Lieutenant-General James Montgomerie (26 February 1755 – 13 April 1829) was a Scottish soldier and politician who sat in Parliament for

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

1818–29.

Family

James Montgomerie was the fourth son of Alexander Montgomerie of Coilsfield (near

Tarbolton Tarbolton () is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is near Failford, Mauchline, Ayr, and Kilmarnock. The old Fail Monastery was nearby and Robert Burns connections are strong, including the Bachelors' Club museum. Meaning of place-name ...

) and Lillias Montgomerie, making him the youngest brother of

Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton Colonel Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton, KT (5 November 1739 – 14 December 1819), styled Lord Montgomerie from 1769 to 1796, was a British politician, military officer and composer. Early life Montgomerie was born on 5 November 1739. ...

Military career

Appointed ensign in the 51st Foot in 1773, he joined the regiment at

Minorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the is ...

in 1774. The following year he transferred to the 19th Foot as adjutant, being promoted lieutenant in 1779. In 1780 he was promoted captain of a company in the 93rd Foot and sailed to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. His regiment returned to England soon after arrival, but Montgomerie remained in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

as a

staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large milita ...

until 1781. In 1783 he was one of the officers put on half pay as a captain in the 10th Foot, returning to active service with this regiment in Jamaica in 1786. From 1790 to 1793 he was in England on recruitment, and in 1794 was appointed an officer of the Home Staff with the rank of major. In May 1795 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 6th West India Regiment, sailing to Martinique. From 1796 to 1798 he was civil and military commander of

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...

, with the 31st Light Dragoons. In 1798 he transferred to the 45th Foot in

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

, but returned to England due to ill health. He was promoted colonel by brevet in 1802 and lieutenant-colonel of the 64th Foot in 1804, the same year being appointed to hold civil and military command at

Tobago Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...

. From much of the period from 1805 to 1808 he was acting governor of

Demerara Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...

. In 1808 he returned to Dominica as

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, and in 1809 to England, where he received the rank of major-general. In 1813 he was appointed colonel of the 74th Foot, promoted to lieutenant-general in 1814. In 1823 he was appointed colonel of the 30th Foot, retaining that command until his death.

Parliamentary career

Montgomerie was elected to parliament as M.P. for Ayrshire in the general election of 1818, and was re-elected in

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament to meet on March 7, becoming the nominal beginning of the "Trienio Liberal" in History of Spain (1 ...

and

1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a satirical weekly. * January 17 – The Ballantyne printing business in Edinburgh (Scotland) crashes, ruining noveli ...

. He spoke in Parliament on the issue of Sheriffs Depute in Scotland, on 29 March 1822.Hansard
vol. 6, col. 1386
He died at

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

in May 1829.

References

* Obituary in ''

The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term ''m ...

''
July 1829
p. 82. *

Richard Cannon Richard Cannon (1779–1865) was a compiler of regimental records for the British Army. Career On 1 January 1802 Cannon was appointed to a clerkship at the Horse Guards, and attained the grade of first-clerk in 1803. Under a Horse Guards order ...

, ''Historical Record of the Seventy-fourth Regiment (Highlanders)'' (London, 1847), pp. 119–120.

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomerie, James 1755 births 1829 deaths British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 British Army lieutenant generals Royal Lincolnshire Regiment officers Governors of Dominica