This rare and interesting surname is of Scottish origin and is a locational name from some "lost" place so called in the former county of Perthshire. The derivation is from the Gaelic "sgolbach", meaning thorny place. The phenomenon of the lost village, of which, it is estimated, there are between seven and ten thousand such places that have disappeared from British maps, were generally a result of enforced land clearance to make way for sheep pasture as well as more natural causes such as plague, and war. One Moreis Scobie in Balhaldie is said to have practised charming to cure "seik folks". The Sutherland Scobies are said to be descended from the Reverend William Scobie, who was licensed by the Presbytery of Strathbogie, in 1727 and called by the Presbytery of Dornock, 1728. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Andrew Scobie, (bailie of Perth), which was dated 1369, Perth, Scotland, during the reign of King David 11 of Scotland, 1329 - 1371. 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.