1700 -1780

If records for the 1600's were scarce then the 1700's are little better, for large a large part of the century I can find no records at all.

An Andrew McCorkell executed a will in the Barony of Raphoe in 1707(no other details known)first time I have seen this spelling of the surname. I am unsure if this will survives but Andrew seems to be the first McCorkell to have been reasonably well off to leave a will. Again it could conceivably be the same Andrew encountered in the 17th century.

Below Andrew in the list is a Margaret McCorkhill who executed a will in 1761 also from Raphoe from somewhere called Drummochill (I can find no other reference to this place) Margaret is the first McCorkhill female I have come across and again most have been quite well off to produce a will.

In 1778 William McCorkhill turns up in estate records for the Abercorn Estate in the Laggan area of Donegal.

The Laggan area shown on the map above was a fertile low laying region in eastern donegal where several McCorkells have already appeared in the 17th Century.

The records appear in the PDF book "The Laggan and its People" available for free download, which traces the history of the area. below are the 2 entries:

27th March, 1778.

Cloughfinn people wanted lime in Mr. Carey's farm where they always had it. McCorkill said there was lime on his farm but it lay deep.

llth May, 1783.

Wm. McCorkhill of Cloughfinn sold his farm to Pinkerton (distiller). Old Wm. Lapsley lives with his son, an English teacher, in Lifford.

So 2 entries presumably the same person William McCorkhill, the estate records may hold more references not published in the book, what is clear even from these scant entries is that William sold his farm to Pinkerton a distiller before disappearing into thin air like so many of his forbears.

Where the McCorkells got to between Da. McCorkle circa. 1670 and William 100 years later I have yet to discover, what is likely however is that many would have left these shores as part of the great Presbyterian migration to America during the early part of the 1700's.

Their story is told in 'From Viking Glory' by Louis McCorkle although I have never read the book (almost impossible to source) some information relating to the American branch of the fmily can be found in this excellent website: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dwoody/mccorkle/index.htm

By this time I can see 2 distinct areas of McCorkell settlement, those who settled in the Laggan area of Donegal possible descendants of Andrew and John McCorkill and a smaller family group in Inishowen, possible decendants of Agney McCorkey.