The Gaggins of County Cork

The Gaggin Family of Cloyne, co. Cork were a well-to-do Anglo-Protestant family living in the region south of Middleton in the 1800's.  See John Boles Gaggin for this family's connection to The Bowles of Cork.

I believe that the Gaggin name in Cork is a modern variant of the Gookin family name but, to be fair, it has at least three very possible origins:

The Geoghegan Clan

The Geoghegan Clan website http://www.geoghegan.org/clan/ claims the Gagin name as a variant and includes Gaggins of Cork references in their lists of Geoghegan documents available to members.  Undoubtedly some Gaggins in Ireland have their roots in the Geoghegan clan including some in Cork.  The English Clerks and other record keepers of 1600's and 1700's Ireland paid very little attention to surname spelling, often using whatever family name they happened to be most familiar with which sounded closest to the name they were told in an Irish brogue so many variations quickly developed .  The Gaggins in Cork prior to the mid-1700's and continuing on to modern times were very possibly of the Geoghegans line.  However, this line is a noble Irish line which extends back to Niall of the Nine Hostages, the High King of Ireland prior to the English plantation of Ireland.  That does not seem consistent with the Anglo-Protestant line of Gaggins who were large landowners in the Middleton area of Cork.  These were gentry who were well established in the Anglo community of that region which was established well back in the early 1600's.  They were the targets of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 rather than the Irish rebels themselves.  They were awarded the land distributed to English Adventurers and the supporters of Oliver Cromwell rather than the original owners of the land which was being distributed.  They were the large landowners, the Justices of the Peace and the militia officers of the 1800's.  Some branches of the early Irish families did make that transition to acceptability, swearing allegiance to the King of England and adopting the Protestant religion  in order to maintain their land holdings but I have not found any indications of that occurring in Cork with the Geoghegan line. 

The Gookin Family of Kent

There are some solid indications that the gentry Gaggin line may have originated with the Gookin family of Cork.  The name is not dissimilar, the Dutch Captain de Vries met Daniel Gookin in 1633 and wrote in his log book that he had met a "gentleman of name of Geogen".  A correspondent from Boston to the Oxford Journal: Notes and Queries vol, s3-II, number 43 (1862) wrote "in the lapse of six centuries, I find the name Colkin, or Cokin, primarily borne by one and the same familyand thus spelled: Cokin, Cockin, Cokayn, Cokain, Colkin; or Gokin, Gockin, Godekin, Goolkyn, Goolken, Golkeyn, Gookin."  There are several other otherwise very coincidental connections between the two. 

The Gookin family of Cork came originally from Kent, England before 1616 and settled at Castle Mahon. See The Gookins of Kent, England  One of their townlands was called Gaggin in records going back to 1642.  The Depositions By Settlers Regarding Losses Sustained In The Rebellion of 1641 includes a Mary Berry of Gaggin with losses assessed at £148.  However this townland may have been named after the Cogan family which occupied this area much earlier (see Milo de Cogan below).

Milo de Cogan

Milo (or Miles) de Cogan was the right hand man of Richard FitzGilbert, better known as Strongbow, the Norman Conqueror of Ireland who landed at Waterford in August 1170 and quickly assumed command of all of Leinster.  King Henry of England then granted other portions of the conquered island to several of Strongbow's knights including Milo de Cogan who was granted most of West Cork.  The Cogan family was amongst the chief gentry of Munster until it became practically extinct in the seventeenth century. Their family name is found in Cork in Rathgogan (i.e. Gogan's Fort) civil parish, Rathgoggan (or Rathcoggin) town (now Charleville ref.), Goganrath and Gogganshill (also known as Knockgogan and Knockcowgan).  Several web sites state that minor branches of that line survive in modern Cork under the name Goggin and Gogan.  So why not Gaggin?

See the Cogan Feature Article and the Milo De Gogan article in Library Ireland.

Also see The Gaggins of Cork Family Tree

Gaggins in Griffiths Valuations for County Cork (1851-53)

William Gaggin also held a House at Ballybane in Cloyne parish and an Office and Land worth 70£ at South Park in Middleton parish; both occupied by tenants.

Henry and George Gaggin together held another eight Houses and Offices and about 190 acres of land in Ballyrichardmore in Carrigtohill parish which were occupied by tenants.

John Gaggin held another three Houses, Offices and 25 acres of Land in Ballyrichardmore in Carrigtohill parish which were occupied by tenants.

The Rev. Richard Gaggin also held 8 of the 13 Houses, offices and land at Glengarriff in Shandrum parish worth over 220£ in total in partnership with Richard Nason and William Furlong; all occupied by tenants.  Richard also held seven acres of Land including a grave yard in Ballyeightragh in Clonmult parish (Middleton Union).

In the St. Anne Shandon parish of Cork City, the Representatives of Christina Gaggin were also holding a House and yard on Military Road (off  Wellington Road), all 5 Houses and a Yard on Gaggin's Lane (off Military Road), 35 Houses and Yards on  Old Youghal Road, four Houses, Offices and Yards on Clarence Street, two Offices and Yards, four Houses in  Hodder's Lane and three Houses and Yards  in Quarry Lane Upper (previous two Lanes are both off Clarence Street), two Houses and Yards in Quarry Lane Middle (off Lower Quarry Lane), 5 Houses and Yards in Ballyhooly Road and 3 Houses and Yards on Elm Grove (part of Ballyhooly Road).  All house and yards were occupied by lodgers or tenants and were valued at from 1 to 5£.  In the St. Paul parish of Cork city, tenants occupied two neighbouring houses of hers worth 36£ and 23£ on Paul Street and a house of hers worth 10£ on Corn Market Street.