Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton
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Archibald William Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton and 1st Earl of Wintoun, (September 29, 1812 – October 4, 1861), was born at Palermo. His father was Archibald Montgomerie, Lord Montgomerie (1773–1814), the eldest son of the 12th Earl of Eglinton, and his mother was Mary (d. 1848), a daughter of the 11th Earl of Eglinton.
Educated at Eton, the young Earl's main object of interest for some years was the turf; he kept a large racing stud and won success and reputation in the sporting world.
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[edit] The Eglinton Tournament
In 1839 his name became more widely known in connection with the Eglinton Tournament. This took place at Eglinton castle and is said to have cost him £30,000 or £40,000. It was made the subject of much ridicule and was partly spoiled by the unfavourable weather, the rain falling in torrents. It was a real tournament, and the knights broke their spears in the orthodox way. Prince Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) took part in it, and Lady Seymour, a grand-daughter of Richard Brinsley Sheridan and the wife of Lord Seymour, afterwards 12th Duke of Somerset, was the queen of beauty. A list of the challengers with an account of the jousts and the mêlée will be found in the volume on the tournament written by John Richardson, with drawings by J. H. Nixon. It is also described by Disraeli in Endymion.
[edit] Politics
Eglinton was a staunch Tory, and in February 1852 he became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under the Earl of Derby. He retired with the ministry in the following December, having by his princely hospitality made himself one of the most popular of Irish viceroys. When Derby returned to office in February 1858 he was again appointed Lord-Lieutenant, and he discharged the duties of this post until June 1859. In this year he was created Earl of Wintoun, an earldom which had been held by his kinsfolk, the Setons, from 1600 until 1716, when George Seton, the 5th Earl (c. 1678–1740), was deprived of his honors for high treason.
[edit] Family
The Earl was succeeded by his eldest son Archibald Montgomerie (1841–1892). When this Earl died in 1892 his younger brother George Montgomerie (b. 1848) became 15th Earl of Eglinton and 3rd Earl of Winton.
[edit] References
- Sir William Fraser, Memorials of the Montgomeries, Earls of Eglinton (1859).
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
| Preceded by The Earl of Clarendon |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1852 |
Succeeded by The Earl of St Germans |
| Preceded by The Earl of Carlisle |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1858–1859 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Carlisle |
| Preceded by New Creation |
Earl of Wintoun 1859–1861 |
Succeeded by Archibald William |
| Preceded by Hugh Montgomerie |
Earl of Eglinton 1819–1861 |
