Show ContentsMontigue History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The French name Montigue has a history dating as far back as the Middle Ages. This history is intrinsically entwined with that region known as Normandy, as the Montigue surname was taken on when an ancestor of this family lived in Mounteney, Montigny, or Montigni, near Falaise in Normandy. "Roger de Montigny gave lands to St.Vigor’s, Cerisy, temp. William I. and in Henry I.’s reign William de Montigny married a daughter and co-heir of Jordan Briset, a great Baron of Essex." 1

Early Origins of the Montigue family

The surname Montigue was first found in Normandy, but it seems the lion's share of the family moved to England with the Conquest.

"Sir Arnold Mounteney witnesses John Fitz Matthew Brito's grant to Worksop Abbey. We find the family from an early date in Yorkshire. 'Bartholomew de Sancta Maria, grandson of Pagan' (a contemporary of the Conqueror’s) 'left three sisters as his coheirs. Sibil, the second, married Jordan de Renevile, one of the subinfeudatories of the Baron of Hallamshire, and holding under him Cowley, and the part of the parish of Ecclesfield abutting upon Kimberworth. She had two daughters and coheirs, Margaret, who married Thomas Mounteney, by which marriage the Mounteneys acquired Cowley; and Alice who married Thomas de Beila Acqua.' - Hunter's South Yorkshire."

"Alice (sometimes called Aliena) de Bellew, was childless, and Margaret became sole heir. The name of her husband is wrongly given. He was Sir Robert, the son of Arnold de Monteney, w ho had married a daughter of Gerard de Furnival and the Louvetot heiress, and held the estate of Shiercliffe of the castle and manor of Sheffield. The Monteneys obtained the Kings license to make a park round their house at Shiercliffe, and enjoyed certain manorial privileges. At their other manor of Cowley they had 'great woods and abundance of redd deare, and a stately castle-like house moated about, pulled down not long since by the Earl of Salop after he had purchased the land.'—Dodsworth."

"The family were of higher antiquity and no less importance, in the Eastern Counties, where they had originally settled. Robert de Mounteney, of Norfolk, held three fees in 1161 from Richard de Lucy, whose daughter Dionysia he had married; and one fee of old feoffment as Lord of Beeston. " 2

Early History of the Montigue family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Montigue research. Another 517 words (37 lines of text) covering the years 1236, 1252, 1254, 1255, 1278, 1291, 1360, 1363, 1375, 1391, 1404, 1417, 1420, 1528, 1636, 1670, 1671, 1810 and 1813 are included under the topic Early Montigue History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montigue Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Montigue, including Montigny, Montignie, Montignies, Montagny, Mountigny, Mountignie, Mountignies, Montignye, de Montigny, la Montigny and many more.

Early Notables of the Montigue family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Montigue Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Montigue family

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Montigue were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Montigue were Claude Montigny, who arrived in Quebec in 1668.



  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3


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