James Montgomery (1771-1854) was a poet, hymn writer, and newspaper proprietor. Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, to Irish Moravian parents, Montgomery was caught between a myriad of different cultures. He identified as a “Scotchman”, but, as he put it, “I ought to have been an Irishman, because both my parents were such; and I pass for an Englishman, because I was caught young and imported hither before I was six years old” (Knight,
Life of Montgomery, p. 331). His Irish parents were John and Mary, two Moravian missionaries with his father serving as minister for the congregation of Irvine a few years before he was born. In 1777 James attended Fulneck school – its name deriving from a town of Moravia – situated in the parish of Calberley in Leeds (Holland & Everett,
Memoirs2097 words
Citation: Hardiman, Edward. "James Montgomery". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 July 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14526, accessed 12 December 2024.]