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

INTRODUCTION. 23
Sir John Montacute, the brother of this Earl, married Margaret,
dau. and heir of Sir Thomas Monthermer son of Joan of Acres, dau.
of King Edward L, in whose right he had summons to Parliament
from the 31st of Edward to the 13th year of Richard II., when he
died. He had three sons, John his heir (who became 3d Earl of
Salisbury), Thomas Montague, Dean of Salisbury, and Richard
Montague, of whose issue there is no trace. This Richard lived
about the year 1400. None of the English genealogies make any
further mention of him except to state his name. It is claimed that
there was also afourth son, whose name was Simon Montague, and from
him the nobility of England of this name claim descent. Collins'
Peerage, however, states that there is no evidence that this Simon
ever lived, and is inclined to the belief that the nobility are descended
from James Montague, a natural son of Gen'l Thomas Montacute,
4th Earl of Salisbury. This James Montague had large possessions
in County Kent, where he was a man of distinction, and is buried in
the Church of Ludsdown in Kent. Sir John Montacute had also
three daughters, Sybil, Catherine and Margaret.
XII. Sir John Montacute, third Earl of Salisbury (and eldest
son of Sir John), was thirty-nine years of age at his father's decease,
and forty when his uncle died. He was early engaged in a military
life and had been in most of the memorable battles during the reign
of Edward III. In the 15th year of Richard II. he obtained leave
to serve in Prussia and from the 16th year until he became Earl of
Salisbury, was summoned to parliament as a baron, after which he
not only had livery of all the lands of which his Uncle died possessed
(as he had before of those of his mother, dau. and heir of Thomas
lord Monthermer), but also obtained a grant to himself and his heirs,
of several Manors in the Counties of Worcester and Norfolk.
This Earl of Salisbury was the only temporal Nobleman, who
remained firm to King Richard's interest after the invasion of the
duke of Lancaster, and even when Richard was deposed, and the
duke had mounted the throne, he joined in a plan for the murder of
the latter, which being discovered, he and the earl of Kent were
pursued to a village near Cirencester where the rabble struck off their
heads and sent them to London. His body was buried at Bisham
Abbey (which his ancestor the first Earl had founded) by the side of
the second Earl of Salisbury, having been removed thither by order
of his widow.