Agnew of Kilwaughter

THE AGNEWS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ANTRIM, WITH 9,770 ACRES

This ancient family held for many generations the office of hereditary sheriff of Wigtownshire, from 1451 until the jurisdiction was abolished in 1747.

PATRICK AGNEW, of Lochnaw, Wigtownshire, said to be a kinsman of the Agnew Baronets, Collector of Rents for the EARL OF ANTRIM, married, in 1622, JANET SHAW, and built a castle at KILWAUGHTER, County Antrim.

Mr Agnew was succeeded by his son,

JOHN AGNEW, who wedded his cousin, Eleanor Shaw, and was succeeded by his son,

PATRICK AGNEW, who married and purchased the remaining lands at Kilwaughter which, until 1660, had been in the possession of the Agnews of Lochnaw:

Sir Patrick Agnew, 1st Baronet, 8th Hereditary Sheriff of Galloway, father of Colonel Alexander Agnew, of Whitehills, who, with Andrew Agnew, his brother, afterwards the 9th Sheriff, was frequently in Ulster.

Mr Agnew, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1669, was succeeded by his son,

PATRICK AGNEW, who married and had issue,

PATRICK, of whom we treat;
Margaret, m James Crawford;
Jean, m Robert Blair, of Blairmount;
Helen, m James Stewart.

Mr Agnew died in 1724, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

PATRICK AGNEW, who espoused Martha Houston (or Houseton) and had issue,

WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
Frances;
John;
James (?);
Patrick (?);
Henry;
Hugh (?).

The eldest son,

WILLIAM "SQUIRE" AGNEW, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1744, married his cousin, Margaret Stewart, of KILLYMOON CASTLE, Cookstown, County Tyrone, and had issue,

James, died unmarried;
William, died unmarried;
MARIA, of whom we treat;
Jane, m Henry Shaw, later of Ballygally.

MARIA AGNEW wedded firstly, James Ross; and secondly, in 1763, VALENTINE JONES, by whom she had issue, one son, Edward; and a daughter, Margaret.

Valentine Jones (1712-1806) was a merchant with West Indian interests and founding member of the Belfast Charitable Society. He was at the Society’s inaugural meeting in August 1752. 

The Valentine Jones dynasty, which had premises at Winecellar Entry off High Street, Belfast, were wine merchants and rum and sugar importers who had established a thriving agency in Barbados where they bought goods from the planters and also sold goods to them.

The only son,

EDWARD JONES (1767-1834), MP for Antrim County, 1792-96, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1803, succeeded his grandfather and assumed the additional surname of AGNEW.

He married Eleanor Galbraith and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Maria, m Dr T C Simon; mother of MARIA AUGUSTA.

Mr Jones Agnew was succeeded by his son and heir,

WILLIAM AGNEW (1824-91), who died unmarried, and was succeeded in the Kilwaughter estate by his niece,

(MARIA) AUGUSTA, COUNTESS BALZANI (1847-95), only child of Thomas Collins Simon and Maria (née Agnew) Simon, who wedded Count Ugo Balzani, and had issue, two daughters,

Gendoluni, Madame Valensin;
Nora.

First published in June, 2016.