Thomas I (1643-1718) is the direct ancestor of all Irish Pottertons. He is said to have come from Yorkshire (where there is a village called Potterton) and he probably arrived in Ireland in the late-17^th century when he settled in Co Meath. His son, John I, obtained a lease on Rathcormick (in the parish of Kildalkey, near Athboy) in 1710. John I extended the family’s land holdings in Meath when he acquired a lease on nearby Balatalion in 1731 and his son, Thomas II (1701-56), added Moyrath (which joins Rathcormick) in 1753.  These three farms remained in Potterton hands until the late-20^th century and it is the tenth generation of the family who live at Rathcormick and Moyrath today. The family tree charts the several branches (Rathcormick, Balatalion, Moyrath, etc.) as descended from Thomas I.