Hugh de Montgomery 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury

  Information about this person:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Hugh de Montgomery, 3^rd but 2^nd surviving son by 1^st wife, was born probably between 1053 and 1059. In December 1079 he was at the Castle of Bures, when his mother was murdered there, and he pursued the murderers in vain. In the summer of 1080, at Caen, he joined his brothers in attesting his father's charter for Troarn for the soul of their mother. Before his father's death he was already recognized as his heir in England. In 1092, he was at the siege of Breval and with other magnates he made peace between William de Bréteuil and Ascelin Goel. On Roger's death, in 1094, he succeeded him as Earl of Shropshire or Shrewsbury and to all his lands in England and Wales. In that year the Welsh rose in arms. Hugh fought them with some success in North Wales, but in 1095 they took Montgomery and slaughtered the garrison.

Hugh took part in the conspiracy against William II in 1095, but he bought the King's favor for £3,000. In 1098, with the Earl of Chester he invaded and conquered Anglesey, treating the Welsh with great cruelty. When a Norwegian fleet appeared off the coast of North Wales, the two Earls met at Diganwy (county Carnarvon) and crossed to Anglesey. As the fleet approached the land, the Earl rode along the shore and was struck by an arrow shot, or a javelin thrown, from a ship and fell dying into the sea.* Hugh died unmarried about 31 July 1098 and was buried about 17 August at Shrewsbury Abbey.

* The Normans and English long sought for his corpse, drawn away by the tide, and found it at length; and on the 17th day after his death bore it to Shrewsbury, where it was buried in the abbey amid great mourning. He was the only one of the sons of Mabel who was gentle and amiable. This seems hardly compatible with the alleged cruelties to the Welsh in Anglesey.

~Cockayne's Complete Peerage, (Shrewsbury), Vol. XI, pp. 688-689