This surname is derived from an official title. 'the skirmisher,' a fencer. Old French eskirmir, to fence. Old French escarmouche, a skirmish, hence English scrimmage, and the form scrimgeour, i.e. scrimmager, one who mingled in a scrimmage.

'Qe nul teigne Escole de Eskermerye, ne de Bokeler deins la citee.': Liber Albus.

Scrimmage was in early use, and is not in any true sense provincial. Lower quotes Crawford's Scottish Peerage as follows; 'Alexander I, by special grant, appointed a member of the Carron family, to whom he gave the name of Scrimgeour, for his valour in a sharp fight, to the office of hereditary standard-bearer.' This settles any doubt, if any doubt existed; v. Patronymica Britannica.

Henry le Eskirmessur, Yorkshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

William le Shyrmisur, Salop, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Peter le Eskurmesur. Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem.

Abraham le Skirmisur, Close Rolls, 34 Henry III.

Elizebetha Skrymsher. Index to Originalia et Memorandum.

Alexander Schirmissure. History of Durham.

Roger le Skirmisour, London. Riley's Memorials of London.

John le Eskirmesour, Berkshire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I.

From ME. skrymsher, skirmisour

Hector Boece in his Cronihls in describing how the office of Standard Bearer came to the Scrymgeouis says:Stolen from Fore bears

King Malcolme happinnit to cum to Monymusk, and gat advertising, that al the north partis of Scotland and the Ilis wer confiderat with thir Murrayis aganis him. At last, quhen he wes cuming to Spay, and fand his ennimes of greter power than he micht resist, he espyit his baner-man, for feir of ennimes, trimbland, and not passand so pertlie forwart as he desirit. Incontinent, he pullit the baner fra him, and gaif it to Schir Alexander Carron, quhilk gat mony riche landis for that samin officc. Bot his name wes turnit, efter, to Skrymgeour; of quhilk is discendit ane nobil hous, perseverand yit, in gret honour, under the samin surname. In the fifteenth chapter of the same book, Boece assigns the event to the reign of Alexander the First, "namit Alexander the Feirs, becaus he dantit thevis with singular manheid." His words here are: "Afore the king was cumin to Spay, thir conspiratouris gaderit all the power thay micht, to resist his ouircuming. The king seing thame gaderit on this wise, send his baner man. Schir Alexander Carron, with ane cumpany of chosin men, ouir Spay: be quhais cuming, thir conspiratouris war vincust, and mony of thaim tane and punist to the deith.. This Alexander Carron. be his singular vassalage, slew sindry of thir conspiratouris, with ane cruki swerd, afore the king, and was callit, thairfore, Skrimgeour; that is to say, ane scharp fechter: and, for his singular vassalage, he gat armis; in quhilkis, is ane lion rampand, with ane crukit swerd. Otheris sayis, that he was callit Skrimgeour becaus he slew ane Inglisman in singular battall. The principall of this surname is Constable of Dunde: and hes in his baner. ane crukit swerd, in maner of ane huke." Of this popular etymology of the surname the late Sir James Balfour Paul says: "Whatever the real truth of this story may be, it has a better foundation than most of the tales found in the old annals, though the incidents alleged are probably placed at too early a date by the historians" (Sc. Peer., III, p. 303). Crymgeour 1634, Schirmethour and Schyrmethour 1361, Scirmechour 1358, Scremger 1715, Scremgeour 1485, Scrimigeor 1503, Scrimgeoure 1502, Scrimger 1652, Scrimiour 1423, Scrimseour 1681, Scrimzeor 1704, Scrimsour 1342, Scrymgeor 1526, Scrymgeoure 1456, Scrymger 1541, Scrymseoure 1G88, Scrymsour 1616, Scrymezour 1413, Scrymsour 1684, Scrymsoure 1818, Skermechour 1384, Skirmesur 1317, Skrimagour 1411, Skrimchur 1389, Skrimechour 1371, Skrymechur 1394, Skrymezoure 1410, Skrymgeour 1587, Skrymgeoure 1490, Skrymger 1661, Skrymgior and Skrymgwr 1361, Skrymiour 1396, Skrymour 1554, Skrymsour 1396, Skrymechour 1378, Skymezour 1413.

See SCRIMGEOUR.

= Skrimshire, q.v.

= Skrimshire, q.v.

"Alexander I., by special grant, appointed a member of the Carron family, to whom he gave the name of Scrimgeour, for his valour in a sharp fight, to the office of hereditary standard-bearer" of Scotland. Crawford's Scot. Peerage. Lord Berners employs the expression ' sore scrymmishe ' to designate a severe combat. The Hundred Rolls mention one William Eschirmisur, who held 1 ½ virgate of land in Bedfordshire, temp. Edw. I. Serymgeour, ' a skirmisher.' Talbot, English Etymol. Any rough encounter is termed by Cockneys, ' a scrimmage.'

A skirmisher. The family are descended from Sir Alexander Carron, temp. Alexander I, who received the name of Scrymgeour, on account of his activity.

The name of Scrimshaw or Scrimshire is probably a corruption either of "skirmisher" or of its old English form of "scrymgeour." In the reign of Edward I. there was a Henry le Eskyrmessur in Yorkshire, and at the same time there was a William Eschirmisur in Bedfordshire (H. R.). Skrymsher was the name of an old Staffordshire family that owned the manor of Norbury in that county from the 16th to the 18th century (Nichols' "Leicestershire"): two Staffordshire gentlemen of this family contributed £25 apiece for the defence of the country at the time of the expected invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588 (Sp.). Two centuries ago there were freeholders of the name of Scrimshire at North Muscombe and Newark in the county of Notts (Harleian MS., 6846). There is a memorial in Wisbech church, Cambridgeshire, to William.