Could Arkil be the ancestor of Parkhill
Here is what else is conjectured about the Parkhill name.In his History of Dumbarton Castle, Borough and Parish, John Irving quotes the following: " It is to this disturbed period that genealogists trace the rise of the great House of Lennox.Among the Saxon Chiefs of Northumbria who were driven north was one ARKIL, the son of Egfrith, who, having been defeated in a last stand against William the Norman, found refuge at the Court of Malcolm Canmore.He received a gift of the land generally described as "Comitis de levenax," and his son or grandson, ALWYN, is the first Earl of Lennox of whom we have any account.
The date of his death is about 1155." p. 6
In APPENDIX A, Irving shows the Earls of Lennox as following:
THE FIRST EARLS
ARKIL, who came to Scotland in 1069 or '70
ALWYN MacARKIL, first Earl to Levenax, mentioned 1130-1155.
ALWYN, second Earl, between 1155-1127.
MALDUIN, Third Earl, 1217-1270
MALCOLM, Fourth Earl (grandson of preceding), 1270-1292
MALCOLM, Fifth Earl, the friend of Bruce, 1292-1333
DONALD, Sixth earl, 1333-1364
MARGARET, Countess, married her cousin, Walter of Faslane, 1364-1390
DUNCAN, Eighth Earl, 1385-1425
Irving, continues: "In order, however, to set this in a clear light it is necessary to note a few particulars regarding the original line of Lennox Earls from 1153, when the Earldom was created, down to 1425, when Duncan, the eight Earl, was executed at Sterling by James I. ARKYLE, ARKIL, OR ARCHIL, the son of AYKFRITH or EGFRITH a Saxon, who had large estates in Northumberland and York, was one of those who, after resisting to their utmost the advance northward of William the Conqueror, found refuge at the Court of Malcolm Canmore.Malcolm, it is said, conferred on ARCHIL a large extent of territory in Dumbarton and Sterling, which was later erected into the Earldom of Lennox. ARKIL is supposed to have had a son of the same name, who was in turn the father of ALWYN MARCARKIL, the first Earl of Lennox.His name appears frequently in charters of the reign of David I, with whom he seems to have been a great favorite, and King Malcolm IV, aware of the high position at the court of his grandfather, created him Earl of Lennox in the beginning of his reign, which commenced in 1153.Such is the generally accepted origin of the Earldom, though the dates and descent have not as yet been absolutely verified.Lord Hailes says, in his case on the Sutherland Peerage, that the Lennox origin belongs '"to the ages of conjecture,"' while Mr. Skene on the other hand endeavours to prove a Celtic origin for the family, but the chief authority in favour of the account given above is Walter MacFarlan of Arrochar, the eminent antiquary and genealogist."p. 201-202
And.. according to George F. Black's authoritative work, "The Surnames of Scotland", the name originated in the lands of Parkhill, in the barony of Tarboulton, Ayrshire, Scotland.The Aberdeen Public Library defines the name as "A man from an enclosed hill".It is found in Scottish records as early as 1605 in it's present form but does not appear in any published list of clans or clan septs.Black goes on to say that the first person to bear the name of Parkhill was Robert Parkhill a merchant of Glasgow in 1605.
The Parkhill Coat of Arms shows a Stag Trippant Unguled on a Hillock Proper. The Stag of Scotland was noted for it's strength and love of freedom.The Parkhills couldn't have had a greater Arms than that.The family motto is also engraved underneath in Latin which is "Capta Majora", which means "Engaged in Greater Things."
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Re: Could Arkil be the ancestor of Parkhill
Richard McAuley 12/31/02
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Re: Could Arkil be the ancestor of Parkhill
Peter J. Roberts 11/16/04
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Re: Could Arkil be the ancestor of Parkhill