Help with a Scotcher "myth"

[Jacamar]

Amanda...

Up until right now I have been busy with new job and will be again until next week. Otherwise I would have talked to you more!

I think we need to exchange information because I am damn sure your line and my line are connected. In fact I have sent emails to you over the last few years that you never picked up!

The myth IS fun hehe..... and I am connected to other people who also have the same myth in their family. This is what makes it interesting. If it wasn't for the myth I wouldn't be talking to you right now.

I have been back to Stoke and traced my Scotchers to the pub they ran in Norfolk Street. My Dad didn't even know his grandmother was a Scotcher - he knew her as "Ma Parry".. but he did remember going into that pub as a 5 year old and collecting glasses very importantly. This is what makes ancestry so compelling! He had completely blanked that until we started on this project!

http://www.parryfamilytree.co.uk/2.html

I have somewhere pictures of Fred and his shops in Holywell - the family ran a tobacconists. What is very interesting is that the census recorders had no idea what these outlandish names were (Rossini etc) and misrecorded most of them. In fact some of the guys changed their names to make them more easy to understand.

The other interesting thing is.... we have other "myths" in our family. One was that we were connected to the Tams potters. It was regarded as rubbish by ALL our relatives. I have now successfully traced the connection back to John Tams first marriage. The "myth" happened to be totally true.

So perhaps there are grains of truth in any myth. To me... keeping an open mind is the best bet.

I hope to chat with you further re the Scotchers!!

Lynn

[amandafrancesclark]

Amanda...

Up until right now I have been busy with new job and will be again until next week. Otherwise I would have talked to you more!
I think we need to exchange information because I am damn sure your line and my line are connected. In fact I have sent emails to you over the last few years that you never picked up!
The myth IS fun hehe..... and I am connected to other people who also have the same myth in their family. This is what makes it interesting. If it wasn't for the myth I wouldn't be talking to you right now.

I'll email you know ;o)

[Jacamar]

Just an update for you guys:

Nicholas Stuart Scotcher 1813. I found his baptism record (7th November 1813) and his father was called George and was a listed as a comedian! His mother was called Mary.

Interestingly his name was actually recorded as Nicholas Steward Scotcher

Lynn

[sancti]

Flax scutcher           Beat flax fibres by hand or through a machine as part of the flax dressing process.

http://www.scotsfamily.com/occupations.htm

[sue1956]

Hello,
Was interested in the name 'Scotcher' as this was my maiden name, my father (now living in Bury St Edmunds) and uncle (now living in Exmouth) lived in Abingdon near Cambridge, I'm sure they had relatives living in London.

Sue

[sancti]

This is the earliest derivative of the name I can find in Scotland

16/05/1799 SCOTR JAMES son of WILLIAM SCOTR and CLEMENTINA OUCHTERLONY at Arbirlot  ANGUS

[Jacamar]

Hi All...

This thread still seems to be causing some interest so I'll explain how I have got on. It may take a while!

Firstly, I initially posted on the Scottish boards because when I start pursuing this myth, it was in the knowledge that my family were absolutely convinced they had Scottish roots re the Stuart family. It was so strong I was of the firm belief my Great grandmother was Scottish. Imagine my surprise when my investigations of Scotchers ended up in Oswestry!

In fact Scotcher is NOT a Scottish name. It originated as far as I can tell in East Anglia (if you look at the world name profiler, thats where most of them are. The name refers to stilts and many of the people of the fens used stilts to cross boggy ground.

Many here advocated forgetting the myth and go back to the IGI which, of course, we have done. The various people who have this myth  in their family and have posted here are probably related - we just don;t have online records available to definitely link us.

My line goes back to George Owen Scotcher 1812 born in Leominster. Others went back to Nicholas Stuart Scotcher 1813 born in Welshpool - and he had a son called George Owen. So were they brothers?

Well, this week on IGI I found Nicholas' parents - George and Mary Scotcher. George was recorded as a comedian! But this is as far as I can get as the Heredfordshire parish records are not online.

Now - to the myth that that the Stuart Scotchers are related to Henry Stuart Darnley. The "Le Cher Scot" converting to Scotcher makes no sense at all as pointed out by various members of this board.

What I did then was think a little laterally. The Stuart family historically WERE in France. So with only a little digging I found that the younger branch of the Stuart Darnley family were in France, owning lands given to them by Scottish Kings. Their castle was in Aubigney sur Nere in the CHER region of France. Is it possible that one of our ancestors had a surname of Scot (there WERE Stuart Scotts) and came from Cher? Maybe if he came over to the eastern part of England, where Scotchers are most prevalent, it tickled his fancy to adopt this name that also had resonance for him?

At any rate it is worth looking at we feel. The "myth" is incredibly strong and has been passed down three families completely unconnected for 200 years. Its remarkably consistent, considering this time frame - as in word for word in each one.

So what I am really looking for now are any clues to the Stuart family in France over quite a long time frame. I rather think that the name Darnley in the myth tended to make people think of the Jacobite rebellion but the myth only actually says "when he returned from France" and it may be people with a poor grasp of history rather telescoped things.

On a completely prosaic level, and to satisfy those who think I merely trailing after will o the wisps, I have found a marriage in the IGI between a Nicholas Scotcher and Susanna Stuart in Surrey in 1753 and they had a son George 1762. Whether they are connected to ours or not, can't say - and if they are, why they would concoct a story about Stuart forebears that have lasted over 200 years I know not either!

Lynn

[JAP]

Hi Lynn,

Who knows about family myths!!

Mine are mostly true.

My unproven one is that we are related to Henry HACKING, Quartermaster of the 'Sirius' in the First Fleet.  Haven't been able to prove anything!  But who knows!  Though if my rells had known what a rogue Henry was, I'm sure they would not have claimed any relationship!

My Fife one is that the name PHILIP was of Huguenot derivation.  Given that it turns out to be PHILP in Fife and was a very common name, I doubt it!

A pity that there's no family myth re the Fife name LOCHTIE - which another branch has as Scandinavian in origin;  a reasonable supposition.

I guess we should never discount family myths; but, on the other hand, should never believe them.  Until proven on either count 

Best regards,

JAP

[StuartM]

Hi, my grandmother was Fanny Scotcher b Stoke on Trent 1875, father Stuart William Scotcher b. 1836 Owestry. Her story as told by her father was that we came from the family Stuart.  To keep the Stuart name going in the family the first  born male was to be named Stuart . Stuart William Scotcher ran the Victoria Hotel in Stoke.
Stuart William  Scotcher father was George Owen Scotcher b.1812 married to
Mary  Pugh b.1807.
I am now looking for the parents of George Owen Scotcher.