Scarsbrooke

This very rare and interesting surname is a variant of Scarisbrick, which is of early medieval English origin, and is locational from a place so called in Lancashire. The placename is derived from the Old Danish personal name "Skar", of uncertain etymology, and the Old Norse "brekka, brekk", meaning slope or hill, hence "Skar's hillside or slope". The placename was first recorded as "Scharisbrec" in the "Placenames of Lancashire" in circa 1200, and as "Skaresbrek" in the Feet of Fines of the county, in 1238. Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace. The variants Scarsbrook and Scarsbrooke are very rare, and were not recorded in Lancashire until the late 17th Century, with the marriage of Grace Scarsbrooke and Edmond Orrell, on June 8th 1690 at Wigan. Recorded in Lancashire Church Registers is the marriage of Thomas Scarsbrook and Ann McDonald on December 16th 1833 at Manchester Cathedral. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert Scaresbrec, which was dated circa 1250, at the Manor of Scarisbrick, Lancashire, during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.