Chasmer

This unusual surname, recorded in Church Registers of south east England from the mid 16th Century under the variant spellings Chasemoore, Chasmore, Chassmore, and Chasemore, is of early medieval English origin, and is a locational name from some minor, unrecorded, or now "lost" place believed to have been in Surrey because of the high incidence of early recordings from that county. The component elements of the placename are most likely the Middle English "chase", hunt (Old French "chasse", from "chasser", to hunt, chase), with the Middle English "more" (Old English pre 7th Century "mor"), moor, waste upland, fen; hence, "moor of the hunt or chase". Locational surnames, such as this, were originally given to local landowners, and the lord of the manor, and especially as a means of identification to those who left their birthplace to settle elsewhere; in some cases, however, the surname may be topographical from residence by a moor where hunting was practised. On January 16th 1570, Augnes, daughter of Willia Chasmore, was christened at Snodland, Kent, and on January 11th 1583, Alice, daughter of Thomas Chasmer, was christened at West Clandon, Surrey. The christening of Nicholas, son of James Chasmer, took place at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, on January 11th 1606. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Chasemoore, which was dated July 19th 1545, a christening witness at Abinger, Surrey, during the reign of King Henry V111, known as "Bluff King Hal", 1509 - 1547. 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.