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Hello Cousin:
The name MacCorkell is a version of MacCorkill and MacCorkle (or visaversa)and other varieties of spelling. We all came from Ireland. The Corkill's came to Scotland from Ireland in the earliest centuries when the Celts established themselves in Ireland. Fergus broke away and went on his own investigating the Islands north of Ireland. They landed in the Hebrides and intermixed with the Norse and Picts of the area. The usage of the Mac is the same as in Ireland, it simply means son of. After the first Corkill had a son, he named him MacCorkill and that is how the name became established in Scotland. It is also now intermixed with,
the Norse form: Thor's Kettle (also) and was quickly adaped by the Norse because they heard what they thought was a connection with Thor's Kettle. It is spelled very similar to Torquil or Thorkell which is Norse. However, our earliest Irish ancestors came from Ireland, spread through Scotland, intermarried, and flourished and became known as Scots by the Romans.
The Celts in Ireland (originally came from) the steps of Russia area, which was not Russia then.....but a huge white population known as the Celts. The reason they never established themselves as did the Greeks and Romans, they had their own bands (or clan like groups), very war like when fighting to keep their own land, and lived pretty much within their own groups. If they had stood as one group; had a written language instead of Bards then there would have been a huge nation of Celts.
I hope I have answered your question, and please keep in touch. We are blood
relatives no matter how thin over the years.
Slainte mhath, (good health)
Scone
Nancy MacCorkill, F.S.A. Scot
Historian of the Ancient Clans of Scotland
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<<>>>>>That is alright. I have a few days at home this week.
The information you gave me has been most useful although some of the details are slightly confusing to me. I was aware of the history of the Gunn Clan through a book entitled, ' The Highland clans ' by Sir Iain Moncreiffe originally published in 1967 by Barrie&Rockliff in the U.K. are you aware of this publication?
>>>>>Yes, but it is not as accurate as some.
The chapter on the Gunn Clan concentrates on the Clans Norse connections and its why I always assumed that the definition of our name: Thors Kettle to be the correct one.
>>>>>That is correct. Clan Gunn has the used the Thors Kettle as their clan
connection name.
The name "Torquil" I was unaware of, in your exceptional "Scottish Internet book" in the chapter entitled "Septs, What are They?", you give a brief history to the origins of your name and the connection with the MacLeods of Lewis. When I went back to the book' The Highland Clans' , in the chapter on the MacLeods of Lewis it stated :Leod's two sons founded the two great branches of clan Leod: Known as the Siol Tormod and the Siol Torquil. Torquil's descendants held the Island of Lewis until they were overthrown by the expanding Mackenzies (claiming through a bogus heiress) at the beginning of the seventeenth century : but younger branches of the Siol Torquil held Assynt and Cadboll on the mainland rather longer, and the island of Raasay until 1846.
>>>>>Most of the above paragraph is correct. The MacLeod of Harris (MacLeod of MacLeod or Tormod) fought for the Scottish king and was never rewarded and lost many men. The MacLeods of Lewis (Torquil) did not fight for the king, feeling that the king would not treat them fairly, as it turned out to be true. The MacLeods of Lewis, turned out for the next great battle and were all but completely destroyed. When they returned their lands had been taken away by the Scottish King and given to the another clan by the King. The King of
Scotland, and previous Kings of Scotland was at war itself with the Hebridesor a long time, fearing they would bring back the Norse influence, and also because the Hebridean Islands was run by MacDonald, of Lord of the Isles. After MacDonald was forced by the Scottish King to give up any right to be Lord of the Isles, and stay out of battles, it became a free-for-all between the MacLeods, MacLaines and others. The MacLeod ruled for quite some time. I believe it was the MacLaines, not the MacKenzies who took over MacLeod of Lewis' land. I will have to check to see if I have that correct. The MacLeod of Lewis, (those left) then moved to their lands in Assynt, Cadboll , and the island of Raasay . I think the writer you read is confusing the MacLeod of MacLeod (Tormod) about the marriage. Tormod married
a islander woman who owned Dunvegan, thus acquiring that land.>>>>>
This was the only mention of the name "Torquil" in the book.
>>>>>This is because the Gunns did not associate the name Torquil as theirs, nearly as much as the Hebridean MacLeods. However the Viking who settled Orkney, and Caithness, was Olaf the Black, and his brother "Leod" settled, all of Skye, Lewis, and many islands in the Hebrides. The two clans were cousins. Some MacCorkills went to live in the Caithness area, not always being agreeable with the Gunns but nethertheless, related. The reason the name Torquil is in both clans is that a Gunn princess (daughter of George the Crowner - Gunn) married a MacCorkill of MacLeod of Lewis, and the names from that point on, were forever
used in both clans.>>>>>
>>>>>Unfortunately, many Lords, in Scotland, wrote history as they remembered it orwanted to remember it. Many times, for their own glorification. The only reliable books were written by the different Lord Lyons of Scotland, two of which I had the pleasure of working with.>>>>>
Here is another piece of information in the above book that maybe you could
shed some light on in the chapter on the McCorquodale Clan it states :the
surname McCorquodale means son of Thorketil, itself an old Norse pagan name
meaning ' Cauldron of the Thunder spirit '.
>>>>>This is what I mean about unauthorized information. MacCorquodale, is a sept of MacLeod of Lewis. However, some of them will not, give up the theory that MacCorquodale (and various spellings) are their own clan. Just because they went to the present Lord Lyon and got a tartan, moto and are listed in the present Lord Lyons book. It is still wrong, and MacCorquodale is a sept of MacLeodof Lewis. However, they argued often with the Lewis clan until at one point the MacLeod of Lewis, threw them out, and off Lewis land. They then went to live in Campbell land, and seemed to get along fine with the Campbells????
At one point I thought I may have had more in common with this Clan than the
Gunns as our names are very similar else ware in this chapter it states : The
seal of Duncan McCorquodale of Phantelane, the Baron in 1556 , bore the
legend ' S.Duncan.mak.corkatill ' . Again you see the similarities between
this and our own Sept name.
>>>>>Yes, I can understand this. I feel my name and much of our Clan sept is MacLeod of Lewis than Clan Gunn. However, in my case, our relatives were born in Caithness, but still MacLeods of Lewis Gunns. It is simply a case that the two clans were cousins and even followed the Norse habit of fosterage. Trading baby boys amoung families, which only made them strongly loyal.>>>>>
>>>>>I claim both Clans as our history is so intermixed. Clan Gunn and Clan MacLeod of Lewis and then my mother's clan of Keith (Marshall). I feel very definitely that my clans is closer to Clan MacLeod of Lewis, and that is why my pages carry both clans. I will probably always be closer to MacLeod of Lewis and the Hebrides, having been born there.
What is the Irish connection ? Again I wasn't aware of Fergus and his connection with our name I had always assumed that my ancestors had arrived in Ireland as part of ' The plantation of Ulster ' in the seventeenth century.
>>>>>They could have come through Ulster but that was 4 centuries later than the Hebridean invasion from Ireland and the formation of Dalriada, (the Irish who became Scots' ) homeland territory. They were given the name of Scots by the Roman leader, Tiberius.
The Ulster Plantation was set up by England, after the Irish took back most
of their Ireland, except Northern Ireland. I always call it North East. The
Ulster Plantation was set up by England to put dissidents there to keep them
away from the favored English. More as a buffer between Ireland and England.
The people of the Ulster consisted, among others, of Irish under English
rule, Scots who came down from the Highlands to find work, after Culloden,
Presbyterians who the English hated. The Presbyterians would not accept the
Church of England and Cromwell began to hate the Presbyterians, so he shipped
all he could find to Ulster, and other people who wanted out of the Lowlands
and England.....they also went to Ulster. Ulster was know as a port for
being immigrated out to Canada, (the Hudson Bay Fur Colonies), the Colonies
in the America where they became slaves, Australia, as prisoners and New
Zealand. The Clearances were in full swing, to rid England and the Lowlands
of Scotland, ......of the strange Gaelic speaking people from the North.
After Culloden, the English were afraid these fierce fighters might reform
again. They (the Highlanders) were killed, burned out, starved, beaten
pittiless and sold into slavery from the North. The young men were taken
into the English Armies. From Ulster, most immigrated out without the stigma
of slavery.>>>>>
Have you wrote a history of the MacCorkill name, If so is it on the Internet
? As I would love to learn more about our shared histories.
>>>>Yes, it is under the listing of Sept MacCorkill. I have written it from the prespective of Clan Gunn, so it might "not" help you much......however, I have also written the Histories of Clans MacLeod of MacLeod, now know as Harris (Tormod), and MacLeod of Lewis, Torquil. All are on my menu and can be reached from the menu pages (I believe page 2 of the menus). There is a link at the bottom of each of the 4 menu pages that takes you to the next page.>>>>>
I hope you could make some sense out of this e-mail, as you can probably see
I'm still rather confused but would appreciate any help you can give me.
>>>>>With all the incorrect information out there on the internet, I can see
why.
Be assured anything I write, has been researched thoroughly and I use only
the
accredited writers for reference.
Nancy MacCorkill
Scone
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