History and genealogy of Peter Montague, of Nansemond and ...

4-0 INTRODUCTION.
d'Outre-mer in 948, was twice captured by the English, once in 1375
and again in 1424, and was finally taken by Charles VI. in 1444.
There was also a strong fortress of the name of Montaigu, in Vendee,
that was twice besieged in the uprising of 1793. There are several
other places in France bearing the name of Montaigu ;
but that from
which the English family sprang was Montagu-les-Bois, in the district
of Coutances, in Normandy. Of this place one writer says, " Its
ancient lords were famous in the middle ages." In France there
were Lords of Montagu, Counts of Chalon, and Eudes ; there was
Pierre Guerin de Montaigu, Grand Master of the Knights of St. John
of Jerusalem in 1208 ;
there was Gilles Aycelin de-Montai-gut,
Archbishop of Rouen, and the founder of the college of Montagu at
Paris, which existed from 13 14
family of this Archbishop attained the dignity of Cardinals. The
name Montagu is a word of three syllables, pronounced Mont-a-gue,
and has no connection with the name of two syllables Mon-Tague,
till about 1850. Two brothers of the
which is a corruption of the Irish name of Mac Teague, meaning the
son of Teague. Montague, a thousand years ago in Normandy was
spelled Montagu. In the Doomsday book of William the Conqueror
(1066) it is spelled Montagud, the "d" silent. The early generations
in England spelled the name in Latin, Montacute. This was caused
Camden says, on account of continuous wars with France, there was
a hatred of anything that was French. In English records of the 14th,
15th, and 1 6th centuries, the name is often printed Mountague. In
early records in America and upon tombstones it is spelled Mountague.
Co. records of Spotts and Orange Va., have the name Mountague
and Montecue. The name of Peter Montague on the Va. Muster
roll of 1624 is spelled Petter Montecue. [Montecue and Montigue
are simply a mis-spell.] The old Peerages in England have the name
variously, Mountague, Montague and Montagu. The titled families
however have invariably spelled the name Montagu. This includes
the Viscounts Montagu, the Dukes of Montagu, the Earls of Halifax
and Sandwich and the Dukes of Manchester, and they undoubtedly
have the most ancient way of spelling it. The final " e," as the name
is commonly spelled, adds nothing to it, though from long usage one
may be as correct as the other.