Derived from the Old French "Bouschard" or "Buschier", the name is a medieval job-descriptive surname for a timber merchant, or possibly one who cut and seasoned timber. The term was introduced after the 1055 Norman Invasion, and its use spread rapidly throughout England in the succeeding two centuries. A further impetus to the name was given by the 16th Century Huguenot cause, when successive waves of protestant dissenters left France from circa 1580 onwards. An example recording is that of Francois Boschard, who was a christening witness at the famous Threadneedle Street French Church, on September 4th 1726. The recorded spelling forms include: Bosher, Bowsher, Boshere, Boshier, Bowshire, and even Busher and Boucher, whilst early registrations were those of Robert Le Buscher in 1296 London Rolls, and Henry Boscher, even earlier in 1221, in Warwickshire. Leonard Busher, circa 1614, published "Religious Peace", the first book to preach religious tolerance. His fate is not known. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Le Booschier, which was dated 1205, in the "Pipe Rolls of Dorsetshire", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. 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.

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