In Reply to: re: wally basquill castlebar boxer posted by Brian Hoban on January 18, 2008 at 22:07:00:

Thanks for that Brian,

I'm currently researching the origins of the family name which is proving to be a fairly contentious subject, made all the more difficult because of the lack of records pre 1840. Every relative has a different story. My Grand Uncle, Bro. Gerald was of the opinion that they were of Spanish or Basque descent from the Armada. Another story was that there were 2 brothers who were Shipwrights with the French landing of 1798, though this story is almost certainly false due to the number of Basquill's emigrating from Ireland in the early 19th century. The third is the most controversial of all is that they were descendants of the town of Basqueville-en-Caux in Normandy, where the Baskerville name comes from. Basqueville was the site of a settlement in Roman Gaul known as Bascavilla. After the Norman invasions of England, members of the de Baskerville family left Normandy for the new Norman frontier in western England.
I have been in contact with the descendants of the English settlers for more information though I think some of their evidence is sketchy. I think I will just have to go down the road of DNA analysis for conformation of a link to the Basque people.