This interesting surname of Scottish and English origin is a transposed form of the name Skirmer deriving from the Middle English "skirme(n)" meaning "to fight", "to defend". The surname dates back to the late 13th Century, (see below). Further recordings include one William le Skurmere (1296) "The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex", and Robert le Skirmer (1332), "The Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire". Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Skermer, Skerme, Skyram, Skyrm, etc. Joannes, son of Edwardi and Alicial Skyrme, was christened on July 13th 1670, at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster. Katherine Skerme married Thomas Hort on June 12th 1674 at St. Katherine by the tower, London, and Sarah, daughter of Thomas Skyrme, was christened on March 25th 1716, at Wandsworth. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard le Skiremar, which was dated 1279, "The Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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.