Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 35.djvu/245

MacNaghten dresses to Knox's only daughter. Mary Anne, a girl of fifteen, who was entitled to a fortune of 6,000l. Miss Knox favoured his suit, but her father opposed it. Macnaughton, however, told Miss Knox that her father had secretly consented to their marriage; then persuaded her to read over the marriage service with him in the presence of a youth named Hamilton, and finally claimed Miss Knox as his wife by law in virtue of the supposed contract between them. He followed her to Sligo, but was there challenged by a friend of the Knox family, and being wounded was obliged to take refuge in his uncle's house at Londonderry. Meanwhile, the prerogative court of Armagh set aside the pretended contract, and 600l. damages were awarded to Knox.

Macnaughton, to avoid a writ sued out against him for these damages, withdrew to England. But in August 1761 he returned to Ireland, visited Enniskillen, and learning that Miss Knox with her mother and aunt were drinking the waters at Swanlinbar, a village ten miles from Enniskillen, he hired a lodging there, disguised as a common sailor. His movements excited suspicion, and Miss Knox and her friends were placed under the protection of Lord Mountflorence at Florence Court, co. Fermanagh. Macnaughton, after vainly soliciting an interview there with Miss Knox, planned an attack on Knox and his family on their way to Dublin for the parliamentary session. On 10 Nov. he, with accomplices, attacked Knox's coach at a sequestered spot by Cloughhean, and, meeting with a determined resistance, shot Miss Knox with fatal effect. Macnaughton, who was himself badly wounded, rode off, but was captured in a hayloft by two of Sir James Caldwell's light hone, and lodged in Lifford gaol. At his trial on 11 Dec. he was brought into court on a bed dressed in a 'white flannel waistcoat with black buttons, a parti-coloured woollen nightcap, and a crape about his shoulders.' He declared he had no intention Of killing anybody, but that, feeling himself wounded, he no longer knew what he did. He strove to save the life of an accomplice Dunlap, who was tried with him, alleging that the man was his own tenant and has acted under his influence. His eloquence and resigned bearing are said to have 'drawn tears from the eyes of many,' but he was sentenced to be hanged at Strabane on 16 Dec. 1761. The populace imagined that Macnaughton had only tried to seize a wife wrongfully detained from him, and in consequence of a general refusal to take part in the work, the gallows was built by an uncle and some friends of Miss Knox. Macnaughton behaved with the utmost coolness at his execution. The rope broke three times — an accident that entitled him to his liberty, but he bade the sheriff proceed. He and Dunlap were buried in the same grave behind the church of Strabane, co. Tyrone.

 MACNAGHTEN, WILLIAM HAY (1793–1841), diplomatist, born in August 1793, was second son of Sir Francis Macnaghten (1763–1843) of Dundarave, Bushmills, co. Antrim, by his wife Letitia, eldest daughter of Sir William Dunkin of Clogher. The father was knighted on becoming a judge of the supreme court of Judicature at Madras in 1809, and was transferred to the supreme court of Bengal in 1816. He assumed the additional surname of Workman in 1823, retired from the bench in 1825, and was created a baronet 16 July 1886. In 1832 he succeeded to the chieftainship of the Clan Macnaghten and the patrimonial estate of Beardiville, on the death of his brother, Edmund Alexander Macnaghten. After being educated at Charterhouse, William received a cadetship in the East India Company's service, and came to India in September 1809. For some time he served in the bodyguard of the governor of Madras, and was a member of his household. He devoted himself zealously to the study of Hindustani, for which he gained a prize of five hundred pagodas in May 1811, and of Persian, the language then most in request in the political department, for which he gained a similar prize two years later. He also acquired the Tamil, Telugu, Canarese, and Marathi tongues. From June 1811 to the summer of 1812 he served as a cornet in the 4th cavalry at Hyderabad, and was initiated by Henry Russell, the resident, into the diplomacy of the nizam's court. In 1812 he joined Lord William Bentinck's institution, and pursued the study of mathematics. He was also employed on survey duty, and in 1813 he joined the escort of Mr. Cole, resident of Mysore, and acted as Cole's political assistant.

Macnaghten was appointed to the civil service of Bengal in 1814, and arrived at Calcutta in October, bearing the highest commendations from Madras. There he continued his oriental studies for some time at the college of Fort William, and gained the highest attainable distinction in every eastern language taught there. He was appointed in May I8I0 assistant to the registrar in the Sudder Dewanny Adawlut, the court of appeal for the presidency of Bengal. Next he officiated as joint magistrate of Majda 