I have been doing research on the 1630 muster roll taken in the Portlough precinct of the Laggan District in east Donegal. This is an important area because it was where the Redshanks of Fionnaula Níc Dhónaill settled. She is also known in history as the very famous Iníon Dubh, a major player in Irish history. She was a Scottish princess, the daughter of Seamus Mac Dónaill, Taoiseach of Clann Dónaill and Anna Chamibeul, daughter of the Earl of Argyll.
Below is a list of the men on the 1630 Portlough precinct muster roll. This list is particularly important as according to Crown records, as late as 1628, this precinct was described as not being planted yet, meaning to English eyes it was still very Gaelic and Irish, but in fact, it had been planter after a fashion, but by Scottish Gaels from Argyll, the Hebrides, and Ayrshire.
For those who are researching via DNA testing, the list below particularly important. If as your match group forms, and if you find a geographic link to the Laggan, this list may contain your ancestor on it.
Almost all the surnames on the list are Scottish. Most from mid Argyll, but quite a few from the Lennox, and western Ayrshire. Many of the names are of obvious Caimbeul sponsored Redshanks who came with Iníon Dubh to Donegal circa 1569 into the late 1590s. The Caimbeul clan recruited Redshanks from not only their base in mid Argyll, but also from allied clans in the Lennox, from Arran, Bute, Mull, etc.
I have left the spellings as they appeared on the original list, which some modern forms in parenthesis. On a personal note, I was surprised to find my own ancestor on the list. Not only is he remembered in the oral history of my family here in the New World, but there are still McCains living in Donegal right where he reported for the muster roll. Which is illustrative of how to combine DNA testing, oral family history, and primary source documents, to recover lost family history.
I am now working the Scottish point of origin of all the Redshank surnames on the list. This will be offered in the hard copy version of A History of the Laggan Redshanks, 1569-1630 which will be out this summer.
Adam (Adam, Adams, McAdam)
McAdowe (MacCow)
Aickeene (Aitken)
McAlexander, Alexander
Allan, Allen
Allyson (Allison)
McAndrew (Andrew)
Arnott
McArthur
Ballintyne
Barbor (Barbour)
Barkly
Barlaine, Barlone
Baruzathyn (Brabazon)
McBaxter
Beare (Barry)
Boyd
Boyes
Boyill, (Boyle)
Bredyne, Bredene (Brendan)
Brice
Brittein
Browne
Buchanan
Bullesine (Ballentine)
McCadame (MacAdam)
Callhow
Calmeris, Calmeris
Calwell
McCamy
Campbell
McCan (MacCann)
McCahey
Carlell (Carlisle)
Carr
McCarslaire
McCawly (McCauley)
McCleane, (MacClain, MacClane, MacLain)
McClaney
McCleary
Cock
Cokeran Cocheran
McCole, McColl
Colmories
Colquphone, Mcquchowne (Calhoun)
McConnell (MacDonald, MacDonnell)
McConochy
Cooke
McCorkill
McCredy (McCready)
Crawfford (Crawford)
Cruse (Cruise)
Conningham (Cunningham)
McCullagh (MacCullough)
McCurid
Davidson, David, Davison
Davye, Davy
Denniston, Denyston
McDonnell
Douglas
Dromond (Drummond)
Dyne
McEmmory (McEmery, Amory)
Enery
McEuan
Ewing
Mcffarlen (MacFarlane)
Mcffay (MacFay)
ffife, (Fife)
ffoulton (Foulton)
ffulloone, (Folane)
ffynlagh (Finlay)
Gafeth
Galbreath (Galbraith)
Gall
Gambell (Campbell)
Gamill
Galey
Garvance
George
Gibb
McGillione
Gillmore
Gillrew
McGilrouse
Glass
McGourden
Graham
Greire (Greer, Greir)
Giffin
Gillaspy (Gillespie, Archibald)
Gulilan
Haldin
Hamilton
Hamond
Harper
Hasta
Henry
Hewes (Hughs)
Highgate
Hinman
Home, Hoomes (Holmes)
Horner
Hourd
Hunter
Hururence
Hustone, Houston
McHutchon (MacCutchen)
McIldonagh
McIlman
McIlhome
McIltherne (Mac Elheron)
McIlwane
Johnston (Johnston, Johnson)
McKaire
McKan (MacCann)
Makee, (MacGee, MacKey)
McKeeg
McKaine (MacCain, MacKane, MacKean, McKeen)
McKeene, (MacCain, MacKane, MacKean, MacKeen)
Keine (Cain, Kane, Kean, Keen)
Kelly
Kennen
Kenedye, Kenedy, Kenedy, Henedy (Kennedy)
McKennye, McKenny
Kennan
McKergour
Killy (Kelly)
McKirdly
Kilsoe (Kelso)
Knox
McKyndely, (MacKenley)
McLentock (MacClintock)
Lars
Laughlan (MacLachlan)
Lawder
Leackye, Lackye, Lackye, Leaky
Leag
Leman (Leaman)
McLenochan (MacLenachan, MacClenahan)
Logan
Lokehart (Lockart)
Lowrye
Lyndsey Lyndsay,
McLynienie
Lyone
Marshell (Marshall)
Martin
Michell (Mitchell)
Miller
Morison
Moire, Moore
Muntgomery (Montgomery)
Mure (Muir)
mcMuyre (McMurry)
Muthey
McNair
Naught (MacNaught)
McNeron
McNichol
McNit (MacNitt)
McNevin, McNiven
Noble
Or
Parmenter
Patterson
Peacock, Pecock
Pearce
McPeter
Porlerm (Parlan)
Porter
Pots
Quahone (MacCone)
Ralston (Raulston)
Ramsey
Ranckein, Rankin (Rankin)
Reed
Reroch
Richye, Richey
Richmoule
Roger (Roger, Rodger)
Robinson
Rothes
Royare (Rory)
Royer
Sempell
Scot
Smyth, (Smith)
Smeally
Snodgarse
Speare
Speney
Squire
Staret (Starret)
Steavenson (Stevenson)
Steward
Stole
Swayne, Swaine
Symison (Simpson)
Toes
Thomson, Thompson
Thromble (Trumble)
Mctyre (MacIntyre)
Valentyne
Walker, McWalker
Wan
Watson
White
Willy
McWilliam (Williams)
Wilson
Wood
McWrick (MacRirick)
Young
I have been reading your wonderful account of the Laggan Valley Redshanks and the surnames of the Clans....Although my surname originates as an Oriel Sept in Ireland, I have noticed that they are some McVey's in County Donegal, surely thay can't be of redshanks, or could they......My own Family are from County Tyrone that moved to Airdrie and Coatbridge during the 1800's, strangely my Father Bill would say that we were Jacobites hence why my Ancestors were mostly called Charles Edward and Francis.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled onto this site a few years ago and read with interest this list of 'Scottish' surnames in the Laggan. My roots are through Faloon from the Lagan Valley west of Lisburn in south Co. Antrim. Interesting to see a James ffulloone in Donegal ca. 1630. I had long suspected Scottish roots but I now believe it is more probable that those roots are English, possibly from Yorkshire ca. early 1600s. No way to know for certain since many Lowland Scots names (and Irish ones too) have English roots but it does seem highly probable as many English from Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Devon, Somerset etc. under Chichester, Conway, Rawdon & others predominantly settled south Antrim in the early 1600s. So too many English adventurers came to Donegal, Derry etc in the same time period. A closer look at this list of 'Redshanks' reveals many English surnames; and a few native Irish ones too so one has to be careful in making assumptions.
ReplyDeleteI should have noted that many of these names (including ffulloone) quite probably actually came from the Scottish/English Borders. These 'reivers' were every bit as fearsome as the Redshanks, if not more so; as this region was very volatile in that era. Many of these clannish families were interchangeably and advantageously both Scottish and English. This fearsome contingent of Redshanks & Borderers provided a formidable buffer against the 'wild' native Irish woodkerne in the settlement areas of Plantation Ulster such as the Laggan and whom would soon prove to strongly defend the walls of Enniskillen & Derry.
ReplyDeleteThis hypothesis was formulated by having recently having found a James Fowlune, son of Henry Fowlune as having been christened ca. 1673 in Alnwick, Northumberland- whose sod trembled under the hooves of Reiver horses a mere 70 years prior, a mere 32 miles from Kelso, Roxburghshire. Berwickshire, Mikilbrekauch(Dumfriesshire)- Scotland & Carlisle(Cumbria), England are all not far away were all former haunts of the Reivers.
ReplyDeleteThese Borderers formed the backbone of the Ulster Scots, or Scotch-Irish as they came to be known in America.
DeleteIndeed my own surname, England- itself a synonym of Inglis/English & also probably from Berwickshire on the Scottish Borders and believed to have come down through Pennsylvania to what is now Barbour Co., WV via the Donegal/Tyrone area of Ulster (to Pa ~1730s, to Randolph Co. Va in the Tygart River Valley circa 1787).
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