This is surely one of the most unusual of Scottish surnames. Originally in the 18th century it was found only in Glasgow, and is clearly a variant form of an earlier name, the question is which one? Professor Black the famous Scottish etymologist claimed that it represented a form of Locher, from the lands so called, and originally known in the 13th century as Louhere or Louuhir. This may well be so, however our research based on more up to date records suggests that the name developed through the rare "Lawers' which itself derives from the village of the same name in Perthshire. Of course a surname can develop from several sources all quite separate, and therefore it is possible that both origins are correct. Certainly in 1624 a Patrick Laquhoir is recorded as being in the parish of Stanehouse (now Stonehouse) near Glasgow, and Robert Lochore (1762 - 1852) wrote the elegiac pastoral on the death of Robert Burns. However somewhat earlier on August 17th 1721, Christian Lawers married George Hill at New Monkland, whilst on January 1st 1751, Agnes Lowers (as spelt) married James Robison at Glasgow. The first recording as Lohoar may be that of James Lohoar who married Margaret Thomson at Dalserf, Lanark, a town synonymous with the early recordings, on December 23rd 1826. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John de Lochor, which was dated 1498, a juror on a land tribunal held in Lanark, during the reign of King James 1V of Scotland, 1488 - 1513. 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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