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Sir James Montgomery, 2nd Baronet

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James Montgomery
FRSE
portrait by Henry Raeburn
2nd Baronet Stanhope
In office
1803–1839
Succeeded byGraham Graham-Montgomery
Member of the British Parliament
for Peeblesshire
In office
1800–1831
Lord Advocate of Scotland
In office
1804–1806
Personal details
Born9 October 1766
Peebleshire, Scotland
Died27 May 1839
Spouses
  • Elizabeth Douglas
  • Helen Graham
Children8
Parents
Occupationlawyer
Stobo Castle, Scottish Borders

Sir James Montgomery, 2nd Baronet Stanhope, FRSE (9 October 1766 – 27 May 1839) was a Scottish politician and lawyer who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland 1804 to 1806.[1]

Life

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James Montgomery was born in Peeblesshire on 9 October 1766, the son of Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet Stanhope and Margaret Scott. The family moved to Stobo Castle when he was an infant. He was educated at the High School in Edinburgh from 1773 to 1778. He trained as an advocate passing the bar in 1787. He worked as an advocate at Argyll Square in Edinburgh through the 1790s.[2]

He succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father in 1803. He immediately set about remodelling Stobo Castle, commissioning the Edinburgh architect Archibald Elliot to rebuild it in a castellated style. The very large project was completed in 1811 and brought the castle to its current appearance.[1]

In 1810 he inherited £20,000 on the death of the family friend, William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry, who had died childless. This was a true fortune at that time.[1]

From 1817 he served as Deputy Governor of the British Linen Company Bank.[1]

He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Peeblesshire between 1800 and 1831. His maiden speech as an MP was on the prevention of forgery of bank-notes.[3] In 1807 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir James Hall, Alexander Dirom, and Thomas Charles Hope.[4]

In later life he had a town house at 20 York Place, Edinburgh.[5]

He died on 27 May 1839 aged 72.

Family

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He married, firstly, Lady Elizabeth Douglas (d.1814), daughter of Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk and Helen Hamilton, on 1 August 1806.[1] His brother-in-law during this marriage was Basil William Douglas.[6] They had two daughters and one son:[7]

  • Helen Anne Montgomery (d. 1870) married William Forbes Mackenzie MP. They had two children.
  • Elizabeth Montgomery (d. 15 Sep 1874)
  • James Montgomery (28 Apr 1811 - 16 July 1833)

He married, secondly, Helen Graham (d.1828), daughter of Thomas Graham MP of Kinross House, in 1816.[1] They had two daughters and three sons:[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "MONTGOMERY, Sir James, 2nd bt. (1766-1839), of Stobo Castle, Stanhope, Peebles". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1797
  3. ^ "MONTGOMERY, James (1766-1839), of Stanhope, Peebles". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  4. ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X.
  5. ^ Edinburgh Post Office directory 1839
  6. ^ "Sir James Montgomery, of Stanhope, 2nd Baronet b. 9 Oct 1766 d. 27 May 1839: MacFarlane Clan & Families Genealogy".
  7. ^ a b A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Henry Colburn. 1860. p. 699.
[edit]
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
William Montgomery his elder brother
 Member of Parliament for Peeblesshire
1800 – 1800 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Parliament of Great Britain
 Member of Parliament for Peeblesshire
1801 – 1831 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Lord Advocate
1804–1806 		Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baronet
(of Stanhope)
1803–1839 		Succeeded by
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