Tartan Tales of Clan Montgomery

Throughout May we have been celebrating all things Clan Montgomery. We have met some famous faces, visited many sites, and gained great insight into the history of this ancient clan. Finally, we called upon the valued Clan members to share their stories and we have had a few great stories; read the blog to find out more!

Ashlyn and her husband on their wedding day

We received some lovely photos from Ashlyn and her husband:

"When I got married to my husband in 2024, we used the Montgomery tartan as our wedding colors since that is his last name and we both have some Scottish heritage. As it turns out, purple is my favorite color and red is his favorite color, so it ended up working out!"

Rory got in touch with a Montgomery story about his father, Commander J A Montgomerie, who was a naval hero in the Second World War. Rory says, "Attached is a photograph of my father as a lieutenant in the RNVR, the distinction between RNVR and RN is denoted by the wavy stripes on his cuffs. Probably taken in Glasgow, near his home, in 1940/41 when he was aged 26/27.

Rory Montgomerie's father, Commander J A Montgomerie

In brief, he survived the war, and was promoted to Commander. He was awarded a DSC (Distinguished Service Cross) for valour. He commanded a flotilla of Motor Torpedo Boats based in the Adriatic Sea, and led an attack on a group of German ships based in Yugoslavia (as it then was called), managing to sink a German Destroyer (a much larger ship) by firing torpedoes at it. He was also mentioned in despatches several times during the war."

Sonya Montgomery at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

We had a lovely message and photo from Sonya! She says, "I love that your shop is celebrating various Clans each month! Brilliant idea. Last summer at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Festivals we had a deluge of rain just before the Gathering ceremony commencing the events. My sister captured my image with our torch just as the setting sun hit the dramatic clouds, made for a great pic, and a memorable moment."

Lee wearing Montgomery Modern for Kiltwalk

We received a great email from Lee, who says "I’m a proud Montgomery, who has donned their Modern tartan for charity Kiltwalk events all over Scotland over past five years, raising money for Scottish Autism (I am Autistic). More information on the most recent campaign can be found here.

I have a YouTube page which features all the campaigns here.

Furthermore I’ve visited the clan’s Ancestral home of Eglinton Castle, Kilwinning, Ayrshire, and plan to return."

We love the story and photos Kendall sent in!

"As Clan Montgomery is one of the smaller lowland clans, we still have a fighting spirit. American Revolution General Richard Montgomery, was born in Dublin, Ireland and killed fighting in Quebec on Christmas Eve 1775. Another Montgomery general is well known for his leadership in the second World War, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. Like Richard Montgomery, Bernard was born in Ireland.

Major General Richard Montgomery

Where does this connection the Montgomeries have with Ireland come from? A good part of that comes thanks to Hugh Montgomery, 6th Laird of Braidstane. He served as a soldier in Holland and became Captain of Foot of a Scottish Regiment. Montgomery came into contact with the wife of Con O'Neill, a landowner in Ulster, who was imprisoned at Carrickfergus Castle for instigating rebellion against the Queen. Montgomery and Ellis O'Neill (the wife) made a deal that the O'Neills would give half of their land to him if he could free Con and secure for him a royal pardon. Montgomery sent a relative to Ireland to lead the jailbreak, which was successful.

At this point, James Hamilton interfered with the negotiations with the King, securing for himself a share of the land in question with the resultant shares being one-third each for Hamilton, Montgomery and O'Neill, who gained pardon. (Montgomery also secured for his brother George, his staunchest political ally, the title of Bishop of Derry and Raphoe.)"

Last but by no means least, we had a lovely email and photos from Debbonnaire!

"I am Debbonnaire Montgomery Kovacs, living in Berea, Kentucky. I am a spinner and weaver, largely of tartan, though I do many other things as well. I have woven and sewn four kilts over the years (I always swear I’ll never do another, lol!): two Elphinstone, which is accepted today as Montgomery Hunting Tartan, one Whitaker, and one modern Montgomery, shown below. This is my nephew, Spencer Holmes, of Columbus, Ohio. I also spun and wove the linen for his shirt, and sewed it by hand, as well as knitting his kilt hose.

Debbonnaire's nephew Spencer

I am currently working on spinning, dyeing with plants I grew (plus cochineal, which had reached Scotland by the 18th century), and weaving a Feileadh Mor, or Great Kilt, for him. Here is some of the yarn. (The purples are pretty uneven; I have to assume that’s also authentic!)

Finally, here are some other photos of my weaving, including Montgomery placemats."

Thank you all for such a wonderful variety of Montgomery stories!

Unfortunately May has come to an end, that certainly doesn't mean our love for Clan Montgomery is over, so be sure to get in touch with us if you fancy chatting all things Montgomery!