The earliest historical record of this surname is that of Farquhar Macant'sagairt of 12th century AD Scotland, the 2nd Earl of Ross, of the O'Beollain line, & hereditary abbott of a'Chomraich (the Sanctuary) at Applecross in Wester Ross. MacTaggart & Taggart are surnames of Clan Ross. The surname has it's greatest density today in the Irish province of Ulster & in Scotland, but is found throughout the United Kingdom, as well as all of the former British colonies. In Ireland the name is most often associated with Ulster Scots families, but there are many historical records of Irish Catholic Taggarts, though frequently with a variant spelling. The many variant spellings seem to be more common in Ireland. It is noteworthy that the ancient genealogies & traditions of Scotland suggest that Gaelic Scots are descendants of Ulster Irish tribes who migrated to Scotland in the 5th, 6th & 7th centuries AD. In the early 15th century AD the Ulster Plantation resulted in a large migration of Protestant Scots back to Ulster, from whence legend & folklore suggests that their ancestors originated, & the circle was completed. The Irish Sea was never a barrier to travel between Ulster & western Scotland - it was a watery road, & traffic has commuted back & forth between these coastlines for thousands of years.
|