Scorer

Recorded as Score, Scorrer, Scorer, Scorah, Schorah, and others, this is an English surname. It is however one which is ultimately derived from French. Probably introduced in to England at the time of the famous Conquest of 1066, it descends from the pre medieval words escourre or escurer. As such the surname is occupational and is either a military description for a scout or courier, or more likely it was job descriptive for a person responsible for the cleaning of arms and armour. The surname can be of either male or female origins, and not surprisingly perhaps is one of the first recorded. It was in its various spelling, particularly popluar in the county of Yorkshire, although later it pread throughout the country. Early examples of these recordings include Willelmus Skorer in the Poll Tax rolls of 1379, Sussana Scorer at Dewsbury in 1603, and Thomas Scorah of Doncaster, also Yorkshire, in 1655. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William le Scorr. This was dated 1297 in the County Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of england, and known as 'The Hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.