When Donaghadee was renamed "Montgomery", circa 1626

(Click the pics to enlarge)


Yes, it was, by none other than Sir Hugh Montgomery himself. And at the same time he decided to rename the opposite port, Portpatrick in Scotland, as "Port Montgomery". I've blogged about this stone before, but here's a photograph taken just a few weeks ago. Also below is a close-up from a 1734 book of the list of ministers who attended the famous 1638 Assembly in Glasgow, one of whom was James Blair, minister of "Port Montgomrie". His neighbour at Stranraer was John Livingstone, formerly minister of Killinchy; his colleague at Ayr (spelled here as "Air") was Robert Blair, formerly minister of Bangor. Blair, Livingstone, and John Stewart "late Provest of Air" had all been onboard the emigrant ship EagleWing. And Robert Adair of Kinhilt was probably living in Ballymena.