Thursday, April 10, 2008
-
Mac Torquil
In preparation for my upcoming trip to Europe, I've been trying to do a little research on the origin of my surname, McCorkle. After lots of fruitless searching on the internet, I finally came across some information in a few different sources.
According to http://www.pcez.com/~glennab/mccorklefamilyhistory.htm:
The McCorkle name originated in Scotland, but the name has made many changes over the centuries. In the ninth Century A.D., the Scottish King, Kenneth the Great went to Ireland to assist Alpin, King of the Scots against the Picts. When Kenneth defeated the Picts and the Vikings, he did so with the help of a Danish Prince named Torquil (A.D. 734). Kenneth rewarded Torquil with a land grant near Oban, on Loch Awe, for accomplishing his hazardous mission. Torquil was a descendant of the Thorgisl, mentioned in the Viking Thorgisl Saga about 700 A.D. Torquil's father was named Thorquil (or Thorgesius in Latin) and his grandfather was Thorkill, son of Thurkill, son of Thurkell, son of Thorgisl. Torquil had a son named Mac Torquil, which in Gaelic, means son of Torquil. The land which Torquil received was in what is now County Argyle, Scotland, and the name Mac Torquil is still used in some locations in the Highlands
According to http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dwoody/mccorkle/glean.htm:
Mac Toruil (the son of Torquil), Mac Corkle, the surname of a Highland sept, was founded by Torquil, a prince of Denmark under Kenneth the Great. Kenneth was in Ireland helping Alpin, King of the Scots, against the Picts. Torquil, a Danish prince, was rewarded with land near Loch Awe, by Kenneth, for performing a hazardous mission. Mac Torquil is still used in some places in the Highlands and is one of the oldest names in County Argyle. The last lineal descendant is dead. In the great invasion of North Ireland, the family moved to Derry.
County Argyll (Argyle or Argyllshire) is located in southwest Scotland. (see map below)
Loch Awe is marked on the map below with a green arrow. I guess McCorkles have always been Awe-inspiring.
(I wonder if there's a Loch Awe monster?)
According to the above sources, McCorkle is a sept of the MacLeod clan. (Cool, so am I related to Connor MacLeod!?)The McCorkle coat of arms displays the following:
Crest: A stag, standing at gaze, attired gules (i.e. red horns)
Arms: A demi-stag, gules, naissant out of a fesse tortille (i.e. springing out of a twisted band)
Motto: Vivat Rex! (i.e. Long Live the King)
So who knows, perhaps during my travels I'll encounter a fellow McCorkle. Or Mac Thorquil. Or MacCorkhill, MacCorkindale, MacCorkindell, MacCorkle, MacCorkuodil, MacCorkuodul, MacCorqill, MacCorqindal, MacCorqindul, MacCorquindale, MacCorquodale, MacCorquodil, McCorcal, McCorckell, McCorckill, McCorckle, McCorcle, McCorkel, McCorkell, McCorkendale, McCorkendell, McCorkhill, McCorkil, McCorkill, McCorkindal, McCorkindale, McCorkindell, McCorkindil, McCorkindul, McCorkuodal, McCorkuodil, McCorkuodul, McCorqell, McCorqindal, McCorqindil, McCorquindale, McCorquodal, McCorquodale, McCorquodell, McCorquodul, McQuorcadale, McQuorcodale, Mac Thorcaill...
-
recommend
- recs 0
- give stars
- votes 0
-
email
- sent 0
Post a Comment
- Back to KentyMac's Xanga Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in KentyMac's local time zone: GMT -08:00 (Pacific Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (10)
haha thats really interesting. i thought you would of past for German, but the last name did in fact sound Irish or Scottish.
I know i am related to the Patterson clan's adopted kin, Maclaren. yay for sottish history! but my family tracked us back to Ireland crossing on the Mayflower.
cool stuff, yay for family history! i know allot of it since my parents (as well as myself.. sometimes) do historical reenactment stuff. Maybe i can pull some contacts and see if i can come up with more :P *laughs*
Dude that is a way cool saga! My Turner half is from Scotland. John and I went to Sterling and stood on the Wallace Monument, overlooking the valey of Sterling, and yelled FREEDOM!!!!! :)
Maybe you're related to Alex McLeod...that would be amazing
And I thought St. Germain could be confusing!
So perhaps we are related...I have lots of scots in my past...that is actually very close to the region of scotland we were in. there is a fabulous area to go to just to the north of loch Awe that I cannot remember the name, but I will try and force it out.
Doesn't Loch Awe roughly translate to today's "lack of awe"?
@timsmithxa - Actually, I'm pretty sure Loch Awe means the "Lake of Awesomeness". Apparently, my ancestors bathed their regularly to soak up all the awesomeness they since passed on to me.
lol - loved the above comment. you're a clever fellow kentymac....
(x2)
I believe that many of my past teachers/professors probably used those last names before when trying to say McCorkle!
Hey, I noticed your footprint. It's great that you are about to enjoy a trip to Europe! I also read the above post noting all the stress that you are enduring, so yeah, it will be great to get away see some great sites, let the antiquity and beauty of Europe carry you away. All that stress will be forgotten before you know it! ;) I am hoping for a trip like that some day myself. We are planning a trip to Scotland on our 25th wedding anniversary...yeah, I'm that OLD...well almost, that's five years away! lol My husband's family (both sides) as well as my own (both sides, but particularly my mother's) are mostly Scottish. It is my/our dream to go. I may find it difficult to return, in fact! lol
Anyway, enjoy your trip....and hang in there on the moving preparations. I am experiencing some similar feelings with my oldest son's high school graduation preps. We home school and he is graduating with a group of twenty other home school Seniors in an elaborate ceremony that takes a lot of preparation. Also, we have to have our own diplomas, programs, slideshows, etc. made, take care of caps and gowns and a lot of other details that come automatically to public high school students/parents. It has been interesting.