Agnews of Lochnaw

1 747-] LORD BRAXFIELD. 597
amended version, in enforcing the superiority of which he pro-
ceeded to say, "The words in the original Hebrew are these,
Comment vons portez vous /" The Sheriff's wrath was raised to
boiling pitch ; not only had an insult been offered to his under-
standing, but his peculiar antipathy had been aroused. He
started from his seat, and was with difficulty persuaded by his
daughter to sit still. No sooner, however, was the service over
than his righteous indignation broke out before all the congrega-
tion — " The scoundrel !" he said, "yet I could have forgiven him
had he not used the only French words I ever knew." 1
The Sheriff's fourth brother James married Margaret, daughter
of Thomas Wilkinson of Kirkbrigg (and Mary Eansden), an Eng-
lish lady of some fortune, and settled at Bishops-Auckland,
county Durham. Their eldest son, who became a general, we have
mentioned at the siege of Louisburg ; and of their daughters,
Catherine married Sir Eichard Vanden Bempde Johnstone of
Hackness Hall, a member of Parliament; and Mary Agnew
married the celebrated Eobert M'Queen, a Lord of Session and
styled Lord Braxfield, of whom a good story has been preserved,
though perhaps not flattering to the temper of the Sheriff's
niece. Braxfield, called by Lord Cockburn "the Giant of the
Bench," was strong-built and dark, with bushy eyebrows, powerful
eyes ; and " his language, like his thoughts, short, strong, and
conclusive." His butler came to him one day to give up his
place, alleging as a reason, that his lady was always scolding
him. "Lord!" exclaimed Braxfield, "man! ye've little to com-
plain of ; ye may be thankful ye're no married upon her." 2
The Sheriff's eldest son married Elizabeth Dunbar, described
in a family memoir as " an English heiress," but no other parti-
culars have been handed down. To the general's great grief, this
young man only survived his marriage for one year, leaving an
only daughter, Eleanor, who also died young. His second and
third sons died early ; and William, a military officer, became his
1 The probable explanation of this story is, that none of the party being Hebrew
scholars, they were mistaken in the words pronounced by the minister.
2 Cockburn's Memorials.