The Castle, Convoy House & Gate Lodge, Co Donegal - v1

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The Montgomery family of Convoy are descended from Rev. Alexander Montgomery (b.c.1595 d.1658), who was the Prebendary of Doe in the parish of Clondahorky in the Barony of Kilmacrenan, Country Donegal in 1611. Rev. Alexander was brought over from Scotland and appointed to Doe by his kinsman, Bishop George Montgomery, (b.c.1569 d.1621) who was promoted by King James VI & I who appointed Bishop Montgomery Dean of Norwich in 1603, he was appointed the first Protestant Bishop of Raphoe in 1605 where he began the reconstruction of the Cathedral Church of St. Eunan, Raphoe, Co. Donegal. At the same time he was made Bishop of Clogher and also Bishop of Derry in 1605. In 1607 he lobbied Lord Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (b.1830 d.1903) for the establishment of free schools in Ulster and in 1610 he was made Bishop of Meath.

Major John Alexander Montgomery of Croaghan (b.1620 d.1679), known as John of Croghan acquired the Convoy estate in 1719.
Croghan is the name of a small hill (217m) between Lifford and Castlefin, overlooking the River Finn. He was the eldest son of Alexander Montgomery (b.1603 d.1658) Prebend of Doe and his second wife Margaret Conyngham (b.1602 d.1675) of Cloghan, Co. Donegal. John of Croghan first married Catherine Moore (b.1622 d.1647) and had a daughter, Elizabeth Snodgrass Montgomery (b.1645 d.1690). He secondly married Dorcas Illster Auchinleck (b.1624 d.1679) and they had 10 children, 4 sons and 6 daughters.

When the Rev. Robert Montgomery (b.1702 d.1776) was born on 23 October 1702, in Brandrum, County Monaghan, Ireland, his father, Colonel Alexander Montgomery (b.1667 d.1722), was 35 and his mother, Elizabeth Cole (b.1656 d.1722), was 46. The Rev. Robert married in 1725, Sarah R Maxwell (b.1715 d.1784) of Monaghan at Brandium, Kilmore Parish.
In 1737 Robert emigrated with his wife Sarah and their young son John and possibly another child from County Armagh, Ireland, and settled in Paxtang Township, Lancaster (now Dauphin), Pennsylvania. Robert and Sarah were active in the Church of Ireland, Parish of Ballymore, Tandragee. Armagh. In Pennsylvania, he became one of the founders and early elders of Paxtang Church. Robert and Sarah had 7 children, five sons and 2 daughters.
1. John Montgomery (b.1734 d.1792) married Christiana Foster (b.1735 d.1821).
Boyton / Convoy House was first occupied in November 1807 by the family of Rev. Robert Montgomery of Brandrim who had inherited the estate from his cousin, Alexander John Montgomery (b.1720 d.1800) aka Old Sandy of Convoy. John was first called "Black Montgomery" because of a scalping incident in the Seven Years War in Canada (scalping was a way to collect trophies, prove a kill, or acquire a "proof of kill" to receive payment from authorities who offered bounties for the scalps) and later in life he was called "Old Sandy" to distinguish him from his cousin Alexander Montgomery (b.1686 d.1729), aka Young Sandy and who represented County Monaghan in the Irish Parliament at the same time.
Old Sandy represented Donegal in Henry Grattan's Parliament (1782 to 1800) for thirty-two years. He spent part of his youth in America and was noted for his duelling. Old Sandy was a friend of Lord Edward Fitzgerald (b.1763 d.1798) who was a secret supporter of the United Irishmen and who voted against the Act of Union in 1800.

Convoy House was the home of a Rev. Charles Boyton (b.c.1799 d.1844), during the late 1840s as Rector of Letterkenny, he married on 6 May 1836 Mary Elizabeth Montgomery (b.1820 d1900) of Convoy House, at Convoy Church, by the Rev. J. Beatty. Mary Elizabeth inherited the property from her father, Robert Montgomery (b.1780 d.1846), and who may have been a relative of the Boytons; she was related to Richard Montgomery (b.1738 d.1775) and was a great-niece of Robert Stewart (b.1739 d.1821), 1st marquess of Londonderry. The Rev Charles & Mary Elizabeth Boyton had one son, William Charles Boyton (d.14 Oct 1904), rector of Templemore.

It was later the residence of Colonel Robert George Montgomery (b.1814 d.1846) aka “Robert of Convoy House” in the 1870s, 80s and 90s (Slater’s Directory of 1881 and 1894), who owned 8,861 acres in the area in 1876 and was High Sheriff in 1840 and also served as a Justice of the Peace and a Deputy Lieutenant for Donegal.
Col Robert’s father was Robert Montgomery (b.1780 d.1846) and his mother, Maria Frances Stewart (b.1792 d.1857) her father being Alexander Stewart (b.1746 d.1831) from Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal who married 10 June 1811, Mary Moore (b.1776 d.1842), Devon, England.