He was the second surviving son of
Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury of the
House of Montgomery, and
Mabel de Bellême of the
House of Belleme. As was typical of the first post-
Conquest generation, he inherited most of his father's English possessions while his older brother
Robert of Bellême inherited the vast lordship of Bellême. He was at the castle of Bures-sur-Dives in December 1079 when his mother was murdered In the summer of 1080, In 1094 at his father's death he succeeded to his father's English titles and honors as well as his Welsh lands, as
Earl of Shrewsbury. During his four years as earl, he spent most of his time in the
Welsh Marches fighting against the Welsh. In 1098, he joined forces with
Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester in an attempt to recover
Anglesey, which had been lost in the Welsh revolt of 1094. On or about 31 July 1098 Hugh was killed at the
Battle of Anglesey Sound while fighting against a raid by King
Magnus Barefoot of
Norway at
Anglesey, being shot dead by an arrow and falling into the sea. Among those in Magnus' party were
Harold Haroldson, son of
Harold Godwinson King of England. Several sources agree that it was Magnus himself who shot the arrow hitting Hugh through the eye slit in his armor while the earl was riding carelessly through the shallows. ==Succession==