(57) Agnew of Lochnaw Castle, baronets

Agnew of Lochnaw

This family is reputed to be of Norman origin, and to come from Agneaux near St. Lô.  Herbert d'Agneaux, recorded there in 1082, had an eldest son Herbert who acquired lands at Redenhall in Norfolk after the Norman Conquest.  His son Corbin inherited the family's English lands, and a descendant of his is said to have taken part in the 12th century Norman conquest of Ireland.  The Agnews may have arrived in Scotland from Ulster about 1200 when William des Aigneus witnessed a charter in Liddesdale in eastern Dumfriesshire. They originally had a charter of Lochnaw c 1330, but later lost it to the Douglases. A continuous descent is recorded from Andrew Agnew in the 15th century.

Andrew Agnew was appointed Constable of Lochnaw by Margaret, Countess of Douglas, in 1426.  The family were also Hereditary Sheriffs of Wigton until 1651, when Cromwell abolished hereditary offices in Scotland.  The present house has its origins in a tower house built later in the 15th century which was extended in 1663 by Sir Andrew Agnew and again in 1704 by Sir James Agnew.  In 1820-21 Archibald Elliot designed a large Jacobean block for Sir Andrew Agnew.  Another Sir Andrew Agnew, the 8th bt., carried out restoration work in 1882, but the house was later sold, and in 1953 the west range of 1704 and the neo-Jacobean block were demolished.  In 1957 Adeline Grant (née Agnew), a descendant of a branch of the family which had been in Australia for several generations, repurchased the castle but it was sold again in 2002. The present owners have undertaken a major restoration and built a small extension to the castle, in keeping with the style of the original tower house.

William Agnew, a younger son of Andrew Agnew (d. 1484) was established in a separate estate at Croach (Wigtowns) which descended through several generations to Col. Andrew Agnew, who built Lochryan House on his estate in 1701.  However, his son died without surviving male issue and the estate passed to his neice and her husband John Dunlop of Dunlop.

Gilbert Agnew, a younger son of Andrew Agnew (d. 1547) was in possession of Galdenoch Castle (Wigtowns) by 1574 and it continued in his family until Patrick Agnew (d. 1705) was forced by debts to sell it to his kinsman James Agnew of Lochnaw, later the 4th bt.

Patrick Agnew, a younger son of Sir Patrick Agnew of Lochnaw, 1st bt. (d. 1661), was established in lands at Sheuchan near Stranraer (Wigtowns) which descended to his great-granddaughter Margaret, who married John Vans of Barnbarroch and was the ancestor of the Vans Agnews of Barnbarroch (q.v.).  It is not clear whether or for how long there was a house of any substance on the estate; any house was presumably demolished after 1855 when the property was added to the Castle Kennedy/Lochinch Castle estate of the Earls of Stair.

Sir Andrew Agnew, 3rd bt. (d. 1702) had a natural son, Andrew Agnew (d. 1730), who was sheriff clerk of Wigton and established himself on a farm at Dalreagle which descended through several generations to Patrick Alexander Agnew (b. 1831).

James Agnew, a younger son of Sir James Agnew of Lochnaw, 4th bt. married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Wilkinson of Kirkbrig, through whom he inherited Howlish Hall, Bishop Auckland (Durham), which descended to his great-grandson James Agnew, Governor of Domenica, who squandered and sold the estate.

Lochnaw Castle, Wigtownshire

The estate was granted to Andrew Agnew by Margaret, Countess of Douglas, in 1426.  Probably a little later in the 15th century a small tower house was built here – this has often been ascribed to the 16th century but its simple rectangular form and lack of gunloops point to an early date, and there is a reset plaque dated 1486.  In 1663 Sir Andrew Agnew added a three-storey L-plan house to the south of the tower, and in 1704 Sir James Agnew extended this with a west range, producing a U-plan complex surrounding three sides of a deep courtyard and including a chapel in the courtyard.  

A 19th century drawing of Lochnaw Castle by David Kennedy.  Image: Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Lochnaw Castle before 20th century demolitions.  Image: Scottish Castles Association

A large neo-Jacobean block designed by Archibald Elliot was added south of the 17th century range in 1819-32; the main body of the building was built in 1819-21 but the fitting-out continued for a further decade.  There was some later 19th century restoration including the replacement or recutting of most of the dormer gables and the conical-roofed tower at the NW corner of the 17th century house; this was carried out by Richard Park in two campaigns in 1882 and 1899.  In the 20th century the house was used as a school, a hotel, and a religious centre, and fell into disrepair.  The 1704 and 1820-21 ranges were demolished in c.1950-53, leaving a rather unsatisfactory rambling building.   It has now been restored as a private house, and a modest extension in the style of the 17th century ranges has recently been added which recreates a sense of enclosure in the courtyard. 

Lochnaw Castle in 2013 after recent restoration.  Image: Scottish Castles Association

Lochnaw Castle: the recent extension is the two-bay section nearest the camera.
Image: C&C Conservation

Inside, the arrangements of the original tower house are little altered.  Below the house is a substantial lake, with the ruins of the previous Lochnaw Castle on an island in the middle.  On the far side of the lake is an irregular polygonal walled garden, built by James McKie in 1819, with a circular tower summerhouse at one angle.  

Descent: Andrew Agnew (d. 1484); to son, Quentin Agnew (d. 1494); to son, Patrick Agnew (d. 1514); to son, Andrew Agnew (d. 1547); to son, Patrick Agnew (d. 1591); to son, Sir Andrew Agnew (d. 1616); to son, Sir Patrick Agnew, 1st bt. (c.1578-1661); to son, Sir Andrew Agnew, 2nd bt.  (c.1600-71); to son, Sir Andrew Agnew, 3rd bt. (c.1630-1702); to son, Sir James Agnew, 4th bt. (c.1660-1735); to son, Sir Andrew Agnew, 5th bt. (1687-1771); to son, Sir Stair Agnew, 6th bt. (1734-1809); to grandson, Sir Andrew Agnew, 7th bt. (1793-1849); to son, Sir Andrew Agnew, 8th bt. (1818-82); to son, Sir Andrew Noel Agnew, 9th bt. (1850-1928), who sold the estate in 1921 to Sir Charles Hambro, who sold c.1957 to Adeline Grant (née Agnew); sold c.2002 and since restored.

Lochryan House, Wigtownshire

Seat of a cadet branch of the Agnews of Lochnaw from the late 15th century until the 18th century, when it passed to the Dunlops.  

Lochryan House.  Image: Julia MacDonald.  Licensed under a Creative Commons licence.

Lochryan (formerly known as Croach) is a charming small white-painted house, with an H-plan main block built for Col. Andrew Agnew of Croach in 1701.  This was originally all of two storeys with a basement and attic, but the recessed centre was given an extra storey by Alan Dickie in 1820-24; the wings have also been altered with the addition of the canted dormer windows in the 19th century, and the rear elevation of the house was extended with single-storey and basement wings, perhaps the improvements recorded by James Brown, mason, in 1826.  At the front the main block is joined by balustrades and screen walls to single-storey service buildings of the early 18th century.  

Inside the house, the 18th century interiors were extended and improved in a consistent style in the late 19th century, so that it is now difficult to be sure what is original and what is replacement or addition.  The centre of the main block is filled with a large entrance hall and the staircase behind; these two rooms were thrown into one space in the 20th century, and the staircase, of an 18th century form, is thought to be all 19th century work.  The garden behind the house retains the main elements of its 18th century layout, with a central avenue leading to a transverse terrace with square pavilions at either end.

Descent: William Agnew (d. c.1500); to son, Nevin Agnew (fl. early 16th cent.); to son, Gilbert Agnew (d. c.1528?); to son, Nevin Agnew (fl. 1528); to son, Gilbert Agnew (fl. 1547-50); to son, Alexander Agnew (d. by 1620); to son, William Agnew (fl. 1620); to son, Alexander Agnew (fl. c.1650); to son, Col. Andrew Agnew (d. 1730); to son, Thomas Agnew (d. 1736); to niece, Frances Anna Wallace (1730-1815), later wife of (Sir) John Dunlop (1707-85) of Dunlop, (5th bt.) who claimed and used the Wallace baronetcy after it became extinct in 1770; to grandson, General Sir John Alexander Agnew Dunlop-Wallace (1774-1857), KCB (7th bt.); to son, Lieutenant-Colonel (Sir) William Thomas Francis Alexander Agnew Dunlop-Wallace (1830-92), (8th bt); to nephew, John Alexander Agnew-Wallace (1862-1946); to son, Maj. John Alexander Agnew Wallace (1898-1956); to son, John Malcolm Agnew Wallace (b. 1928).

Galdenoch Castle, Leswalt, Dumfriesshire

Galdenoch Castle.  Image: Mary and Angus Hogg.  Licensed under a Creative Commons licence.

A roofless, rubble-built tower house, probably built in the mid 16th century for Gilbert Agnew, who was in possession by 1574.  It is an L-plan building with the principal stair in the NE wing.  Inside there is a tunnel-vaulted room on the ground floor of the main block and above the remains of a first-floor hall.  The house was probably abandoned in the late 17th century when it was reabsorbed by the Lochnaw Castle estate of the main branch of the Agnews.

Descent: Gilbert Agnew (c.1500-c.1600); to son, Uchtred Agnew (d. 1635); to son, Patrick Agnew (d. 1667); to son, Patrick Agnew (d. 1705); sold to Sir James Agnew (c.1660-1735), 4th bt. of Lochnaw, and then with Lochnaw Castle.

Howlish Hall, Co. Durham

Howlish Hall. Image: Howlish Hall Nursing Home.

A white painted house of ashlar and render, dating from c.1700 with extensive late 18th century alterations and additions, plus a 19th century billiard room on the east and a 19th century west wing.  The interior has much original detail of each period, including a contemporary staircase in the earliest part of the house.  The house became derelict in the 20th century and was restored as a nursing home in the 1980s.  It has since been extended.

Descent: Hopper family (for whom perhaps built?); thence by William Byrom and Thomas Wilkinson to Margaret Wilkinson, wife of James Agnew (b. c.1690); to son James Tanner Agnew (killed in action 1777); to son Robert Agnew; to son James Agnew who squandered and sold the estate in 1808 to David Crawford of Newcastle; bought 1848 by Sir William Eden... owned 1924 by Bolckow Vaughan & Co.

The Agnews of Lochnaw

Agnew, Andrew (d. 1455) of Lochnaw.  Granted Constableship of Lochnaw Castle by Margaret, Countess of Douglas, 1426; appointed hereditary sheriff of Wigtownshire, 1451; supported James II in the Douglas rebellion of 1455 and died in that service, when the Douglases were defeated.  He married and had issue:
(1) Andrew Agnew (d. 1484) (q.v.);
(2) Gilbert Agnew.
He also had an illegitimate son,
(X1) Patrick Agnew.
He died in 1455, probably at the Battle of Arkenholm, 1 May 1455.

Agnew, Andrew (d. 1484) of Lochnaw.  Son of Andrew Agnew (d. 1455) of Lochnaw. Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire from 1455; Provost of Wigtown 1476.  He married [forename unknown] Macdowall of Garthland and had issue:
(1) Quentin Agnew (d. 1498) (q.v.); 
(2) William Agnew (d. c.1500) of Croach; married and had issue;
(3) Nevin Agnew (fl. 1510); indicted in July 1510 for 'riding with the Sheriff of Wigtown and the oppression done to Sir David Kennedy'.
Had sasine of Lochnaw 16 May 1455 from George Douglas of Leswalt, by whose forfeiture for treason Lochnaw became held of the Crown.  Either he or his son was probably responsible for building the tower house at Lochnaw Castle.
He died in 1483 or 1484.

Agnew, Quentin (d. 1498) of Lochnaw.  Eldest son of Andrew Agnew (d. 1484) of Lochnaw.  Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire from 1484; involved in raiding between 1469 and 1489; Provost of Wigtown in 1488; Nevin Agnew appointed curator of his affairs 19 Jan 1497/8.  He married 1469 Mariotta, third daughter of Robert Vans of Barnbarroch and had issue: 
(1) Patrick Agnew (d. 1513) (q.v.); 
(2) Michael Agnew, Canon of Whithorn Abbey; 
(3) Mariotta Agnew.
Inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1483/4.  Either he or his father was probably responsible for building the tower house at Lochnaw Castle, where there is an ex situ datestone of 1486.
He died in 1498.

Agnew, Patrick (d. 1513) of Lochnaw.  Eldest son of Quentin Agnew (d. 1498) and his wife Mariotta, daughter of Robert Vans of Barnbarroch.  Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire from 1498; much involved in feuds with the McKies, the Kennedys and the Maclellans in court and in battle, including the Battle of Bloody Burn near Stranraer.  He married c.1499 Katherine, daughter of Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar and had issue: 
(1) Andrew Agnew (d. 1547) (q.v.); 
(2) Katherine Agnew, m. Ninian Adair (d. 1525) of Kinhilt and had issue; 
(3) Margaret Agnew, m. William Cairnis of Orchardton; 
(4) Christina Agnew, m. Blaize McGhie, probably of Balmaghie.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1498.
He died in 1513, shortly after the Battle of Flodden, probably having been wounded there.

Agnew, Andrew (d. 1547) of Lochnaw.  Only son of Patrick Agnew (d. 1513) and his wife Katherine, daughter of Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar.  Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire from 1513; outlawed in 1527 with Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar, his uncle, for the murder in Edinburgh of Sir Thomas Maclellan of Bomby; outlawry remitted 1538.  He married Agnes, daughter of Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlies and had issue: 
(1) Patrick Agnew (1529-91) (q.v.); 
(2) Gilbert Agnew (c.1530-c.1600) of Galdenoch; m. Margaret, co-heiresws of Uchtred MacDowell of Baraj, and had issue one son;
(3) Alexander Agnew of Ardoch, sheriff depute; 
(4) Helen Agnew, m. John MacCulloch of Torhouse.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1513.
Killed in action at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547.

Agnew, Patrick (1529-91) of Lochnaw.  Eldest son of Andrew Agnew (d. 1547) and his wife Agnes, daughter of Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlies, born 1529.  Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire from 1547; a supporter of Queen Mary and opponent of the Regent Moray; assessor at trial of the Earl of Gowrie, who plotted to seize Stirling Castle and was beheaded 1584.  He married 1550 Janet, daughter of Sir James Gordon of Lochinvar and had issue:
(1) Sir Andrew Agnew (d. 1616), kt. (q.v.); 
(2) Patrick Agnew of Sheuchan, believed to be the ancestor of the Agnews of Kilwaughter in Ulster; 
(3) William Agnew of Barmeill and Wigg (later Castlewigg), sheriff depute (d. 1625); 
(4) Thomas Agnew, who married and had issue a son, who succeeded his uncle in Castlewigg; 
(5) Katherine Agnew, m.1, 1575 Alexander McKie of Larg, and m.2, Alexander Gordon of Clanyard; 
(6) Helen Agnew, m. John MacDowell of Curghie.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1547.
He died in 1591.

Agnew, Sir Andrew (d. 1616), knight, of Lochnaw.  Eldest son of Patrick Agnew (1529-91) and his wife Janet, daughter of Sir James Gordon of Lochinvar, born 1529. Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire from 1591; knighted and Chamberlain of Galloway by 1595.  He married 1576 Agnes, daughter of Alexander Stewart the younger of Garlies and had issue: 
(1) Sir Patrick Agnew (c.1578-1661), 1st bt. of Lochnaw (q.v.); 
(2) Andrew Agnew in Knocktym, m. Mary MacDowall; 
(3) Alexander Agnew of Barvennan; 
(4) Quentin Agnew; 
(5) Jean Agnew, m. James Kennedy of Cruggleton, son of Sir John Kennedy of Blairquhan;
(6) Rosina Agnew, m. William Maclellan of Glenshannock and had issue (including a son, Thomas, who succeeded as 2nd Baron Kirkcudbright).
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1591.
He died in 1616.

Agnew, Sir Patrick (c.1578-1661), knight and 1st baronet, of Lochnaw. Eldest son of Sir Andrew Agnew (d. 1616), kt., and his wife Agnes, daughter of Alexander Stewart the younger of Garlies, born about 1578.  Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire from 1616 until Cromwell abolished heritary jurisdictions in Scotland in 1651; MP for Wigtownshire 1628-33 and 1643-47; knighted; created 1st baronet of Nova Scotia, 28 July 1629, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever.  He married Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Kennedy of Culzean and had issue:
(1) Sir Andrew Agnew (c.1600-71), knight and 2nd bt. (q.v.); 
(2) Lt-Col. James Agnew of Auchrochar; served in Lord Kirkcudbright's Regiment and was thanked by Parliament for the services of his regiment at the Battle of Philiphaugh near Selkirk in 1645, when Parliamentary forces defeated the Royalists under Montrose; m. Marion, daughter of Thomas Kennedy of Ardmillan but died without issue in the lifetime of his father; 
(3) Patrick Agnew (b. c.1620) of Sheuchan; m. Elizabeth, daughter of William Gordon of Craighlaw and had issue;
(4) Lt-Col. Alexander Agnew of Whitehills; served in Earl of Galloway's Regiment; m. and had issue, three sons;
(5) Jane Agnew, m. 1621 Alexander MacDowell of Logan;
(6) Agnes Agnew, m. 1622, Uchtred MacDowell of Freuch;
(7) Elizabeth Agnew, m. J. Baillie of Dunragit;
(8) Marie Agnew, m. Hew MacDowell of Knockglass;
(9) Rosina Agnew, m. 1632, John Cathcart of Genoch.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1616.  He also leased from the Earl of Antrim an estate at Kilwaughter and Larne in Co. Antrim which he recovered after they were forfeited to Cromwell.
He died in the autumn of 1661 and was buried in the old church at Leswalt.

Agnew, Sir Andrew (c.1600-71), knight and 2nd baronet, of Lochnaw. Eldest son of Sir Patrick Agnew (c.1578-1661) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Kennedy of Culzean, born about 1600.  Knighted in the lifetime of his father; MP for Wigtownshire 1644, 1647, 1665, 1667 and 1669; one of the commissioners governing Scotland under Cromwell, 1649; fined £6,000 for his adherence to Cromwell; sheriff of Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire 1656-71, and restored as Hereditary Sheriff in 1661.  He married, about 22 March 1625, Lady Anne Stewart, daughter of 1st Earl of Galloway and had issue: 
(1) Sir Andrew Agnew (c.1630-1702), 3rd bt. (q.v.); 
(2) William Agnew of Wigg, m. Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Patrick Agnew of Castlewigg and had issue; 
(3) Grizel Agnew, m. 1650, Hugh Cathcart of Carlton; 
(4) Margaret Agnew, m.1, 1656, John Maxwell younger of Monreith, and m.2, Rev. Walter Laurie.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1661, and built a large new L-plan house onto the original tower house in 1663.  He also inherited the Larne and Kilwaughter estate in Co. Antrim from his father.
He died in 1671.

Agnew, Sir Andrew (c.1630-1702), 3rd baronet, of Lochnaw.  Elder son of Sir Andrew Agnew (c.1600-71), 2nd bt., and his wife Lady Anne Stewart, daughter of 1st Earl of Galloway, born about 1630.  Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtownshire, 1671-1702, but suspended 1682-89 for refusing to take the Test Act; MP for Wigtownshire 1685 and 1689-1702; member of the Grand Convention of Estates, held to settle the Scottish Crown in 1689.  He married, about 24 October 1656, Jean or Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Hay of Park and had issue: 
(1) Sir James Agnew (c.1658-1735), 4th bt. (q.v.); 
(2) Andrew Agnew, d. young; 
(3) Thomas Agnew (d. 1690), cornet in Roy Scots Dragoons; died unmarried at Inverness;
(4) Grizel Agnew, m. Sir Charles Hay of Park.  
He also had an illegitimate son:
(X1) Andrew Agnew of Dalreagle (d. 1730), sheriff clerk of Wigtown, who purchased the Barony of Myrton-McKie and renamed it Myrton-Agnew, m. 1704 Mary, daughter of William Coltran of Drummorail and had issue four sons and two daughters.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle and the Larne and Kilwaughter estates from his father in 1671.
He was buried 9 June 1702.

Agnew, Sir James (c.1658-1735), 4th baronet, of Lochnaw.  Eldest son of Sir Andrew Agnew (c.1630-1702), 3rd bt., and his wife Jean or Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Hay of Park, born about 1660.  Hereditary Sheriff of Galloway, 1702-24, when he resigned it to his son.  He married, about 22 June 1683, Lady Mary Montgomerie (c.1652-1742), daughter of 8th Earl of Eglinton and had issue:
(1) Sir Andrew Agnew (1687-1771), 5th bt. (q.v.); 
(2) Patrick Agnew, cornet in Earl of Stair's Dragoons; died young; 
(3) Charles Agnew, cavalry officer, died young; 
(4) Maj. James Agnew (b. c.1690) of Howlish Hall (Durham); Major, 7th Hussars; married, 19 November 1719 at Stanwick (Yorks NR), Margaret, daughter of Thomas Wilkinson of Kirkbrig, and had issue three sons and three daughters;
(5) Capt. Alexander Agnew, Captain in Royal Scots Guards; killed in a duel by a fellow officer, Maj. Harrison; 
(6) Capt. George Agnew, Captain in Royal Scots Guards; m.1, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Dunbar of Mochrum dsp and m.2 an Irish woman, daughter of a physician and had issue by his second wife, a daughter; 
(7) Lt. Peter Agnew; Lieutenant in 6th Dragoons;
(8) Capt. John Agnew; served in 6th Dragoons (Lt.) and Royal Irish Hussars (Capt.);
(9) Jane Agnew, m. 1705, John Chancellor of Shieldhill; 
(10) Margaret Agnew, m. 1700, Col. Andrew Agnew of Croach; 
(11) Anne Agnew, m. James Nisbet of Orkney.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his father in 1702 and extended the house with a new range and chapel in 1704.  He also inherited the Larne and Kilwaughter estate in Co. Antrim, but sold it to his agent, Patrick Agnew of Kilwaughter, in 1708 [see previous post] He bought the Galdenoch estate from his kinsman, Patrick Agnew (d. 1705).
He died in Edinburgh, 9 March 1735, and was buried in Holyrood Abbey. His widow died in April 1742, aged 90, and was also buried in Holyrood Abbey.

Agnew, Lt-Gen. Sir Andrew (1687-1771), 5th baronet, of Lochnaw. Eldest son of Sir James Agnew (c.1658-1735), 4th bt. and his wife, Lady Mary Montgomerie, daughter of 8th Earl of Eglinton, born at Innermessan Castle (Wigtowns.), 21 December 1687.  Served in the Royal Scottish Dragoons (Scots Greys) and saw action at Ramillies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet (Cornet, 1705); Captain in Lord Strathnaver's regiment of foot, 1709 (half-pay, 1714); served in Ireland in Col. Pocock's Regiment during the Jacobite rebellion, 1715; transferred 1718 to Royal Scots Fusiliers and served in Ireland 1728-37 (Major, 1737; Lt-Col., 1739); commanded regiment at Battle of Dettingen, 1743; commanded garrison of Blair Atholl against Lord George Murray's Jacobites in the last seige of a British castle, 1745; transferred to 10th Marines as Colonel, 1746; governor of Tynemouth Castle (Northumb), 1748; promoted Maj-General, 1756 and Lt-General, 1759.  JP for Wigtownshire; Hereditary Sheriff of Galloway, 1724-47, when on the final abolition of all hereditary jurisdictions in Scotland, he received £4,000 in compensation. He married, 12 May 1714, Eleanor (1699-1785), daughter and eventually sole heir of Thomas Agnew of Croach after eloping against her father's wishes, and had among other issue: 
(1) Mary Agnew (b. 1715), born 21 April 1715; m. Sir Michael Bruce (d. 1795) of Stenhouse, 6th bt. and had issue two sons; 
(2) Elizabeth Agnew (b. 1716), born 24 April 1716; m. Charles Innes of Urrell; 
(3) Andrew Agnew (1718-51), born 7 September 1818; served in 32nd Light Infantry; m. 29 August 1750, Elizabeth, daughter of William Dunbar and had issue a daughter who died young; died without surviving male issue;
(4) Thomas Agnew (b. 1720), born 10 July 1720; died unmarried in the lifetime of his father; 
(5) Katherine Agnew (b. 1722), born 3 August 1722; m. 1749 John Gillon (c.1705-75) of Wallhouse; 
(6) Wilhelmina Agnew (1727-1800), born 6 September 1727; m. John Campbell (c.1701-81) of Skerrington and had issue two sons and five daughters; died 21 January 1800;

(7) James Agnew (1729-49), born 1 January 1729; midshipman RN, died unmarried at sea, 1749; 

(8) Lt. William Agnew (d. 1756), 2nd Lt., 7th Marines and later Royal Scots Fusiliers; died unmarried at Gibraltar, 1756; 
(9) Sir Stair Agnew (1734-1809), 6th bt. (q.v.); 
(10) Penelope Agnew (b. 1736), born 12 January 1736; m. Alexander Agnew of Dalreagle, grandson of the illegitimate son of the 3rd bt;
(11) Patrick Agnew (b. 1739), born June 1739; died young.
He inherited the Lochnaw Castle estate from his father in 1735.
He died 14/21 August 1771, aged 83.  His widow died 29 May 1785.

Agnew, Sir Stair (1734-1809), 6th baronet, of Lochnaw.  Fifth son of Lt-Gen. Sir Andrew Agnew (1687-1771), 5th bt., and his wife Eleanor, daughter and heir of Thomas Agnew of Croach, born 9 October 1734.  As a younger son he did not expect to inherit the baronetcy and was established as a Virginia merchant.  He married 1st, 23 June 1763, Mary (d. 1769), daughter of Thomas Baillie of Polkemmet and 2nd, 11 April 1775, Margaret (d. 1811), daughter of Thomas Naesmyth of Dunblair and had issue, with another son and two daughters who died young: 
(1.1) Andrew Agnew (d. 1792) (q.v.); 
(1.2) Isabella Agnew (b. 1765), born 20 June 1765; m. Robert Stewart of Physgill.
He inherited the Lochnaw Castle estate from his father in 1771.
He died 28 June 1809.  His widow died 30 May 1811.

Agnew, Andrew (d. 1792).  Only son of Sir Stair Agnew (1734-1809), 6th bt. and his first wife Mary, daughter of Thomas Baillie of Polkemmet, born about 1764.  Lieutenant, 12th Regiment.  He married 21 May 1792 (after eloping) Hon. Martha de Courcy, daughter of 19th Baron Kingsale and had issue:
(1) Sir Andrew Agnew (1793-1858), 7th bt. (q.v.). 
He died 11 September 1792 in the lifetime of his father.

Agnew, Sir Andrew (1793-1858), 7th baronet, of Lochnaw.  Only son of Andrew Agnew (d. 1792) and his wife Hon. Martha de Courcy, daughter of 19th Baron Kingsale, born posthumously at Kinsale, 21 March 1793.  Educated at Edinburgh and Oxford Univs; Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Wigtownshire, 1828; MP for Wigtownshire 1830-37; an enthusiastic but ultimately unsuccessful promoter of Sabbatarian legislation and strong anti-Catholic.  He married, 11 June 1816, Madeline (d. 1858), daughter of Sir David Carnegie of Pitarrow, 4th bt., and had issue: 
(1) Sir Andrew Agnew (1818-92), 8th bt. (q.v.); 
(2) Capt. John de Courcy Andrew Agnew RN (1819-1916), born 8 October 1819; Captain in Royal Navy; m.1, 30 October 1849, Anne (dsp 1852), daughter of Rev. David Wauchope, rector of Warkton (Northants); m.2, 17 October 1854 Patricia Elizabeth (d. 1870), eldest dau. of William Henry Dowbiggin and neice of Lord Panmure and had issue three sons and two daughters; m.3, 14 May 1872, Patricia (dsp 1910), daughter of Sir Alexander Ramsay of Balmain, 2nd bt.; died 20 September 1916, aged 96;
(3) Rev. David Carnegie Andrew Agnew (1821-87), born 3 May 1821; m. 18 April 1855, Eleanora James Kerr Ross (d. 1903), daughter of George Bell FRSE and had issue one son and two daughters; died 16 March 1887;
(4) James Andrew Agnew CE (1823-1918); born 21 June 1823; died 27 January 1918;
(5) Agnes Agnew (1825-93), m. 16 October 1845, Rev. Thomas Blizzard Bell (d. 1866) and had issue; 
(6) Martha Agnew (1826-1904), m. 3 October 1848, Frederick Lewis Maitland-Heriot of Ramornie (Fife) (d. 1881) and had issue; died 28 July 1904
(7) Elizabeth Agnew (b. 1828); 
(8) Sir Stair Andrew Agnew KCB MA JP (1831-1916); born 6 December 1831; educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1855; MA 1858); Lt. in 9th Regiment; Legal Secretary to Lord Advocate General of Scotland, 1861-66, 1868-70; Queen's Remembrancer for Scotland, 1870-81; Registrar General for Scotland 1881-1909, m. 1 December 1870 Georgina (d. 1916), daughter of George More Nisbett of Cairnhill and had issue two sons and three daughters; died 12 July 1916;
(9) Madalane Elizabeth Agnew (b. 1831); 
(10) Thomas Frederick Andrew Agnew (1834-1924), born 5 July 1834; m. 9 October 1861, Julia (d. 1934), dau of Charles Pelly and had issue six sons and four daughters; died 20 November 1924;
(11) Lt-Col. Gerald Andrew Agnew (1835-1927), born 18 December 1835; Lt-Col. of 90th Light Infantry; m. 19 May 1870, Margaret Cunninghame (d. 1924), only daughter and heiress of William Bonar of Warriston (Midlothian) and had issue a daughter; died 16 May 1927;
(12) Mary Graham Agnew (1838-85), m. 23 June 1858, James Douglas of Cavers (dsp 1878); died 13 July 1885.
He inherited Lochnaw Castle from his grandfather in 1809 and enlarged it to the designs of David Hamilton and Archibald Elliot in 1819-21.
He died of scarlet fever at his home in Rutland Square, Edinburgh, 28 April 1849, aged 56.  His widow died 21 January 1858, aged 62.

Agnew, Sir Andrew (1818-92), 8th baronet, of Lochnaw.  Eldest son of Sir Andrew Agnew (1793-1849), 7th bt., and his wife Madeline, daughter of Sir David Carnegie of Pitarrow, born 2 January 1818.  Educated at Harrow; entered the army, 1835, serving in Canada in 93rd Foot, and as Capt. 4th Light Dragoons; JP and DL Wigtownshire; MP for Wigtownshire 1856-68; wrote a history of his family, The Agnews of Lochnaw, 1864.  He married, 20 August 1846, Lady Louisa Noel (d. 1883), daughter of 1st Earl of Gainsborough and had issue: 
(1) Madeline Diana Elizabeth Agnew (1847-1907), m1, 7 February 1867, Thomas Henry Clifton MP (d. 1880) of Lytham Hall (Lancs) and had issue and m2, 30 January 1889, Sir James Hamlyn Williams-Drummond, 4th bt (d. 1913) and had further issue; 
(2) twin, Arabella Frances Georgiana Agnew (1848-1910), died unmarried, 23 June 1910; 
(3) twin, Caroline Charlotte Agnew (1848-1934), died unmarried, 15 January 1934; 
(4) Sir Andrew Noel Agnew (1850-1928), 9th bt. (q.v.); 
(5) Henry de Courcy Agnew (1851-1910), JP for Wigtownshire; m. 23 December 1885, Ethel Anne (d. 1928), dau of Capt. Thomas William Goff (who m.2, 1911, Edmund Charrington) and had issue two daughters; 
(6) Louisa Lucia Agnew (1852-1913), m. 10 July 1877 Duncan MacNeill (d. 1892) and had issue; 
(7) Mary Alma Victoria Agnew (1854-1923), m. 19 August 1875, Arthur Fitzgerald Kinneard, 11th Lord Kinnaird (1847-1923) and had issue; 
(8) Catherine Carnegie Agnew (d. 1858), died young, 31 March 1858; 
(9) Maj. Charles Hamlyn Agnew (1859-1928); JP for Wigtownshire; Major, 4th Hussars; served in Burma 1885-87 and Rhodesia 1896; m. 30 June 1897 (div. 1908) Lillian Anne (d. 1937), daughter of Lt-Gen. Sir James Wolfe Murray of Cringletie KCB JP DL RA and had issue a son, Sir Fulque Melville Gerald Noel Agnew, who succeeded as 10th bt. in 1928;
(10) Col. Quentin Graham Kinnaird Agnew DSO MVO, JP, DL (1861-1937), born 8 January 1861; Col. Royal Scots Fusiliers and served in Burma 1885-86, Tirah 1897-98 and Boer War, 1899-1902; Military Sec. to Governor of Gibraltar, 1902-05; served in WW1 at Gallipoli and in France; member of the Gentlemen-at-Arms, 1906; m.1, 9 February 1899 Evelyn Mary (d. 1913), dau of Capt. John Hobhouse Inglis Alexander CB RN and had issue three sons and one daughter; and m.2, 3 July 1916, Cicely Anne Churchhill (d. 1964), youngest daughter of James Inskip of Clifton Park House, Clifton and had further issue one son; died 23 March 1937;
(11) Gerard Dalrymple Agnew (1862-1919); born 24 April 1862; served at Lt. in the Buffs; died 24 November 1919;
(12) Rosina Constance Agnew (1863-1920), m. 14 April 1898 Rev. James Davidson of Blackadder Manse, and had issue; died 23 June 1920;
(13) Margeurite Violet Maud Agnew (1866-1939), m. 23 July 1890, Lt-Col. Sir Francis Dudley Williams-Drummond KBE DL and had issue.
He inherited the Lochnaw Castle estate from his father in 1849.  In 1883 he owned 6,777 acres in Wigtownshire.
He died 25 March 1892, aged 74.  His wife died 27 June 1883, aged 61.

Agnew, Sir Andrew Noel (1850-1928), 9th baronet, of Lochnaw.  Eldest son of Sir Andrew Agnew (1818-92), 8th bt., and his wife, Lady Louisa Noel, daughter of 1st Earl of Gainsborough, born at Exton Park, 14 August 1850.  

Gertrude, Lady Agnew
by John Singer Sargent

Educated at Harrow, Trinity College, Cambridge (LL.B 1871), and Inner Temple (called to bar, 1874); Capt. 1st Ayrshire & Galloway Artillery Volunteers; Liberal MP for Edinburgh South 1900-06; JP and DL Wigtownshire 1893; member of Royal Company of Archers.  He married, 15 October 1889, Gertrude (1860-1932), daughter of Hon. Gowran Charles Vernon but died without issue.  At his death his title passed to his nephew, Sir Fulque Melville Gerard Noel Agnew (1900-75), 10th bt., whose son, Sir Crispin Agnew (b. 1944) is the current holder of the title and Rothesay Herald.
He inherited the Lochnaw Castle estate from his father in 1891 but sold it in 1921.  In 1909 he also had a house at Woodcock Lodge, Little Berkhamsted (Herts).
He died 14 July 1928.  His widow died in 1932.

The Agnews of Croach alias Lochryan

Agnew, William (d. c.1500), of Croach.  Second son of Andrew Agnew (d. 1484) of Lochnaw (q.v.).  He married and had issue including:
(1) Nevin Agnew (fl. 1498) (q.v.).
He was given the Croach estate by his father.
He died about 1500.

Agnew, Nevin (fl. 1498), of Croach.  Only recorded son of William Agnew (d. c.1500) of Croach.  In 1498 he was appointed curator of the affairs of his cousin, Quentin Agnew of Lochnaw, who died later that year.  He married and had issue including:
(1) Gilbert Agnew (d. 1528?) (q.v.).
He inherited the Croach estate from his father c.1500.
His date of death is unknown.

Agnew, Gilbert (d. 1528?) of Croach.  Only recorded son of Nevin Agnew (fl. 1498) of Croach.  Sheriff depute.  He married Margaret Mure and had issue:
(1) Nevin Agnew (d. c.1547) (q.v.).
He inherited the Croach estate from his father.
He died in about 1528.

Agnew, Nevin (d. c.1547), of Croach.  Only recorded son of Gilbert Agnew (d. 1528?) and his wife Margaret Mure.  An active border raider with his kinsman, Andrew Agnew (d. 1547) of Lochnaw.  He married and had issue including:
(1) Gilbert Agnew (d. c.1590) (q.v.).
He inherited the Croach estate from his father in 1528.
His died in about 1547.

Agnew, Gilbert (d. c.1590), of Croach.  Only recorded son of Nevin Agnew (d. c.1547). He married and had issue including:
(1) Alexander Agnew (d. c.1620) (q.v.).
He inherited the Croach estate from his father in about 1547.
He died in about 1590.

Agnew, Alexander (d. c.1620), of Croach.  Only recorded son of Gilbert Agnew (d. c.1590).  Sheriff depute.  He married Jane MacNaughten and had issue including:
(1) Gilbert Agnew, died unmarried in the lifetime of his father; 
(2) William Agnew (fl. early 17th cent.) (q.v.).
He inherited the Croach estate from his father in about 1590.
He died about 1620.

Agnew, William (fl. early 17th cent.), of Croach.  Second but eldest surviving son of Alexander Agnew (d. c.1620) and his wife Jane MacNaughten.  He married Mary, daughter of John MacDougall of Logan and had issue:
(1) Alexander Agnew (fl. late 17th cent.) (q.v.).
He inherited the Croach estate from his father.
His date of death is unknown.

Agnew, Alexander (fl. late 17th cent.), of Croach.  Only recorded son of William Agnew (fl. early 17th cent.) and his wife Mary, daughter of John MacDougall of Logan.  He was fined £600 for his adherence to Cromwell. He married Sarah, daughter of John Dunbar of Mochdrum and had issue:
(1) Andrew Agnew (c.1665-1730) (q.v.); 
(2) Thomas Agnew (d. 1725), Capt, Royal Scots Dragoons; retired c.1708 and purchased an estate at Richmond Hill, Surrey; lost all his money in the South Sea Bubble, 1721; m. Florence Stewart and had issue a daughter (Eleanor Agnew (1699-1785), who m. Sir Andrew Agnew (1687-1771) of Lochnaw, 5th bt. and had issue).
He inherited the Croach estate from his father.
His date of death is unknown.

Agnew, Col. Andrew (c.1665-1730) of Lochryan.  Elder son of Alexander Agnew (fl. late 17th cent.) and his wife Sarah, daughter of John Dunbar of Mochdrum, born about 1665. Colonel in Royal Scots Dragoons.  He married 1st Margaret, daughter of Sir James Agnew of Lochnaw, 4th bt; 2nd, Margaret, daughter of Kennedy of Dunure, and had issue:
(1.1) Alexander Agnew, dvp; 
(1.2) Col. Thomas Agnew (c.1704-36), Guards officer, killed falling from his horse; 
(2.1) Grizel Agnew, died young;
(2.2) Anne Agnew, died young;
(2.3) Eleonora or Elizabeth Agnew (1706-61), m. Sir Thomas Wallace (1702-70) of Craigie, to whose daughter and heiress, Frances Wallace, the Lochryan-Croach estate passed.
He inherited the Croach estate from his father and rebuilt the house (thereafter Lochryan House) in 1701; at his death it passed to his surviving son, Thomas (d. 1736) and then to his granddaughter, Frances Wallace (1730-1815).
He died in 1730.

Sources

Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, successive editions; Sir A. Agnew, The hereditary sheriffs of Galloway, 1891; G.E. Cokayne, Complete Baronetage, vol. 2, pp. 368-70; H. Fenwick, Scottish Baronial houses, 1986, pp. 206-08; J. Gifford, The buildings of Scotland: Dumfries & Galloway, 1996, pp. 309, 419-23.

Location of archives:
Agnew family of Lochnaw, baronets: deeds, family and estate papers, 1421-1975 (National Records of Scotland GD154)

Revision and acknowledgements
This post was first published on 21 July 2013 and updated on 23 August 2015 and 8 July 2016. I am grateful to Jane Clark and Frank Bigwood for pointing out errors.

(23) Adair of Ballymena Castle and Flixton Hall, baronets

Adair of Kinhilt coat of arms

Sir William Adair (d. c.1500) was granted the Kinhilt (also known as Kilhilt) estate on the Galloway peninsula in Wigtownshire, and his son Alexander, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, built the Castle of St. John at Stranraer in about 1510, as an administrative centre for the estate.  Kinhilt itself was near Lochans, just south of Stranraer; the last remains of it were removed in 1933.

Castle of St. John, Stranraer. © Oliver Dixon.
Licensed under a Creative Commons licence.

Alexander’s grandson, William Adair (d. 1593) also rebuilt the stronghold of Dunskey Castle, set on a clifftop promontory jutting into the Irish sea near Portpatrick.  William Adair (d. 1626), son of Ninian Adair (d. c.1608), got heavily into debt, and in 1620 agreed an exchange with Hugh Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery, one of the undertakers of the Plantation of Ulster, whereby some of the Adair lands at Kinhilt, including Dunskey Castle, were exchanged for newly-settled lands at Ballymena in Co. Antrim.  

Dunskey Castle: engraving by Francis Grose 1790

His son, Sir Robert Adair (d. 1655) built Ballymena Castle as a centre for the Irish estates, and thereafter the family was increasingly based in northern Ireland, although the remainder of the Kinhilt estate was retained until 1736, when it was sold to the 2nd Earl of Stair by Col. Sir Robert Adair (1659-1745), who raised a regiment of foot for King William III and was knighted at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.  In 1740 the original Ballymena Castle was burned down, and it is not clear whether it was restored sufficiently to be used as a familyl residence in the late 18th century, when the owners seem increasingly to have been absentees, living in Dublin or in England.

In 1753, William Adair (1700-83), a great-great-grandson of Ninian Adair of Kinhilt (d. c.1608), who had made a fortune as an Army agent, purchased the Flixton Hall estate in Suffolk from the heirs of the last of the Tasburgh family (q.v.).  At his death he bequeathed Flixton to his nephew Alexander Adair (1743-1834), who followed him into business as an army agent, in preference to his natural son or his daughter Jane, the wife of Edward Brice.  Alexander died without issue, and bequeathed Flixton his distant kinsman, (Hugh) William Adair of Ballymena (1754-1844), who had married the daughter and heir of Robert Shafto of Benwell Tower in Northumberland.  Hugh had purchased Heatherton Park (Somerset) in 1807 and Colehayes Park (aka Colehouse) (Devon) – which he rebuilt – in 1825, and sold Benwell Tower after his wife’s death in 1827.  Heatherton and Colehouse were bequeathed to his younger son, Alexander (see Adair of Heatherton Park), while the Flixton and Ballymena estates were settled on the elder, Sir Robert Shafto Adair, 1st baronet.  In 1846, the Jacobean house of the Tasburghs at Flixton was severely damaged by fire, and Sir Robert employed Anthony Salvin to carry out a reconstruction.  The house at Ballymena was let at this period, being occupied in 1837 by P. Cannon esq.  Sir Robert also bought Wingfield Castle in Suffolk, then little more than a farm, which remained in the family until the 1980s but was let and restored in the 1940s.

Adair of Ballymena coat of arms
Later used quarterly with arms of
Shafto of Benwell.

Sir Robert’s son and heir, Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (later 2nd bt. and 1st and only Baron Waveney) was established on the Ballymena estate in his father’s lifetime.  From 1865 onwards, he employed the famous Belfast architects, Lanyon & Lynn, to rebuild Ballymena Castle in the Scots baronial style, and it became his main residence.  Flixton was the home of his younger brother, Hugh Edward Adair (1815-1902), who inherited the baronetcy but not the peerage at his brother’s death.  He remodelled and extended Flixton Hall in 1888-92 to the design of F.B. Wade.  His son, Sir Frederick Edward Shafto Adair (1860-1915), 4th bt., sold most of the Ballymena estate to the tenants in 1904, and lived principally at Adair Lodge, Aldeburgh (Suffolk), an 18th century house enlarged in 1823 and remodelled for Adair in the late 19th century.  His brother, Sir Shafto Adair (1862-1949), 5th bt., who was a London barrister with literary and musical interests, lived principally at Flixton, but the house there deteriorated during the Second World War, and when his son Maj-Gen. Sir Allan Adair (1897-1988) inherited, he sold the contents and the house in 1950, and it was pulled down shortly afterwards.  

Ballymena Castle was little used in the 20th century.  The house was still standing in 1953 but was subject to vandalism and arson and was sold and demolished in 1957.  Sir Allan served as Lieutenant of HM Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard from 1951-67 and lived at Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate and after his retirement at Harleston and Raveningham (Norfolk).  His only son having been killed in action in 1943, the line of the Adairs of Flixton and Ballymena ended with him; the chieftainship of the Adair Clan passed to his second cousin, Dr. Allan Adair (1907-2008), whose achievement of a centenary highlights the notable longevity of many members of the family from the 17th century onwards.

Ballymena Castle, Antrim

Ballymena Castle from an old postcard.

In 1626 William Adair acquired newly-settled lands at Ballymena in exchange for part of his patrimony in Wigtownshire, and his son, Sir Robert, built the castle as a centre for the new estate.  The original building burned down in 1740 and was at best patched up afterwards.  A completely new Scots Baronial style house with a massive seven-storey tower at one end was built by Lanyon & Lynn of Belfast for Sir Robert Adair, later 1st Baron Waveney, in 1865-87.  

Ballymena Castle in 1887.

This impressive house was, however, short-lived: the Adair estate at Ballymena was sold to the tenants in 1904 and the castle fell into disuse.  It was still standing in 1953, but badly damaged by arson in 1955 and condemned as unsafe the following year.  When the local Council demolished it in 1957 Maj-Gen. Sir Allan Adair bought Holy Hill House, 78,Ballee Rd, Strabane and installed ten stained glass windows from the castle there, where they still remain.

Holy Hill House near Strabane: to which Sir Allan Adair moved in 1957.

Descent: William Adair (d. 1626), who purchased the estate in 1620... to Col. Sir Robert Adair (1659-1745); then to son, Capt. William Robert Adair (d. 1762); to son, Robert Adair (d. 1798); to son Hugh William Adair (1754-1844); to son, Sir Robert Shafto Adair, 1st bt. (1786-1869); to son, Sir Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (1811-86), 2nd bt; to brother, Sir Hugh Edward Adair (1815-1902), 3rd bt.; to son, Sir Frederick Edward Shafto Adair (1860-1915), 4th bt., who sold most of the estate, 1904; to brother, Sir (Robert) Shafto Adair (1862-1949), 5th bt; to his son, Maj-Gen. Sir Allen Henry Shafto Adair (1897-1988), 6th bt., from whom it was acquired by the local authority for demolition.

Flixton Hall (near Bungay) Suffolk

The Tasburgh family originated in Norwich and first acquired property in the Flixton area around 1400.  Over the next two centuries they steadily expanded their estates, and in 1544 they acquired the site and some of the lands of Flixton Priory (dissolved in 1528).  In 1607 Sir John Tasburgh bought 'a capital mansion' at Flixton and 500 acres from his cousin, Thomas Bateman, and shortly afterwards, about 1615, a new three-storey Jacobean E-plan mansion house was built.  Because it stood on a moated site, this probably replaced the house bought in 1607 rather than standing on the priory site.  At the same time a park was created (Sir John's 'newe parke' is referred to in 1611). 

Flixton Hall, engraving of 1784 after a drawing by Thomas Sandby of 1752

Flixton Hall: early 19th century watercolour by Henry Ninham.

The house was similar in design to many others of the period, with the projecting wings emphasized by five-sided bays rising through all three storeys of the house and a tall three-storey porch.  The battlemented balustrade on the entrance (north) front was decorated with barley-twist pinnacles, those on the corners being the upward extension of polygonal buttresses clasping the angles of the building.  The little pediments over the windows are found in other early 17th century East Anglian houses and were no doubt original, but the pedimented doorcase on the porch looks like an early 18th century addition, and the two-storey extension with a large arched window projecting from the right-hand side is further evidence of later additions and alterations.  Another change was apparently the enclosure of an open colonnade in the centre of the south front in the late 18th century, perhaps after Alexander Adair inherited the estate in 1783.  The space gained in the house was divided up to form additional rooms.  Another change made around the same time was to fill in the moat shown in the engraving above; this was no doubt part of a fashionable landscaping scheme which also saw the margins of the park planted with trees. 

Flixton from Ordnance Survey 1" 1946 edition

It is suggested in one (mid 20th century) account that the house was damaged by fire in 1832, but there is no other evidence for this.  However, there is reason to think that around 1837 Sir Robert Shafto Adair consulted Anthony Salvin about repairs or improvements to the house or estate.  In 1842-43 Salvin was employed to extend the Priest's House in Flixton village and in 1844 - the year that Sir Robert inherited the Hall - he began repairing the house.

In December 1846, however, work was interrupted by a devastating fire which destroyed about half the building and all the contents of the main rooms.  A contemporary account says that the roof fell in and the south walls fell outwards.  Rebuilding began almost immediately under Salvin's direction, and continued until 1855, although the shell was complete by 1849.  The reconstructed house stood on the foundations of its predecessor and was externally to a very similar design.  The Jacobean window-pediments were omitted and the skyline was given tall chimneys to heighten the romantic Jacobean effect.  The cost of the rebuilding was £29,000.

Flixton Hall: north front as rebuilt by Salvin and altered by F.B. Wade. Courtesy of Matthew Beckett

The reconstruction of 1846-55 was not the end of the story.  A new garden was laid out to the south of the house, possibly in the late 1840s and almost certainly to the design of William Andrews Nesfield, as he is known to have been consulted and the surviving earthworks are much in his style.  

Flixton Hall: great hall photographed c1907 by Sir Frederick Adair. Image: Historic England

Then in 1888-92 Sir Hugh Adair, 3rd bt. carried out a further remodelling of the house to the designs of Fairfax B. Wade. His additions and alterations gave the house the appearance recorded in surviving photographs, and resulted in a house of sixty rooms.  

Flixton Hall: main staircase in c.1907. Image: Historic England

Where Salvin's work had been relatively restrained, Wade gave full rein to the Victorian free style at its most exuberant.  He replaced Salvin's modest cupola and clock tower with a wedding cake tower, added some fancy touches to the south front in the way of polygonal shafts and stepped parapets, built a rather coarse-grained new porch on the entrance front and rebuilt the service wing to match the style of the main building.  He also created the fruity Victorian interiors shown in Sir Frederick Adair's photographs of c.1907.

Flixton Hall: the south front showing F.B. Wade's alterations of 1888-92. Courtesy Matthew Beckett

The Adairs remained at Flixton until Sir Shafto Adair died in 1949, when the demands of death duties, the state of the house after wartime neglect, and dwindling estate income persuaded Sir Allan Adair to sell up.  The estate was sold chiefly to the tenants and the house and park in 1950 to Mr. R.G. Lawrence.  The County Council agreed to acquire the house as a county Agricultural College in March 1951 but the Ministry of Agriculture vetoed the scheme the following month, and no other use was found for the house.  In June 1952 Mr Lawrence announced the house would be demolished, but carefully taken down, so that the materials could be sold for re-use, and by the end of 1953 most of it had gone.  The ground floor of the main block was however retained for use as farm buildings and given a new corrugated iron roof, and it survives in this state, forlorn, crumbling and forgotten, prompting an elegiac video.

Flixton Hall: surviving decoration in the interior.

Descent: Crown granted 1544 to John Tasburgh (d. 1551); to son, John Tasburgh (d. 1607); to son, Sir John Tasburgh (c.1576-1629); to son, Charles Tasburgh (d. 1657); to son, Richard Tasburgh (d. 1716); to son, John Tasburgh (d. 1719); to brother, Richard Tasburgh (1693-1734); to sister, Lettice Tasburgh (d. 1738), wife of John Wybarne (d. 1720); after her death sold in 1753 to William Adair (1700-83); to nephew, Alexander Adair (1743-1834); to kinsman, Hugh William Adair (1754-1844); to son, Sir Robert Shafto Adair, 1st bt. (1786-1869); to son, Sir Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (1811-86), 2nd bt and 1st Baron Waveney; to brother, Sir Hugh Edward Adair (1815-1902), 3rd bt.; to son, Sir Frederick Edward Shafto Adair (1860-1915), 4th bt.; to brother, Sir (Robert) Shafto Adair (1862-1949), 5th bt; to his son, Maj-Gen. Sir Allen Henry Shafto Adair (1897-1988), 6th bt., who sold c.1953 to R.G. Lawrence, who demolished it.

Wingfield Castle, Suffolk

Wingfield Castle from an engraving of 1807. Courtesy Ancestry Images

Built by Michael de la Pole, who had licence to crenellate in 1384, but much of the castle was dismantled in 1525 after King Henry VIII had imprisoned the last of the de la Poles and seized his lands.  The castle has a splendid facade with a central three-storey gatehouse with big polygonal turrets with flushwork arcading at the base, and a two-storey wall on either side with brick battlements leading to angle towers.  The original door survives and has blank tracery.  

Wingfield Castle, from an old postcard

The picturesque brick and timber-framed house that now stands behind the gatehouse and curtain wall, and at right-angles to it, is said to date from shortly after 1544.  It has fine circular brick chimneys with three-dimensional decoration, and was restored by Graham Baron Ash from 1943 onwards.

Descent:  Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk (d. 1389); to son, Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (d. 1415); to son, Michael de la Pole, 3rd Earl of Suffolk (c.1394-1415); to brother, William de la Pole, 4th Earl and 1st Duke of Suffolk (1396-1450); to son, John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (1442-92); to son, Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke and later 6th Earl of Suffolk (c.1471-1513), whose estates were seized by the Crown. Site and ruins granted 1544 to Sir Henry Jerningham (1509-72); to son, Henry Jerningham (d. 1619); to son, Sir Henry Jerningham, 1st bt. (d. 1646), who sold c.1630 to Richard Catelyn (fl. 1625-34); to son, Sir Neville Catelyn (1634-1702); to widow, who remarried Sir Charles Turner 1st bt. of Warham (1666-1740), who apparently leased it to Richard Aldous (1686-1721); ?sold to Philippa Leman (d. 1757); to Rev. Dr. Robert Leman DD (1733-79) and then to Robert Wilson, 9th Baron Berners (1761-1838) who leased it as a tenanted farm; to Rev. Henry Wilson, 10th Baron Berners (d. 1851); to Henry W. Wilson, 11th Baron Berners, who sold before 1855 to Sir Robert Shafto Adair, 1st bt. (1786-1869); to son, Sir Robert Alexander Shafto Adair, 2nd bt. (1811-86); to brother, Sir Hugh Edward Adair, 3rd bt. (1815-1902); to son, Sir Frederick Edward Shafto Adair, 4th bt. (1860-1915); to brother, Sir Robert Shafto Adair, 5th bt. (1862-1949), who leased c.1943 to Graham Baron Ash (d. 1980), who remained as tenant until his death; to son, Sir Allan Adair, 6th bt. (1897-1988), who gave it to his daughter, Bridget, Lady Darell who sold 1981 to Mr Wingrove; sold 1983 to Gerald Fairhurst, who restored and sold 1987.. sold 1989 to Mr Gunter

The Adairs of Kinhilt (Wigtownshire) and Ballymena (Antrim) 

The first few generations below are certainly incomplete and almost certainly partially inaccurate.  The printed and online sources available are both mutually contradictory and occasionally implausible to an unusual degree, so I have been very cautious about the information provided.  Online searches will provide additional and alternative dates and names of children; those given here are those I consider reasonably authoritative.  If anyone has additional or more accurate information, please post a comment!

Sir William Adair (d. c.1500) of Kinhilt, knight. Son of Sir Neil or Nigel Adair, kt. (d. 1475) of Portree (Isle of Skye).  He married a daughter of Robert Vans of Barnbarroch and had issue including:
(1) Alexander Adair (d. 1513) (q.v.).
He was granted the Kinhilt estate in Wigtownshire.
He died about 1500.

Alexander Adair (d. 1513) of Kinhilt.  Son of Sir William Adair (d. c.1500) of Kinhilt.  He married 1st, Euphemia, daughter of Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlies; and 2nd, Jane, daughter of Uchtred McDowell; and had issue including:
(1.1) Ninian Adair (d. 1525) (q.v.).
He inherited the Kinhilt estate from his father in about 1500 and built the Castle of St. John at Stranraer c.1510 as a stronghold.
He died at the Battle of Flodden, 9 September 1513.

Ninian Adair (d. 1525) of Kinhilt.  Son of Alexander Adair (d. 1513) of Kinhilt, and his first wife, Euphemia, daughter of Alexander Stewart.  He married Katherine, daughter of Patrick Agnew of Lochnaw and had issue including:
(1) Sir William Adair (d. 1593) (q.v.).
He inherited the Kinhilt estate and the Castle of St. John from his father in 1513.
He died in 1525, and was probably quite young at the time since (a) his father was of fighting age in 1513 and (b) his son lived to 1593.

Sir William Adair (d. 1593) of Kinhilt, knight.  Son of Ninian Adair (d. 1525) and his wife Katherine, daughter of Patrick Agnew of Lochnaw; probably born about 1520.  He married before 1549 Lady Helen Kennedy (fl. 1571), daughter of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassillis and had issue (probably among others):
(1) Ninian Adair (d. c.1606) (q.v.); 
(2) William Adair of Genoch, m. Janet Vans; 
(3) Isobel Adair, m. Bernard Fergusson of Kilkerran.
He inherited the Kinhilt estate and the Castle of St. John from his father in 1525, and rebuilt Dunskey Castle on the coast.
He died in 1593.

Ninian Adair (d. c.1606) of Kinhilt.  Elder son of Sir William Adair (d. 1593) and his wife Lady Helen, daughter of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassillis; probably born about 1545.  He married 18 June 1566 Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Gordon of Kirkpatrick (and Lochinvar?) and widow of John Grierson (d. 1558) of Lag, and had issue including:
(1) William Adair (d. 1626) (q.v.); 
(2) Patrick Adair (fl. 1614);
(2) James Adair of Maryport;
(4) Rt. Rev. Archibald Adair (d. 1646), Dean of Rapho (1616), Bishop of Killaloe 1639-40 (deprived) and Bishop of Waterford & Lismore, 1641-46;
(5) Gilbert Adair (b. c.1582?; fl. 1610);
(6) Thomas Adair (d. before 1610), provost of Stranraer.
He inherited the Kinhilt estate, and the castles of St. John and Dunskey from his father in 1593.
He died in about 1608.

William Adair (d.1626) of Kinhilt and Ballymena.  Eldest son of Ninian Adair (d. c.1606) of Kinhilt.  Made a denizen of Ireland, 1624.  He married 1st, Rosina, daughter of Sir Thomas McClellan of Bomby; 2nd, a daughter of Mr Houstoun of Castle Steward, and 3rd, Helen Cathcart of Carlton and had issue:
(1.1) Sir Robert Adair (d. 1655) (q.v.); 
(3.1) Rev. William Adair (d. 1684); minister of Ayr 1640-84;
(3.2) Anna or Marian Adair, m. William Houston of Killester.
He inherited the Kinhilt estate and the castles of St. John and Dunskey from his father in 1608, but exchanged part of the property, including Dunskey, with 1st Viscount Montgomery, one of the leaders of the Plantation of Ulster, for lands at Ballymena (Antrim) in 1620.
He died 4 November 1626.

Sir Robert Adair (d. 1655) of Ballymena and Kinhilt.  Elder son of William Adair (d.1626) and his first wife Rosina, daughter of Sir Thomas McClellan.  Made a denizen of Ireland, 1624.  MP for Wigtownshire 1639, 1648.  He raised a troop for service in Ireland in the 1640s and was commissioned to serve as a Colonel of horse under General Monck in Ulster in 1648; he was knighted about that time.  He married Jean or Jane, daughter of William Edmondstone of Duntreath (Stirlingshire) and had issue:
(1) William Adair (d. 1661) (q.v.); 
(2) Archibald Adair of Litter (Leix) (d. 1692); married and had issue a son;
(3) Alexander Adair of Drumore; 
(4) Robert Adair; 
(5) Isabella Adair, m. Patrick or Robert MacDowal of Logan (Wigtownshire); 
(6) Anne Adair, m. Rev. Kennedy; 
(7) Joan Adair, m. Patrick (surname unknown).
He inherited the Ballymena and Kinhilt estates from his father in 1626, and built Ballymena Castle as a centre for his property in Antrim.
He died 1 March 1655.

William Adair (d. 1661) of Ballymena and Kinhilt.  Eldest son of Sir Robert Adair (d. 1655) and his wife Jane, daughter of William Edmondstone of Duntreath (Stirlingshire).  He married c.1658 Anne Helena (who married second, Archibald Edmondstone of Braid Island (Antrim) and d. c.1710), daughter of Col. Walter Scott of Hartwoodburn, and had issue:
(1) Col. Sir Robert Adair (1659-1745), kt. (q.v.).
He inherited the Ballymena and Kinhilt estates from his father in 1655.
He died 30 November 1661.

Col. Sir Robert Adair (1659-1745) of Ballymena and Kinhilt, knight.  Only son of William Adair (d. 1661) and his wife Anne Helena, daughter of Col. Walter Scott of Hartwoodburn; born February 1659.  He raised a regiment for King William III and was knighted at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.  He married first Penelope, daughter of Sir Robert Colville of Newtown (Antrim), second, Martha (d. 1705; bur. at Dublin); third, 1705, Anne; and fourth, 1720, Arabella Ricketts (d. 1742); and had issue:
(1.1) Capt. William Robert Adair (d. 1762) (q.v.); 
(2.1) Anna Helena Adair (d. young, 1701); buried at St Bride, Dublin, 15 May 1701;
(3.1) Alexander Adair (b. 1720)
He inherited the Ballymena and Kinhilt estates from his father in 1661 at the age of 2.  He sold the remaining Kinhilt lands c.1736 to the 2nd Earl of Stair.  Ballymena Castle was destroyed by fire in 1740.
He died in Dublin, 9 February 1745, aged 86.

Capt. William Robert Adair (d. 1762) of Ballymena.  Elder son of Col. Sir Robert Adair (1659-1745) and his first wife, Penelope, daughter of Sir Robert Colville of Newtown (Antrim). A Captain in Lord Mark Kerr’s Regiment of Horse at the Battle of Culloden, and later in General Honeywood's Dragoons. He married 1719 at Ludlow (Shropshire), Catherine Smallman (d. 1752) of Ludlow (Shropshire) and had issue:
(1) Robert Adair (1721-98) (q.v.); 
(2) Rev. William Adair (b. c.1724); ed. at Worcester College, Oxford (BA 1748; MA 1750); buried in Garrison church, Southsea, 5 May 1770.
He inherited the Ballymena estate from his father in 1745 but was probably not resident.
He died 19 April 1762.  His wife died 1 April 1752.

Robert Adair (1721-98) of Ballymena.  Elder son of Capt. William Robert Adair (d. 1762) and his wife Catherine Smallman of Ludlow (Shropshire); baptised 26 October 1721.  He married, 25 March 1753 at St Bride's, Dublin, Anne (d. 1798), daughter of Alexander McCauley of Dublin and had issue:
(1) (Hugh) William Adair (1754-1844) (q.v.); 
(2) Robert Adair (1760-1837) of Acton (Middx), m. 3 February 1786 at St Pancras, London, Eliza, daughter of Eden Payne of London, merchant, and had issue one son (killed at Waterloo) and one daughter; died 18 March 1837.
He inherited the Ballymena estate from his father in 1762 but was probably not resident.
He died at Clifton, January 1798.

(Hugh) William Adair (1754-1844) of Ballymena and Flixton Hall.  Elder son of Robert Adair (d. 1798) and his wife Anne, daughter of Alexander McCauley of Dublin; born 9 February 1754.  He married 17 December 1784 Camilla (d. 1827), daughter and heiress of Robert Shafto of Benwell Tower (Northumberland) and had issue:
(1) Sir Robert Shafto Adair (1786-1869), (q.v.);  
(2) William Robert Adair (1788-1803, dsp); 
(3) Capt. Alexander Adair (1791-1863) of Heatherton Park (Somerset) (see the next post);
(4) Camilla Anne Adair (1793-1822), m. 17 June 1819 Rev. Robert Palk Carrington (c.1782-1842) of Bridford (Devon) and had issue; she burned to death in an accidental fire at Heatherton Park, 3 September 1822.
He inherited the Ballymena Castle estate (Antrim) from his father in 1798 and purchased Heatherton Park in Somerset (c1802/1807) and Colehouse in Devon (1825).  He inherited Benwell Tower (Northumberland) from his father-in-law, which he sold c.1831; and Flixton Park (Suffolk) from his kinsman, Alexander Adair (1743-1834) in 1834; this he made over to his eldest son.  At his death, Ballymena also passed to his eldest son and Heatherton and Colehouse to his younger surviving son.
He died at Colehouse, 7 May 1844, aged 90.

The Adairs of Flixton Hall

William Adair (c.1702-83) of Flixton Hall.  Eldest son of Rev. Patrick Adair (b. c.1670), minister at Carrickfergus, and his wife Isabella, daughter of Robert Adair of Maryport and Edinburgh and his wife Rachel Forbes; born c.1702 at Kirkmaiden (Wigtownshire).  In the 1740s and 1750s was army agent to a large number of regiments and made a large fortune.  He married a Miss Smith and had issue:
(1) Jane Adair, m. Edward Brice
(x1) an illegitimate son, name unknown.
He lived in Pall Mall, London and purchased the Flixton Hall estate in 1753.  At his death it was left to his nephew, Alexander Adair (1743-1834).
He died in 1783, and was buried at Flixton, where he is commemorated by a fine monument of coloured marble.

Alexander Adair (1743-1834) of Flixton Hall.  Probably the son of Capt. Alexander Adair, who was the brother of William Adair (c.1702-83) and captain of the East India Company ship Winchelsea, who died en route to Bengal in 1743, and his wife Mary, daughter of Alexander Small.  He seems to have continued his uncle's business as an army agent, but in his will described himself as a confectioner.  In 1805 he raised and commanded the Loyal South Elmham or 9th Troop of Suffolk Yeomanry.  He married 17 December 1783 Lydia, daughter of Sir William Thomas, bt. of Yapton Place (Suffolk), but had no issue.
He inherited the Flixton Hall estate from his uncle in 1783, and at his death bequeathed it to his distant kinsman, (Hugh) William Adair (1754-1844).
He died 17 March 1834, aged about 91, and is commemorated by a memorial in St. James' church, Piccadilly, London. Will proved 11 April 1834 (estate under £700,000); his fortune was left mainly to members of the Baring and Roe families and only the Flixton estate passed to his Adair kinsman. 

The Adairs of Flixton Hall and Ballymena Castle

Sir Robert Shafto Adair (1786-1869), 1st baronet, of Flixton Hall.  Born 26 June 1786; eldest son of (Hugh) William Adair (1754-1844) and his wife Camilla, daughter of Robert Shafto of Benwell Tower (Northumberland).  Educated at Harrow School and Jesus College, Cambridge (admitted Fellow-Commoner, 1804).  Created a baronet, 2 August 1838; FRS 1845; High Sheriff of Suffolk, 1846; FSA 1861. He married 1st, 17 Sept 1810 Eliza Maria (d. 1853), daughter of Rev. James Strode of Berkhampstead, and  2nd, 3 October 1854, Jane Anne (1814-73), eldest daughter of the Rev. Townley Clarkson, vicar of Hinxton, and had issue:
(1.1) Sir Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (1811-86), 2nd baronet (q.v.); 
(1.2) Sir Hugh Edward Adair (1815-1902), 3rd baronet (q.v.).
He received the Flixton Hall estate from his father soon after 1834 and inherited the Ballymena estate from his father in 1844; he rebuilt Flixton Hall after a fire in 1846.  He also purchased Wingfield Castle (Suffolk) in c.1851-55, and owned Adair House in Pall Mall, London.
He died 24 February 1869.  Will proved 16 July 1869 (estate under £60,000).

Sir Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (1811-86), 2nd baronet and 1st Baron Waveney, of Ballymena Castle and Flixton Hall. Elder son of Sir Robert Shafto Adair (1786-1869) and his first wife, Eliza Maria (d. 1853), daughter of Rev. James Strode of Berkhampstead, born 25 August 1811.  Educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted Pensioner, 1828; studied civil law but did not graduate); Honorary Colonel of Suffolk Artillery; aide-de-camp to HM The Queen; MP for Cambridge 1847-52, 1854-57; created Baron Waveney, 10 April 1873; Lord Lieutenant of Co. Antrim 1884-86; peerage extinct on his death. He married 11 June 1836 Theodosia (d. 1871), daughter of Gen. The Hon. Robert Meade, but died without issue.
He inherited the Ballymena Castle, Wingfield Castle and Flixton Hall estates from his father in 1869.  He was established on the Ballymena estate in his father's lifetime and built a new castle there to the designs of Lanyon & Lynn in 1865-87.  In 1870 he had the Bungay to Harleston road re-routed so that it passed further from the house at Flixton.  He also had a house at 7 Audley Square in London. At his death his estates passed to his brother.
He died 15 February 1886, aged 74.  His will was proved 14 July 1886 (estate £11,639).   His wife is commemorated by a fine marble monument by John Bell in Flixton church (Suffolk), 1871.

Sir Hugh Edward Adair (1815-1902), 3rd baronet, of Flixton Hall and Ballymena Castle.  Younger son of Sir Robert Shafto Adair (1786-1869) and his first wife, Eliza Maria (d. 1853), daughter of Rev. James Strode of Berkhampstead, born 26 December 1815.  Educated at St. John's College, Oxford (matriculated 1835; BA 1839; MA 1843) and Lincolns Inn (called to bar, 1844); barrister-at-law; MP for Ipswich 1847-74; JP and DL for Suffolk and Co. Antrim.  He married 10 July 1856 his cousin, Harriet Camilla (d. 1909), daughter of Alexander Adair of Heatherton (Somerset) and had issue:
(1) Hugh Alexander Adair (d. 1868); 
(2) Sir Frederick Edward Shafto Adair (1860-1915), 4th baronet (q.v.); 
(3) Sir (Robert) Shafto Adair (1862-1949), 5th baronet (q.v.); 
(4) Camilla Beatrix Mary Adair.
He inherited the Ballymena Castle, Wingfield Castle and Flixton Hall estates from his brother, 1886.  He remodelled and extended the house at Flixton Hall, 1888-92 and lived mainly at Flixton.  He also had a house at 63 Portland Place, London, in 1886, and at the time of his death was living at Shrublands, Tunbridge Wells (Kent).
He died on 2 March 1902, aged 86; will proved 16 May 1902 (estate £63,966)

Sir Frederick Edward Shafto Adair (1860-1915), 4th baronet, of Flixton Hall and Ballymena Castle.  Second but eldest surviving son of Sir Hugh Edward Adair (1815-1902), 3rd baronet and his wife Harriet Camilla, daughter of Alexander Adair of Heatherton. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1879); born December 1860.  High Sheriff of Suffolk 1910-11; Captain in the Rifle Brigade.  He died unmarried and without issue and is understood to have had a strong friendship with James Cable, the coxwain of the Aldeburgh lifeboat.
He inherited the Ballymena Castle (Antrim), Wingfield Castle and Flixton Hall (Suffolk) estates from his father in 1902.  He sold most of the Ballymena estate to tenants under Irish Lands Act 1903, but retained the castle.   He lived mainly at Adair Lodge, Aldeburgh (Suffolk), which was probably his home before inheriting the estates.
He died on 8 April 1915, aged 55.  His will was proved 25 September 1915 (estate £42,440)

Sir (Robert) Shafto Adair (1862-1949), 5th baronet, of Flixton Hall.  Youngest son of Sir Hugh Edward Adair (1815-1902), 3rd baronet and his wife Harriet Camilla, daughter of Alexander Adair of Heatherton; born 18 August 1862.  Educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1880; BA 1884); Barrister-at-law; DL (Co. Antrim); JP (Suffolk and Norfolk); a director of the Royal Academy of Music.  He married 4 December 1890 Mary (d. 1950), daughter of Henry Anstey Bosanquet and had issue:
(1) Robert Desmond Shafto Adair (d. in infancy); 
(2) Sir Allan Henry Shafto Adair (1897-1988), 6th baronet (q.v.); 
(3) Camilla Mary Shafto Adair (1895-1981), born 24 May 1895; married, April 1918, Edmund Henry Apsley Treherne, son of Goring Apsley Treherne, and had issue; died July-Sep 1981.
He inherited Ballymena Castle (Antrim), Wingfield Castle and Flixton Hall (Suffolk) from his brother in 1915.  He lived mainly at Flixton and leased Wingfield Castle c.1943 to Graham Baron Ash.  During the Second World War he sold the contents of the armoury at Flixton Hall to support the war effort; they are now in the Powder Magazine and the Governor’s Palace at Colonial Williamsburg (USA).  He also owned or rented various houses in Devon and Somerset as holiday homes.
He died 9 October 1949.  Will proved 24 February 1950 (estate £7,977).

Sir Allan Henry Shafto Adair (1897-1988), GCVO, 6th baronet.  Eldest surviving son of Sir Shafto Adair (1862-1949) and his wife Mary, daughter of Henry Anstey Bosanquet; born 3 November 1897.  Educated at Harrow.  Commissioned in Grenadier Guards, 1916 (Captain, 1923; Major, 1932; officer commanding Military Police in London, 1929; Lt-Col., 1940; Brigadier 1941; Maj-Gen. commanding Guards armoured division 1942-45; retired 1947); Lieutenant of HM Bodyguard of the Yeoman of the Guard, 1951-67; Col. of Grenadier Guards from 1960; MC; DSO (1940); CB (1945); GCVO (1967); Officer of the Legion d'honneur and Croix de Guerre (with palms); honorary freeman of Brussels.  Governor of Harrow School, 1947-52; member of Grand Lodge of Freemasons (Asst. Grand Master, 1953; Deputy Grand Master, 1969).  He married 28 April 1919 Enid Violet Ida (1897-1984), daughter of William Humble Dudley Ward and had issue:
(1) Desmond Allan Shafto Adair (1920-43), kia; 
(2) Robin Dudley Shafto Adair (1923-25, dsp); 
(3) Bridget Mary Adair (1928-2018), m. 1953 Sir Jeffrey Lionell Darell (1919-2013), 8th bt., and had issue one son and two daughters; died 1 May 2018;
(4) Juliet Enid Adair (1930-c1989), m. 1949 Edward Neil Fitzgerald and had issue; 
(5) Annabel Violet Adair (b. 1937), unmarried.
He inherited Ballymena Castle, Wingfield Castle and Flixton Hall (Suffolk)  from his father in 1949, but sold Flixton and its contents 1950 and gave Wingfield Castle to his daughter, Bridget, Lady Darell.  Ballymena Castle was vandalised and burnt in the 1950s and was sold to the local council, which demolished it as a dangerous structure; he bought Holy Hill House, Strabane and moved some stained glass windows from the castle there.  He lived at Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate until his retirement and later at Harleston and Raveningham (Norfolk).  He also had a house at 55 Green St., Grosvenor Square, London in 1972. Holy Hill House was sold in 1983.
He died 4 August 1988, when the baronetcy became extinct, and the chieftainship of the Clan Adair passed to Dr. Allan Adair (1907-2008), his second cousin.  Sir Allan and his wife are buried in Hatfield Road Cemetery, St. Albans, where they are commemorated by a simple headstone.  For a portrait photograph, see here.

Sources

Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, successive editions; Illustrated London News, 19 December 1846; Sir A. Agnew, The Agnews of Lochnaw. A history of the hereditary sheriffs of Galloway, with contemporary anecdotes, traditions, and genealogical notices of old families of the sheriffdom, 1330 to 1747, 1864; A.J. Guy, "Regimental agency in the British standing army 1715-63: a study in Georgian military administration", Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library, vol 63 part 1, 1980, pp. 31-57; J. Kenworthy-Browne et al., Burke’s & Savill’s Guide to Country Houses: vol. 3, East Anglia, 1981, pp. 232-34, 269; M. Bence-Jones, A guide to Irish country houses, 2nd edn, 1988, p. 24; J. Allibone, Anthony Salvin, 1988, pp. 166, 172; Brown, Haward and Kindred, Dictionary of Architects of Suffolk Buildings 1800-1914, 1991, p. 173; T. Williamson, Suffolk's Parks and Gardens, 2000, pp. 81, 133; E. Goldstein, 18th Century Weapons of the Royal Welsh Fuziliers from Flixton Hall, 2002; W.M. Roberts, Lost country houses of Suffolk, 2010, pp. 71-75; http://www.aviationmuseum.net/The%20Adairs.htm; 

Where are their papers?

Adair family of Flixton Hall and Ballymena Castle, baronets: deeds, manorial and estate records relating to Co. Antrim (Ballymena etc.) and Suffolk (Flixton etc.), and family papers, 13th-20th cents. [Suffolk Record Office, Lowestoft, HA12]; estate papers (Ballymena etc.), c.1600-20th cent. [Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, D929]

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 2 April 2013, and was updated 15 December 2013, 21 March 2016, 28 May 2018 and 14 April 2019 and 27 November 2020.