Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Eglinton (c. 1531 – 1585) was a Scottish aristocrat who was a strong supporter of Mary Queen of Scots. He was an important participant in a tumultuous period of Scottish history.
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Early years
Born in 1531, Montgomerie was the great-grandson of Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton. He attended St. Mary's College, St. Andrews in 1552. Soon after, Montgomerie married Janet Hamilton, the daughter of James Hamilton, then First Earl of Aran.
Although Montgomerie was a Catholic, In October 1559, Montgomery brought forces to Edinburgh to support Hamilton and the Scottish Lords of the Congregation against French forces supporting the exiled Mary Stuart and the current Scottish government. In December 1559, Montgomerie renewed his pledge of support.
Support of Mary
However, as a practicing Catholic, Montgomerie was a frequent target of criticism by Protestant clerics, and was said to attend daily mass and had a priest on his personal staff. He soon switched sides to support Mary Stuart. In December 1560, soon after the death of Mary's teenage husband, Francis II of France, Montgomerie signed a pledge of support for her in a meeting at Dunbar Castle. In February 1561, he travelled to France to visit Mary. Hamilton returned with her to Scotland in August 1561, when she assumed the Scottish throne.