Clan Agnew
Encyclopedia
Clan Agnew is a Lowland Scottish clan
from Wigtownshire
and Galloway
in the southwest of Scotland
.
. Emigrants from the region first settled in England before moving north in the 12th century to Liddlesdale, Scotland. The other theory is that the Clan Agnew was connected to one of the tribes in Ulster
, Ireland
, perhaps a sept
of O'Gnive — pronounced O'New. Other versions of the name include Egnew, Aganew, Vans Agnew, O'Gnive, O'Gnyw, O Gniomha, and MacGnive. The Agnews may be related to King Somerled
from whom the Clan MacDonald
descends. The Italian family AGNELLI (of FIAT fame) may be related.
, younger brother of King Robert I of Scotland, to Ireland
. Edward had been invited by the Irish Lords to expel the English and to rule as High King of Ireland
. Agnew stayed in Ireland for three years while Edward attempted to establish himself.
in 1426. In 1451 he was appointed Sheriff of Wigtown, an honour still held by his direct descendants.
During the 15th century, the Clan Agnew rose to power under the influential Clan Douglas
. The Agnews of Galloway initially benefited when the Clan Douglas
fell out of favour with the monarch. However this brought them into conflict with the Clan MacKie
and the Clan MacLellan.
on 28 July 1629. He married Anne Stewart, daughter of the first Earl of Galloway
. When he died in 1661, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Andrew, who would also be returned as MP for Wigtownshire. Sir Patrick was created Sheriff of both Kirkcudbright
and Wigtown
in the 1650s, while Scotland was part of the Protectorate with England.
Andrew Agnew, the fifth Baronet, married a kinswoman, Eleanor Agnew of Lochryan, with whom he had twenty one children. He was a decorated soldier commanding the 21st Foot (which later became the Royal Scots Fusiliers
) against the French at the Battle of Dettingen
the French in 1743. King George II of Great Britain
, the last British monarch to led troops in battle, remarked to Agnew that French cavalry had been let among his regiment. Sir Andrew replied, "Yes, please your Majesty, but they didna win back again".
During the 1745 Jacobite Rising
the Clan Agnew continued their support of the British Government. Sir Andrew held Blair Castle
, seat of the Duke of Atholl
who was chief of the Clan Murray
, against the Jacobite forces. The Clan Murray were divided, their chief supporting the British Government while his son supported the Jacobites. Agnew's forces were near starvation when Charles Edward Stuart
called the forces to retreat to Inverness to meet the advance of Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
. See main article: Siege of Blair Castle
.
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
from Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway...
and Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
in the southwest of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Origins
There are two theories as to the origins of the name Agnew. The most widely accepted is that the name is French and derives from the Barony d'Agneaux in NormandyNormandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. Emigrants from the region first settled in England before moving north in the 12th century to Liddlesdale, Scotland. The other theory is that the Clan Agnew was connected to one of the tribes in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, perhaps a sept
Sept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of O'Gnive — pronounced O'New. Other versions of the name include Egnew, Aganew, Vans Agnew, O'Gnive, O'Gnyw, O Gniomha, and MacGnive. The Agnews may be related to King Somerled
Somerled
Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...
from whom the Clan MacDonald
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
descends. The Italian family AGNELLI (of FIAT fame) may be related.
14th century
In 1318 the Agnew Lord of Larne accompanied Edward BruceEdward Bruce
Edward the Bruce , sometimes modernised Edward of Bruce, was a younger brother of King Robert I of Scotland, who supported his brother in the struggle for the crown of Scotland, then pursued his own claim in Ireland. He was proclaimed High King of Ireland, but was eventually defeated and killed in...
, younger brother of King Robert I of Scotland, to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Edward had been invited by the Irish Lords to expel the English and to rule as High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
. Agnew stayed in Ireland for three years while Edward attempted to establish himself.
15th century
Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw was granted the lands and constableship of Lochnaw CastleLochnaw Castle
Lochnaw Castle is a 16th Century tower house five miles from the town of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway.Lochnaw Castle shows four periods of construction - a simple 16th century keep, 17th and 18th century domestic dwellings, and a mansion-house, which was later demolished. There is a plaque...
in 1426. In 1451 he was appointed Sheriff of Wigtown, an honour still held by his direct descendants.
During the 15th century, the Clan Agnew rose to power under the influential Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
. The Agnews of Galloway initially benefited when the Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
fell out of favour with the monarch. However this brought them into conflict with the Clan MacKie
Clan Mackie
Clan Mackie is a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan does not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law...
and the Clan MacLellan.
16th century
Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw was killed at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, fighting against the English.17th century
Sir Patrick Agnew was MP for Wigtownshire from 1628 to 1633, and again from 1643 to 1647. He was made a Baronet of Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
on 28 July 1629. He married Anne Stewart, daughter of the first Earl of Galloway
Earl of Galloway
Earl of Galloway is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1623 for Alexander Stewart, 1st Lord Garlies, with remainder to his heirs male bearing the name and arms of Stewart. He had already been created Lord Garlies in the Peerage of Scotland in 1607, with remainder to the heirs...
. When he died in 1661, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Andrew, who would also be returned as MP for Wigtownshire. Sir Patrick was created Sheriff of both Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...
and Wigtown
Wigtown
Wigtown is a town and former royal burgh in the Machars of Galloway in the south west of Scotland. It lies south of Newton Stewart and east of Stranraer. It has a population of about 1,000...
in the 1650s, while Scotland was part of the Protectorate with England.
18th century
Royal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
) against the French at the Battle of Dettingen
Battle of Dettingen
The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle...
the French in 1743. King George II of Great Britain
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
, the last British monarch to led troops in battle, remarked to Agnew that French cavalry had been let among his regiment. Sir Andrew replied, "Yes, please your Majesty, but they didna win back again".
During the 1745 Jacobite Rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
the Clan Agnew continued their support of the British Government. Sir Andrew held Blair Castle
Blair Castle
Blair Castle stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the home of the Clan Murray family, who hold the title of Duke of Atholl, though the current Duke, John Murray, lives in South Africa....
, seat of the Duke of Atholl
Duke of Atholl
Duke of Atholl, alternatively Duke of Athole, named after Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray...
who was chief of the Clan Murray
Clan Murray
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The Murrays were a great and powerful clan whose lands and cadet houses were scattered throughout Scotland.- Origins of the Clan :...
, against the Jacobite forces. The Clan Murray were divided, their chief supporting the British Government while his son supported the Jacobites. Agnew's forces were near starvation when Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
called the forces to retreat to Inverness to meet the advance of Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Prince William , was a younger son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, and Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is generally best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and as such is also known as "Butcher" Cumberland...
. See main article: Siege of Blair Castle
Siege of Blair Castle
The Siege of Blair Castle was a conflict that took place in Scotland in March 1746 and was part of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. It was fought between Scottish forces loyal to the British-Hanoverian government of George II of Great Britain who defended Blair Castle near to the village of Blair...
.
Clan Chief
- Clan chiefScottish clan chiefThe Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
: Sir Crispin Agnew, 11th Baronet of LochnawAgnew BaronetsThere have been three Agnew baronetcies.The first was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. The second and third were created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.-Agnew Baronets of Lochnaw, Co. Wigtown :...
Castles
- Lochnaw CastleLochnaw CastleLochnaw Castle is a 16th Century tower house five miles from the town of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway.Lochnaw Castle shows four periods of construction - a simple 16th century keep, 17th and 18th century domestic dwellings, and a mansion-house, which was later demolished. There is a plaque...
was the seat of the chief of Clan Agnew. http://www.edwardagnew.com/travel/uk/uk_return_frameset.html?main=uk.html