This interesting and unusual surname, with variant spellings Bauchope, Bachop and Bachup, widespread in Scotland and in the north of England is of locational origin from a place, north of Manchester in Lancashire called Bacup. Recorded as "Bachope, circa 1200 in "the Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey", and as Bacop in the 1324 "Inquisitiones of Lancashire", the place was so called from the old English pre 7th Century "baec" literally meaning "back", but used here in the transferred sense of "ridge", plus the old English "hope", a small enclosed valley", hence, "valley by a ridge". On December 21st 1609 Nicol Bauchop and Marian Gray were married in Edinburgh parish, Midlothian. Thomas Bachop or Bachope was treasurer of Stirling in 1622, and William Bauchop was sergeant of Edinburgh in 1630. On November 5th 1792 Agnes Bachope, an infant, was christened in St. Nicholas, Liverpool, and on August 11th 1822, Emiliam, daughter of James Bauchop, was christened in Oldham Street Presbyterian church, Liverpool, Lancashire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Bauchop, (merchant burgess of Edinburgh), which was dated 1604, Records of Edinburgh, Scotland, during the reign of King James V1, of Scotland, 1567 - 1625. 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.