Agnews of Lochnaw

1 494-] THE THIRD HEREDITARY SHERIFF. Ill
called, and not compearing, the Council ordained " that letters be
written to distress the said Quintene's lands and goods therefore."
The Sheriffs lady became alarmed at this crisis, and with
commendable activity appears to have ridden into Edinburgh
herself, to avert a visit from the bailiffs. The success of her
mission appears from this entry in the books of court : —
" In presence of the Lord Auditors, Marion Wauss, spouse of
Quintene Agnew, and Master James Henderson, Procurator for
Quintene Agnew, permitted to delay all execution of any decreit,
gif any happit to be given.'' This was taking time by the forelock.
Another entry in the same books illustrates the statute
"that all Barons holding in chief of the king have a proper seal
of arms ;" One of the Mures had sued the Sheriff as heir to his
father for a debt. The Lords of Council had the late Sheriff's
seal produced before them, and finding it sufficient, deliver " that
Quintene Agnew, Sheriff of Wigtown, son and heir of umquhile
Andrew Agnew, Sheriff of Wigtown, shall pay to Eankine Mure
the sum of fifteen pounds, owed to the said Eankine by the
said Andrew's obligation, under his seal, shown and produced
before the Lords."
In 1494, the Sheriff was himself attacked by an armed band
of neighbours, amongst whom was the young Laird of Myrtoun,
son of his own depute. The raid was a purely wanton one, for
the young men's "grait solace and divertisement ;" but when
arraigned for the offence, they coolly pleaded that they, forsooth,
were carrying out the king's will in distraining the Sheriff for
some of those sums for which he was indebted to the treasury !
These gentlemen had a fine day's run in pursuit of their prey,
having swept in their expedition the whole basin between the
Bay of Luce below the hills of Inch, and then galloped along
the shores of Lochryan beyond Kilmorie Chapel, gathering
additional booty on the lands bordering Loch Connel.
The affair was thus adjudicated upon in the Superior Courts,
to which the Sheriff had appealed : —
"The Lord Auditors decree that Simon M'Culloch, Neil
Neilson of Craigcaffie ; Alexander Campbell of Auchness ;