Biography of Edward Montagu 1485-1557

Around 1485 Edward Montagu was born to Thomas Montagu (age 33) and Agnes Dudley (age 31).

Around 1501 [his mother] Agnes Dudley (age 47) died.

On 22 May 1506 Edward Montagu (age 21) admitted at Middle Temple.

On 05 Sep 1517 [his father] Thomas Montagu (age 65) died.

Around 1522 [his daughter] Elizabeth Montagu was born to Edward Montagu (age 37) and [his future wife] Helen Roper (age 22).

Before 1524 Edward Montagu (age 38) and Agnes Kirkham were married.

Before 1525 Edward Montagu (age 39) and Cicely Lane (age 28) were married.

In or before 1525 [his daughter] Amy Montagu was born to Edward Montagu (age 39) and [his wife] Cicely Lane (age 28).

In 1525 [his wife] Cicely Lane (age 29) died.

Before 1530 Edward Montagu (age 44) and Helen Roper (age 29) were married.

Around 1530 [his son] Edward Montagu was born to Edward Montagu (age 45) and [his wife] Helen Roper (age 30) at Brigstock, Boughton.

On 18 Oct 1537 Edward Montagu (age 52) was knighted.

In 1539 Edward Montagu (age 54) was appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

In 1545 Edward Montagu (age 60) was appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 26 Jul 1553. The xxvj day of July cam unto the Towre my lord marqwes of Northamton (age 41), by and my lord Robart Dudley (age 21), and the bysshop of London (age 53), and ser Recherd Corbett; and after cam in to the Towre my lord cheyffe justes Chamley (age 58), the lord Montyguw (age 68), at v of the cloke at nyght.

Note. The lord Montague. The person intended by this designation was sir Edward Montague, who was lord chief justice of the common pleas, as sir Roger Cholmley was of the king's bench. The new queen appointed sir Richard Morgan and sir Thomas Bromley in their places.

Chronicle of Queen Jane and Two Years of Queen Mary 1553. Sep 1553. Note, that the (blank) daye of September, the lord Ferris (age 65)¹, the lord chefe justice Chumbley (age 58)², and the lorde Montegue (age 68)³, wer dysmyssed of ther imprysonement in the Tower.

Note 1. Walter Devereux, who had been created viscount Hereford in 1550, though both in this Diary and in that of Machyn he is still called lord Ferrars, and by Stowe lord Ferrers of Chartley. In the register of the Privy Council he is properly styled viscount Hereford. He had married lady Mary Grey, aunt to the duke of Suffolk (age 36).

Note 2. Sir Roger Cholmley: see notes to Machyn's Diary, p. 368.

Note 3. Sir Edward Montagu: see notes to Machyn's Diary, p. 356.

In 1557 [his son] Edward Montagu (age 27) and [his daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Harrington (age 12) were married.

Before 10 Feb 1557 Edward Montagu (age 72) bought the manor of Boughton, Northamptonshire.

On 10 Feb 1557 Edward Montagu (age 72) died.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 05 Mar 1557. [The v day of March was buried in Northamptonshire sir Edward Montagu (deceased), late lord chief justice of England; with] cott armur, and targett, and sword, helmett, and man[tylls of] velvett, and iiij dosen of stayffes, ij whyt branchys .... dosen of skochyons, and iiij dosen of penselles, and with .... harold of armes and a hersse of wax.

Note. P. 128. Funeral of sir Edward Montagu. The progenitor of the dukes of Montagu and Manchester, and earls of Halifax. He was buried at Weekley in Northamptonshire, where is his effigy, and the epitaph will be found in Bridges's History of that county, vol. ii. p. 347; also in Collins's Peerage, 1779, vol. ii. p 83, together with his will and biographical notices; but his monument is there incorrectly placed at Hemington.

On 03 May 1563 [his former wife] Helen Roper (age 63) died.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 22 Sep 1665. Among other discourse concerning long life, Sir J. Minnes (age 66) saying that his great-grandfather was alive in Edward the Vth's time; my [his great grandson] Lord Sandwich (age 40) did tell us how few there have been of his family since King Harry the VIIIth; that is to say, the then Chiefe Justice, and his son the [his son] Lord Montagu, who was father to [his grandson] Sir Sidney¹, who was his father. And yet, what is more wonderfull, he did assure us from the mouth of my Lord Montagu himself, that in King James's time ([when he] had a mind to get the King (age 35) to cut off the entayle of some land which was given in Harry the VIIIth's time to the family, with the remainder in the Crowne); he did answer the King in showing how unlikely it was that ever it could revert to the Crown, but that it would be a present convenience to him; and did show that at that time there were 4,000 persons derived from the very body of the Chiefe Justice. It seems the number of daughters in the family having been very great, and they too had most of them many children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This he tells as a most known and certain truth.

Note 1. These are the words in the MS., and not "his son and the Lord Montagu", as in some former editions. Pepys seems to have written Lord Montagu by mistake for Sir Edward Montagu.

[his father] Thomas Montagu and [his mother] Agnes Dudley were married.