Its owners and some historical connections - Lackham Countryside ...

The Manor of Alderton 3rd edition
the provision that, should she die the money goes to “her younger children who
may be alive and born since the separation from her husband, Henry, Isabella,
Gerogina D”. There was another daughter, Elizabeth, “the first born through
their relationship” 350 who is not mentioned in the will at all. It is noted that
George’s sister Arabella, married Ralph Dorville Woodforde some three or four
years before this; it is tempting to speculate that it was through his brother
in law that George came to know Mrs Dorville, but this is unknown.
In 1795 George was elected to be a Fellow of the prestigious Linnean Society;
he was already much respected as a naturalist. 351 .
The association with Mrs Dorville was one of the factors involved when , in
1799, three of the officers in the Wiltshire Militia (Captains Awdry, Houlton
and Phayre) brought Col Montagu before a courts martial on four counts of
abusing his position as Commanding Officer and conduct unbecoming a
commanding office. He was found guilty and dismissed from the Regiment 352 .
Mrs Dorville was certainly the reason that, George couldn’t inherit the estates
from James, because under the terms of the will George could only inherit if
he was living with his wife, Ann. In a codicil his will 353 James Montagu stated
“my brother George shall not live at my Mansion at Lackham unless he shall live
and cohabit with his wife”.
In 1801 the Trustees were ordered to
Enquire whether the defendant George Montagu the elder had
resided in the Mansion House at Lackham since the Testator’s
decease and under what circumstances, and whether Ann Montagu
his wife had resided there and under what circumstances, and was it
350 Cleevely, R pers. Comm. June, 2002
351 My thanks to Gina Douglas, Librarian and Archivist to the Linnean Society for her
assistance. George was nominated by J. Latham, W. Peete and T. Lamb and was elected
a Fellow on 21 July 1795.
352 Badeni (1982) Past People in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire p70 gives details of the
actual charges, Allen (ibid) expresses it as being after “some provocative marital
skirmishing”
353 Badeni (1982) ibid. The original will did leave Lackham clearly to George, but the
codicil was added 4 th July 1797
103