz. —The said Hugh was the eldest son of Adam (the second of that name) the fifth Laird, who married the . daughter of Montgomery, Laird Haislhead, (an ancient family descended of the Earls of Eglintoune). This second Adam (besides breeding his four sons) purchased land from 3 one of the said Earles (I have the deed there- eldest son of Adam, of) ; vvliich Adam was the (the first Montgomery of that name) and ^th Laird of Braidstane. This Adam married Col- quhon's sister, the Laird of Luss, (chief of his ancient sept). This Adam the first, (last mentioned) was son to Robert the 3d Laird of that name, who was the son of Robert, the 2nd Laird of that name, who was the son of Robert, the 1st of that name and 1st Lairil Alex- j of Braidstane, who was the 2d son of ander, one of the Earles of Eglingtoune, all t-- (in of them Montgomeries ; which Earles are a little book called Indiculum Scotiae, or the present state of Scotland, written by A. Z7. in Anno 1682) placed the 1 1th In that degree of nobility, which agrees with the list next spoken of, tho' in King Charles the Martyr's reign, ri- valed (as I have heard said) for prudency by the Conningharas, Earles of Glencairne ; whom I find by an antient list (of the Scottish Peers) written in King James the 6th his time, left to me by my father (who was expert in the heraldry of both kingdoms, having given me Guillim's book and some notes of his own of that science ;) I say I find by the said list, (now by me) that Glencairne was but the 15th Earle, yet at this present time, and many years before it, he might arrive to be 12th, — 4 and so next after Eglintoun—the said lisfc runs thus, viz : The Sirnames, Earles of The Titles as followeth, 1, Duglas Angus.

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