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Brentford Dynasties - Montgomrey

Montgomrey's timberyard was founded in Brentford by 1814 and remained in operation until the early 1900s. The surname was 'Montgomrey' but often appears as 'Montgomery' in records.

Beverley Ronalds wrote in 2017 and 2018, noting 'the Montgomreys ran a large timber mill on Brentford High Street for 120 years and they were also major benefactors to the town. My Montgomrey web page includes images of plaques commemorating their philanthropic work and lists many of the institutions in the town that they helped establish. There are also details of a paper just published in the journal London's Industrial Archaeology that describes the family's achievements in Brentford in detail and has photographic portraits of Archibald Montgomrey and his father James Montgomrey'.

Family Tree

• James Montgomrey (1775 - 1841): a timber merchant of Brentford; there is a marriage between a James Montgomery and Jane RONALDS in Islington in 1810; he leased a messuage, counting houses, stables, lath, shop, sawpit, granary etc. with wharf belonging with meadow land for 14 years from 24th June 1834 (I); Jane Ronalds may be related to the Ronalds family who were seedsmen and ran a nursery in Brentford; it is likely that James Montgomrey was a non-conformist as two of his children's births were recorded at Dr Williams' Library in London; he left a will; James was the father of
  • James Montgomrey (1812 - 1883): married Henrietta SIM (ca 1818 - 1905) at St John's, Waterloo, Lambeth in the Jul/Sep quarter 1841; in 1846 a document describes his 'Messuage in Brentford (Acc. 638/57) and 3 acres belonging with steam engine boilers, mill gear sawing benches and frames etc. belonging' (I); he is recorded as a timber merchant in the 1851 census; in 1861 he was living in Hillingdon with his wife Henrietta, daughter Helen and sons Archibald and Kenneth: all three children were born in Brentford; in 1881 James lived at Hartlands House, The Village, Cranford, aged 69; his death was registered in Brentford in 1883 and his will was executed by his widow, his son Archibald Sim Montgomrey and Stephen WALKER, a timber merchant of Brentford; he was living at Ivy Lodge, Twickenham at the time of his death; his estate was valued at £46,741 5s 1d; his children, whose births were registered in Brentford, included:
    • Helen (or Ellen) Montgomrey (1842 - ):
    • Archibald Sim Montgomrey (1843 - ):possible marriage in London City registration district in 1870; in 1872 he was an executor for the will of John Ronalds; he was a timber merchant living at 77 High Street in 1901; he ran the business with his nephew Carey Montgomrey West; Archibald inherited the business when his mother died in 1905; he moved to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire by 1911 (I)
    • Gertrude Montgomrey (1845 - ): possible marriage in Staines registration district in 1877
    • Agnes Montgomrey (1847 - ): married Lewis Borrett WEST at St Paul's Old Brentford by Licence on July 21 1869; her residence was Turnham Green and Henrietta, James and Gertrude Montgomrey witnessed the marriage
    • Kenneth Ronald Montgomrey (1850 - 1893): in the 1861 census he appears to have been recorded both at boarding school in Hove and at his parent’s home in Hillingdon; in 1881 he was living at South Luffenham Hall, Rutland, brother in law to the head of household; in 1891 he was a timber merchant living in the family home; his death was registered in Steyning, Sussex
    Henrietta died in 1905 and was 'of Gloucester House, Upper Teddington' (I). She bequeathed 'freehold wharf and premises at Brentford, interest in small island adjacent and all machinery, and all other freehold premises at Brentford, subject to mortgage of £6,000' to her son Archibald Sim Montgomrey. A John Coysgarne Sim, baptised 1809, Westminster, son of John & Elizabeth Sim is referred to as mortgagee and James Montgomrey as mortgagor in 1853 (I).
  • Ronald Montgomrey (ca 1813 - 1868): in 1851 and 1861 he was living in Devizes, Wiltshire, a surgeon; his will (effects under £7000) was executed by his brother James Montgomrey and Henry Hale HULBERT of Devizes, gentleman; his estate was valued at under £7,000
  • Jane Montgomrey (1814 - 1895): birth recorded at Dr Williams Library London and is on the IGI; a Jane Montgomrey was living in Cuckfield, Sussex in 1841, in the same property as Lovel BYASS, a surgeon; Jane's brother James, above, was a cousin to Elizabeth Ronalds who left a bequest to Lucy Byass in her will of 1852; in 1861 Jane was boarding with the same family and described herself as 'daughter of landed proprietor', born Brentford; by 1881 she had settled in Brighton and remained there in 1891
  • Susanna Montgomrey (1815 - ): birth recorded at Dr Williams Library London and is on the IGI
  • Francis Montgomrey (1817 - 1839): died on the Isle of Wight
  • Hugh Montgomrey (1819 - )
  • Malcolm Montgomrey (1822 - ): Carolyn Chalmers writes 'Malcolm emigrated to New York married and died in Syracuse New York. Two sons James (1853-1880) died in Blackheath Kent; Malcolm (1855-1939) died in Devon, England. Malcolm married in Ireland, had one child James and returned to England and had three other children, Charlotte, Laura and Malcolm Ronald Montgomrey'; Oxford Alumni entry' 5 son of James of Brentford; Magdalen Hall. matric 15 May 1844 aged 21' (ancestry.co.uk)
  • Gertrude Montgomrey (1821 - ): born Ealing, baptised in London in 1826 (IGI)
  • Elizabeth Montgomrey (1823 - 1884): born Ealing, baptised in London with her sister Gertrude (IGI); married William KELLY in Guernsey in 1848; Elizabeth died in Islington; they had two children
    • Frances Elizabeth (born 1848) married Edward Plumptre RAMSDEN in Woolwich Registration District, Jul/Sep 1875 and migrated to Australia in the 1880s; details are in Debrett (thanks to Carolyn Chalmers for this information)
    • Mary Susannah (born 1849)
    • William Kelly's second wife Betsy had a daughter Emmie Maria Kelly; Emmie married William Jarvie COLQUHOUN DSO who served in the Royal Victorian Navy (Australia) while Emmie and the rest of the family remained in the UK; in 1900 he was awarded the freedom of the city of Dumbarton where he was originally from; one of their 3 children was William Reginald Colquhoun a scholar and then housemaster at Eton College; 4 of his grandchildren are presently in the Black Watch infantry regiment and served in Afghanistan this summer (2009); thanks to Andrew Colquhoun for these details, his paternal grandfather was William Reginald Colquhoun
• Susanna Montgomrey (1780 - 1851+): married Edward MARTIN at Ealing parish church in 1805; moved around but settled in Edgbaston, Warwickshire, by 1836; had many children (search on the IGI for parents Edward & Susanna Martin 1815+- 10 years); three children were living at home in censuses:
  • Susanna Martin (ca 1810 - 1841+): living with her parents in 1841
  • Mary Martin (1815 - 1851+): born Oundle, Northants, living with her parents in 1851
  • Samuel Martin (1818 - 1851+): born Wanborough, Surrey, an ironmonger living with his parents in 1851

Carolyn also sent details of her research into the Ronalds family, who lived near St Lawrence's church, New Brentford.

Published February 2009, last updated April 2018