Crispin Agnew

Sir Crispin Hamlyn Agnew of Lochnaw, 11th Baronet, LVO, KC, FRGS (born 13 May 1944) is a Scottish advocate, herald and former explorer. He is the chief of the ancient Agnew family, and the eleventh holder of the Agnew baronetcy, created in 1629.^[1] He was elected a member of the Royal Company of Archers, the King's Body Guard for Scotland in 1975.^[2]

Agnew is the only son of Sir Fulque Agnew and his wife Swanzie Erskine, latterly Professor of Geography at the University of Malawi. He succeeded his father in 1975.

He was educated at Uppingham School and RMA Sandhurst, before being commissioned into the Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1964.^[3] He served in Germany, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and the UK. As an active climber and mountaineer and member of the Alpine Club (UK) he was involved with the army's policy of developing adventurous training for soldiers of all ranks. He took part in or led a number of expeditions, including expeditions to Api Himal in 1980,^[4] Everest in 1976,^[5] Nuptse Himal in 1975,^[6] Northern Patagonian Ice Field in 1973,^[7] Elephant Island in 1970,^[8] and Greenland in 1968^[9] and 1966.^[10] He retired as a major in 1981.

Agnew is a King's Counsel and was in practice at the Scottish Bar with Westwater Advocates before going non-practising in April 2020.^[11] He was ranked by Chambers & Partners UK 2018 as a "Star Individual" in Agriculture and Rural Affairs and "Band 1" in Planning and Environment.^[12] He specialised in rural property, planning & environmental, and public law. He was made an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Dundee in 2020.^[13] He is the author of legal textbooks on agriculture, crofting, land obligations and liquor licensing as well as articles in academic journals. He served as a part-time judge of the Upper Tribunal (formerly Social Security Commissioner) (2000 to 2018) and was part-time legal chairman of the Pension Appeal Tribunal (2002 to 2012). He is a legal convenor of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland (2018-).

His heraldic career began in 1978 when he was appointed Slains Pursuivant by Merlin, Earl of Erroll. In 1981, he was appointed Unicorn Pursuivant^[14] at the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. In 1986, he was promoted to Rothesay Herald,^[15] a position he held until 31 August 2021,^[16] when he became Albany Herald Extraordinary.^[17]

He was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2021 Birthday Honours.^[18]

In 1980 he married Susan Rachel Strang Steel, an academic skills adviser Edinburgh Napier University, also a careers adviser with The Career Place^[19] and formerly a journalist and broadcaster, the daughter of Jock Wykeham Strang Steel^[20] and Lesley Graham.^[21] Agnew and his wife have a son and three daughters: Mark, Isabel, Emma and Roseanna. Adventurer Mark Agnew is the Younger of Lochnaw, and the heir to the chiefship and baronetcy.

Selected Works

• Agnew, Sir Crispin, “The Baronets of Nova Scotia.” The Double Tressure, Journal of the Heraldry Society of Scotland (1979); No. 1 pp 35 to 43.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin. “Who were the Baronets of Nova Scotia”. The Scottish Genealogist (1980); Vol. XXVI No. 3 September 1980 pp 90 – 111.
• Agnew, Crispin. (1988). The Conflict of Heraldic Laws. The Juridical review. 1988 Pt 1. 61–76.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin . “Baronial heraldic additaments”, 2004 Scots Law Times (News) 179.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin, and Roseanna CN Agnew. "Protecting badger setts–Where law and science clash." Environmental Law Review 18.1 (2016): 8-24.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin, Thomas Appleby, and Emma Bean. "The ownership of inshore fisheries in Scotland: An opportunity for community ownership?" Journal of Water Law 26.2 (2018).
• Agnew, Sir Crispin, Appleby, T., Bean, E. & Bunware, P. (2019). Fishing or fish farming: the conflict between a Crown grant of salmon fishings in the seas and other Crown rights in the sea in Scotland. Environmental Law and Management. 31, 5, p 193-203.
• Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw Bt, and Gillian Black. “The significance of status and genetics in succession to titles, honours, dignities and coats of arms: Making the case for reform”. The Cambridge Law Journal, vol. 77, no. 2, 2018, pp. 321–348.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin and Sarah Hendry (2020). “The impact of riparian and other public rights in Scotland on the delivery of ‘run of the river’ hydro schemes: Time for a new approach.” Journal of Water Law 27(1) p3.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin and Jahan, I. (2021). A critical analysis of the development of the concept of giving rivers a personality: does it in fact help to protect the rivers? Journal of Water Law, 27(3), 77-88.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin. “Soldiers in Greenland – 1930 to 1990”. (2021) British Army Review, No. 180 Spring/Summer 2021 pp. 112-12.^[22]
• Agnew, Sir Crispin (2022). The “capacity” dichotomy for Mental Health Tribunals Scotland. Juridical Review, Issue 3, p. 125-147
• Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw Bt, and Gillian Black. “Reforming the law of succession to peerages, baronetcies and dignities: identifying problems and exploring solutions”. Public Law, vol. 2023, no. 1, 2023, pp. 104–125.
• Agnew, Sir Crispin. Giving the River Clyde a Legal Personality (2025) 229 SPEL 61.

Arms

Coat of arms of Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw

Notes This coat of arms with the chevron first appears on the seal of Quentin Agnew of Lochnaw c 1487, previous versions having been recorded featuring three hands in the Hague Armorial Roll (c 1590) and Sir George Mackenzie’s "Science of Herauldry" (1680). Crest Above the shield, from which is pendent by an orange-tawny riband the Badge of a Baronet of Nova Scotia, is placed a Chapeau Azure furred Ermine, and thereon an Helm befitting his degree with a Mantling Gules doubled Argent, and on a Wreath of the Liveries is set for Crest an eagle issuant and reguardant Proper Escutcheon Argent, a chevron between two cinquefoils in chief Gules and a saltire couped in base Azure.[23] Supporters Two heraldic tygers Proper, collared and chained Or Motto CONSILIO NON IMPETU