This unusual surname, almost exclusive to the Isle of Man, and widely recorded there from the mid 17th Century, is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic "MacMharcius" or "MacFhorcius", son of Marcus or Forcus. The former name derives ultimately from the Latin "Marcus", and because of its connection with the name of the Roman war god Mars, the meaning is usually rendered "war-like". Marcus was used by the Romans both as a personal and as a family name, and its popularity among Christians in Europe is largely due to St. Mark, the second Evangelist, who became the patron of Venice. Forcus, normally written as "Fergus", is an ancient Celtic name, "Ver gusti", signifying "manly force" or "vigour", and taking the forms "Feargus" or "Fearghas" in Gaelic, from "fear", a man, and "gus", force, vigour, spirit, enterprise. In the late 5th Century a Feargus, together with his brother Angus, led the Scots from Ireland to the country since called Scotland, and took with them to Scone the Stone of Destiny, now in the Coronation Chair. The placename Ballacorkish in the parish of Rushen (South West Isle of Man), locates the family, the initial element "balla" coming from the Gaelic "baile", town, settlement. On June 10th 1662, Mary Corkish and Thomas Court were married at Malew, and on August 18th 1699, John Corkish was christened at Bride. The marriage of Albert Corkish to Annie Glasgow took place at Manchester Cathedral, Lancashire, on March 19th 1874. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Corkysh, which was dated 1620, in "Records of the Isle of Man", during the reign of King James 1 of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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