Hi Robbie
Don't know is the shortest answer. Someone earlier in this post remarked that Gaskin was a fairly uncommon name. I'd not come across it before but here is a quote from a surname dictionary
"Last name: Gaskin. This notable surname, recorded in the Irish province of Leinster since the 13th Century, is a variant form of Gascoigne, itself a medieval English regional name for someone from the province of Gascony in South West France."
So the variant seems to be very Irish. My own surname is Vines but in my own history I've come across the variant Vine, even in recent generations. It may be a cleric or administrator mis-hearing the name before writing it down or sometimes maybe because it relates to the plural as in "I am one of the Gaskins" meaning "I am a member of the Gaskin family" Pity the poor cleric who has to get the record straight!
I'd be quite surprised if the Gaskin and Gaskins families didn't have a common ancestor some time in the last 400-500 years.
Thanks for the reference to the famous footballer.
Tony
