Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Scotchmer
Variants: Scotchmere, Scotchmoor, Scotchmur, Scotchner
Category: 3 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is well under way on a global basis.
Guild hosted website: scotchmer.one-name.net
Contact: Miss Susan Atkins
I continue to be amazed at the variations I have found including, very recently, a letter to my son was addressed as Mr SCOTCHHAMMER!!! It is therefore not surprising that there were so many variants in the 19th Century and earlier.
*Another meaning which I heard a while ago and was confirmed recently is that the name relates to Scottish people who went to Framlingham and helped to build the Moat around the Castle ie 'Scotch' and 'Mere' (moat or lake).
*Another meaning I have come across recently (2011) is 'Famous Archer' and the name was Anglo Saxon. This meaning comes from a book called 'British Family Names-Their Origin & Meaning' By Rev. Henry Barber and was originally published in 1903. It is the only book I have ever found the name SCOTCHMER in.
*A meaning which makes sense to me is that Scotch means cut or line or notch as in the children's game 'Hopscotch' where they jump over lines in the ground. I am told that in Suffolk it was called 'Scotch Hobby'. ''Mere' in Middle English I am told means border or boundary and can be spelt 'Mer' or 'Meer'. Thanks very much to Andrew Scotchmer for the above new information.
Scotchmer occurs in the most unexpected situations-an internet search brought up Scotchmer Street in Melbourne Australia and the reason for the name is currently being investigated.
I am also told that at sometime in the past there was a racehorse named Scotchmer's Knob but I have not been able to follow that up.
There are families in Canada, USA, Australia & New Zealand the majority have links back to England (usually Suffolk). In Canada there are two separate families -one with links to Bury St Edmunds and the other with links to Framlingham. I am told that a few years ago there was a 'Scotchmer Family Roundup' at Bayfield Hockey Stadium in Canada and it was filled to capacity. Bayfield being the main area in Canada where Scotchmer families have lived.
If you have an interest in the surname Scotchmer and variants please contact me and I will check my records.
Please let me know if you have an interest in Scotchmer & related names and I will probably be able to add to your knowledge from my extensive records