Montgomery manuscripts

iv Preface.
The author appears, generally, to have committed to the then representatives of the several
leading families in the Ards, of the surname of Montgomery, such portions of his Manuscripts as
specially treated of the branches to which they respectively belonged, — an arrangement by which
these documents were widely dispersed, and, in some instances, valuable collections irrevocably
lost. His memoirs of the main branch, with one exception, were preserved at Mount-Alexander
House, and afterwards at Donaghadee, kinsfolk and connexions occasionally borrowing them
for consultation on important family matters. The memoirs of the author's father, sir James
Montgomery, of his father-in-law, the second viscount, and of the author himself, lay in Rosemount
House, and afterwards at Killough, from which they, with others, were removed on the mar-
riage of the author's great grand-daughter, Helena Montgomery, with Conway Heatley, esq., of
Riversdale, in the county of Wicklow. This lady's eldest son was permitted, in the year i320, to
assume the name and arms of Montgomery. Her grandson, Frederick Campbell Montgomery
above-named, carried with him many of the Papers relating to the history of his family, which are
supposed to be in the possession of his children, who reside in Australia. Among the Papers thus
removed were probably the author's Opera Juvenilia and Opera Senilia, two distinct volumes,
referred to at pp. 412, 416. He mentions that his Disputations were bound up in the former
volume, and his Treatise on the office of Custos Rotulorum in the latter. In the latter, also,
was probably included his Treatise on. Funerals, mentioned at p. 3S4. Copies of the Incidentall
Remembrances of the Savages were made by Abraham Holm, at Rosemount, and sent to Patrick
Savage, of Portaferry, esqr., and Captain Hugh Savage of Ardkeen. The Narrative of Gransheogh
was transcribed by Mr. Robert Watson from the original, the transcript being sent to William Mont-
gomery of Gransheogh, who was then (1701) residing at Maghera, in the county of Londonderry.
The original, however, and the copy made from it, are both in the possession of Hugh Montgomery,
esq., the present proprietor of the Rosemount or Greyabbey estate, and the lineal representative of
the gentleman for whom it was drawn up by the author. In the same keeping, also, is the original
of the author's curious treatise on the Montgomerys of England and Scotland. The memoir of the
influential family then represented by Hugh Montgomery of Ballymagown, afterwards Springvale,
was committed to that gentleman's keeping as it came from the author's hand, and has been since
very carefully preserved. It was found not many years ago, in the possession of the family of the
late Rev. William Montgomery, presbyterian minister of Ballyeaston, county of Antrim, who was a
native of Castlereagh, and probably the representative of Hugh Montgomery of Ballymagown,
the original owner. Nothing is now known of the memoirs of the Blackstown and Creboy
branches, mentioned at p. 385, the representatives of those families having, most probably, carried
them to Scotland on their return to occupy their ancestral lands in that kingdom. The Description
of the Ards, written several years prior to his memoirs of the Montgomerys, appears to have been
the only portion of the author's writings printed in his own lifetime, with the exception of two
College Exercises published at Leyden, in the year 1652. His account of the Ards was, no doubt,
much appreciated when it first appeared, one copy having been purchased, some years afterwards,
for sir William Petty, at the price of jQt, 13s. 6d. It was published at Dublin, folio, pp. 16, in the
year 1683.