The Scots Peerage1:
...styles himself Lord of Ardrossan in his charters. He succeeded between May 1400 and 4 July 1401, when he received a charter from
Archibald, fourth Earl of Douglas, of the lands of Dunlop in Ayrshire. He was present at the
battle of Homildon on 14 September 1402, and was one of those taken captive. He was sent a prisoner to the Tower, and at Christmastide of 1402 was transferred to Windsor, whence, in September 1403, he was returned to the Tower. He is said, but not on good authority, to have been released in the following year, 1404, and according to Wyntoun was the means of introducing the false
Richard II. to the notice of the Scottish Court, but such introduction, if made, must have taken place not long before the death of
King Robert III. in April 1406.
He certainly was in Scotland before August 1405, when he received a permit for a ship of his to trade in foreign parts for a year. A month later he went to England as one of the hostages exacted for the temporary release of the Earl of Douglas, who had been taken at Shrewsbury, and he was a hostage at intervals until June 1408, when he appears to have been finally liberated.
He had a ship La Wynyne, larger than the former, trading with England, in December 1407, at a date when he was residing at his own house of Polnoon. He granted on 24 November 1413 a precept for infefting Stephen Ker, Laird of Trearne in the lands of Overtown of Giffen, in the lordship of Giffen. The granter styles himself Lord of Ardrossan and of Giffen, but whether the latter was a recent acquisition does not appear. A little later he gave the whole lordship of Giffen to his second son Robert, with other lands. Sir John also held the office of Bailie of the barony of Kilbride. In 1424, he was one of those who had a safe-conduct to meet
King James I. at Durham, on his way to Scotland. He was on the jury who condemned
Murdac, Duke of Albany, to death in May 1425, and two months later he had a safe-conduct to England as a surety for the King in exchange for a hostage returning to Scotland. He remained in England, apparently without relief, and was still there in February 1426-27, when he was sent or transferred to Pontefract Castle. It is not improbable he died in England, as his son succeeded him before 22 November 1429.
A short disquisition on "of that ilk" from
Genealogical History2:
Sir John de Montgomerie "Dominus Ejusdem or of that Ilk" which title shows he was the male heir and chief of the French house of Montgomerie. This ancient and noble title - That Ilk - is peculiar to the Scots and has never been hitherto defined well. It is the title which denotes not the gentleman as Johnson's degrading appellation (viz, whose surname and the title of his estate are the same) but also the chief of all the clan of his own surname. It does not necessarily or essentially refer to the estate. McFarlan, Mcintosh, Brisbane, Tweedie &c of that Ilk, have never had lands of the name of their surnames. Many chiefs parted with their original estates and afterwards used that title long or to this day, for example, Porterfield, Ralstoun, Whytefurd &c of that Ilk. This title shows that the person who uses it is the chief of the clan of the surname in question. It is very honorable and ancient. It gives him the right of supporters in his armorial arms. It is more honorable than the modern titles of nobility, such as earls, marquises, dukes, &c in certain respects. This is a nobility really patriarchal, venerable, and ancient. No king or prince can bestow nor take away the glory and dignity of that Ilk. The king of Great Britain offered a title of nobility to the chief of the Grants, who despised the offer saying "And wha wad be the laird of Grant?". Any occasional sprout of a clan may rise up by accident to a showy and gaudy title but that title is modern and it must fall short of that Ilk, for the chief is still the chief of all that clan including the lordling of yesterday. In former days, many Scots chiefs would have thought it derogatory to accept a foreign dignity; and, even at this day, many Highland gentlemen are displeased with one of the most powerful chiefs, viz, the Chief of the Isles, for having accepted an Irish peerage. Dr Johnson being in Mull in 1773, says "Where races are numerous and thus combined none but the chief of a clan is addressed by his name simply. The Laird of Dunvegan is called Macleod; but other gentlemen of the same family are denominated by the places where they reside, as Raasa, or Talisker. The distinction of the meaner people is made by their Christian names. In consequence of this practice the late Laird of Macfarlane, an eminent genealogist, considered himself as disrespectfully treated if the common addition was applied to him. "Mr Macfarlane", said he, "may with equal propriety be said to many; but I, and I only, am Macfarlane". Dunlop, of that Ilk, or The Dunlop, are the same import.
Going back to John Montgomerie, again from
Genealogical History:
Sir John de Montgomerie "succeeded his father before 1398. In 1402 he formed one of the chiefs of the Scotch army which invaded England and was taken prisoner at the disastrous battle of Halidon Hill". He was not long a captive, however, for two years after he was in Scotland, and introduced the reputed Richard II of England to Robert III. Mr Tytler, in his history, hints at a secret negotiation carried on by Henry IV "with the Lord Montgomerie" which he supposes had reference to the dethroned king; but as Sir John had taken him to court, and introduced him to the Scottish king, promptly and honorably, there can be but little room for suspecting him of any treachery towards the reputed king.
Upon the accession of James I, after his long imprisonment in England, during which time the country had been under the regency of the Duke of Albany, James had reason to suspect his imprisonment had been turned to great personal advantage by many of his nobles; and at a parliament held at Perth, March 12 1425, he arrested Albany, Douglas, Angus, March, and twenty others of the highest rank, one of whom was Montgomerie, who seems, however, to have been immediately set at liberty, and restored to favor; for on the 24th of May following, he was one of the jury on the trial of Murdoch, Duke of Albany, and was employed in various public duties, one of which was in reducing the fortress upon Loch Lomond, which was held out against the royal troops by the duke's youngest, son James Stewart.
Family Life
According to the
Scots Peerage 1 John married twice, firstly to
Agnes of the Isles and secondly to
Margaret Maxwell. All his children are listed as by his first wife Agnes. Om the other hand, GH
2 doesn't mention the first marriage at all and implies that all children were by his second wife Margaret. I follow the
Scot's Peerage.
Footnotes
[1] The Scots Peerage by Sir James Balfour Paul, Volume 3 (1906); Eglinton, Montgomerie, Earl of, pages 421-465
[2] Genealogical History and Pedigree of the Family of Montgomery, Thomas Harrison Montgomery, Philadelphia (1863)
- Bef 1429