Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Encyclopedia
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
(27 July 1625 – 28 May 1672) was an English Infantry officer who later became a naval officer. He was the only surviving son of Sir Sidney Montagu
Sidney Montagu
Sir Sidney Montagu was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1593 and 1642. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War....
, and was brought up at Hinchingbrooke House
Hinchingbrooke House
Hinchingbrooke House in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was built around an 11th century nunnery. After the Reformation it passed into the hands of the Cromwell family, and subsequently, became the home of the Earls of Sandwich, including John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, reputedly the "inventor" of...
.
He served the Cause of Parliament by raising a regiment of infantry in June of 1643 and then he went on to serve the Commonwealth of England
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
and, in 1656 he became a General at Sea. After the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
he served Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
as Admiral, commanding the fleet that brought him back from exile in May 1660. Two months later, on 12 July 1660, he was created Baron Montagu of St Neots, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, and Earl of Sandwich. King Charles also made him a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
and appointed him Master of the Great Wardrobe, Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
of the narrow seas, and Lieutenant Admiral
Lieutenant Admiral
Lieutenant admiral is a senior naval military rank in some countries of the world. The rank is considered by many nations to be a direct equivalent of a vice admiral....
to The Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, Lord High Admiral
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
of England. He carried St. Edward's staff
Sceptre with the Cross
The Sceptre with the Cross, also known as the St Edward's Sceptre, the Sovereign's Sceptre or the Royal Sceptre, is a sceptre of the British Crown Jewels. It was originally made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. In 1905, it was redesigned after the discovery of the Cullinan Diamond...
at Charles' subsequent coronation.
In the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
of 1665 to 1667 he fought at the Battle of Lowestoft
Battle of Lowestoft
The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
but defeat at the Battle of Vågen
Battle of Vågen
The Battle of Vågen was a naval battle between a Dutch merchant and treasure fleet and an English flotilla of warships in August 1665 as part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The battle took place in Vågen , the main port area of neutral Bergen, Norway...
led to him being removed from service. During his absence from battle Edward Montagu served as England's ambassador to Spain. After the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
Montagu downplayed the damage to the Spanish King claiming that London's slums were the only thing in ashes. This slant on the events was also practiced by England's ambassadors throughout Europe. He was subsequently reappointed however, and by 1672 at the start of the
Third Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...
he was Vice-Admiral of the Blue with the Royal James
HMS Royal James
Several ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Royal James:, a 70-gun second-rate ship of the line launched in 1658 as the Richard, renamed in 1660 when she was reclassed as a first rate, and burnt by the Dutch in 1667., a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line launched in 1671, and burnt in...
as his flagship. At the Battle of Solebay
Battle of Solebay
The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.-The battle:...
his ship was attacked by a group of fire ships and was destroyed with the loss of many lives, including Sandwich himself, whose charred body was found washed ashore and only recognizable from the remains of his clothing.
On Wednesday 3 July 1672 he was buried in Westminster Abbey after a state funeral that started with a procession along the River Thames of five decorated barges from Deptford. The body was landed at Westminster at about 5.00pm and carried to the Abbey in a grand procession.
Montagu was the first cousin of the father of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
. Pepys started his career as a minor member of the Montagu household and owed his appointments first to the Wardrobe and then as Clerk of the Acts to the Navy Board
Navy Board
The Navy Board is today the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the British Royal Navy. Its composition is identical to that of the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom, except that it does not include any of Her Majesty's Ministers.From 1546 to 1831, the Navy...
to Montagu's influence. Pepys' diary provides a detailed primary source
Primary source
Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....
for Montagu's career in the 1660s.
Family
On 7 November 1642, Montagu married Jemima Crew, by whom he had ten children:- Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of SandwichEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of SandwichEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich was born in Hinchinbrooke, Huntingdonshire, England to Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich and Jemima Crew. He was styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke from 1660 until his accession in 1672...
(1648–1688) - Hon. Sidney Montagu (1650–1727)
- Hon. Oliver Montagu (c.1655–1689)
- Hon. John MontaguJohn Montagu (Trinity)John Montagu or Mountague was the fourth son of the renowned admiral, Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, killed at the Battle of Solebay...
(c.1655 – 25 February 1729), Dean of Durham - Hon. Charles Montagu (c.1658–1721), married first Elizabeth Forester, second Sarah Rogers and had issue by both
- Lady Jemima Montagu, married Sir Philip CarteretPhilip Carteret FRSSir Philip Carteret Kt FRS , was son of Sir George Carteret.Philip was elected Fellow of the Royal Society on the 15th February 1665....
(d. 1672) - Lady Anne Montagu (d. 14 March 1729), married first Sir Richard Edgcumbe, second Christopher Montagu, elder brother of the Earl of HalifaxCharles Montagu, 1st Earl of HalifaxCharles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, PC, FRS was an English poet and statesman.-Early life:Charles Montagu was born in Horton, Northamptonshire, the son of George Montagu, fifth son of 1st Earl of Manchester...
- Lady Catherine Montagu (c. September 1660 – 15 January 1757), married first Nicholas Bacon, second Rev. Balthazar Gardeman
- Hon. James Montagu
- Lady Paulina Montagu
External links
- Biography of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich Civil Wars and Commonwealth website
- The Electronic Calendar of the Carte Papers, 1660-87 The Carte Papers, held at the Bodleian Library, include correspondence of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
- Colonel Edward Montagu's Regiment of Foote A Part of the English Civil War Society, Re-enacting the wars between 1642 and 1649.
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