Agnews of Lochnaw

222 THE SEVENTH HEREDITARY SHERIFF. [l 598.
The Laird of Garthland had a residence of considerable size in
the Middle Vennel of Stranraer. The Lynns of Larg had a house
there also, as well as Quintin Agnew, the Sheriff's brother, and
Kennedy of Chappell. These houses excepted, the town was
composed of thatched one-storeyed dwellings, miserably built.
The derivation of the name is the very simple one — the Eow on
the Strand !
Two of the streets running parallel to the shore are still
called "the leys" — a traditional recollection of" St. John's Croft,"
then popularly called the Chapel Fej.
As the Sheriff's eldest son Patrick grew up to manhood, he
was thrown much in company with his powerful neighbours, the
Kennedys, who now maintained the most friendly relations with
the Agnews ; and at an early age he married Margaret, the eldest
daughter of the late earl's brother, Sir Thomas Kennedy of Cul-
zean. This gentleman, of whom a contemporary writes, " he
was indeed ane werry potentious man and werry wyise !" had
married Elizabeth M'Gill of Cranstoun-Eiddell, a sister of the
wife of the Laird of Balneil. The young Laird of Lochnaw's
bride was therefore first cousin to the Earl of Cassilis ; and as
her father had entirely controlled the young lord's affairs for
nearly twenty years, there seemed every hope that with this
new relationship all occasions of feud between the two families
would finally disappear.
But hardly were the wedding festivities concluded before
there were again symptoms ominous of strife. Cassilis, having
escaped from the leading-strings of his wiser uncle, young as he
was, began to show symptoms of greediness, which rendered him
unpopular with all his neighbours. He was superior of a large
tract of country, most of which had been actually held in feu
time out of mind by many of the neighbouring barons, and he
now determined to dispossess those gentlemen in order to increase
the rate of duty he received.
On an ex parte statement, he managed to obtain a decreet of
removal against all his " kyndlie tenants," although their rights
were in reality as valid as those of copyholders in England. He