Perch (surname)
Encyclopedia
Perch pronounced is a surname of great antiquity and considerable confusion as to its definitive origin.
Recorded as Pearch, Pearche, Perch, Perche, Porch and possibly others.
It was probably topographical or occupational, and as such would have described either somebody who possessed a perche of land, or who was a measurer of perches, a surveyor or land agent.
We understand that a perche was probably similar to a hide, different terms were used in different parts of the country, and described an area of land considered large enough to support a family. However it is also possible that the name described a fisherman, one who professionally caught the freshwater fish known as the perch.
Before the 14th century, large areas of England
and particularly in East Anglia
were permanently under water, and today's fens are what remains. There was in consequence a large inland fishing industry, that gradually died out over five hundred years.
Another possibility is that the name is associated with the early textile industry, a perche being a frame used for drying cloth, whilst it was also a term used in stage coaches, but this was probably too late to influence the origin of the name.
A coat of arms associated with the name has the blazon of a red field charged with a fesses between three crosses, all silver. It is unclear when the surname was first recorded but surviving church registers of the city of London
include Hugh Perche who married Elizabeth Chamberlen at St Margaret's, Westminster on April 23rd 1559, and Margery Pearch who married Walter Hill at St Giles Cripplegate, on August 12th 1633.
Recorded as Pearch, Pearche, Perch, Perche, Porch and possibly others.
It was probably topographical or occupational, and as such would have described either somebody who possessed a perche of land, or who was a measurer of perches, a surveyor or land agent.
We understand that a perche was probably similar to a hide, different terms were used in different parts of the country, and described an area of land considered large enough to support a family. However it is also possible that the name described a fisherman, one who professionally caught the freshwater fish known as the perch.
Before the 14th century, large areas of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and particularly in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
were permanently under water, and today's fens are what remains. There was in consequence a large inland fishing industry, that gradually died out over five hundred years.
Another possibility is that the name is associated with the early textile industry, a perche being a frame used for drying cloth, whilst it was also a term used in stage coaches, but this was probably too late to influence the origin of the name.
A coat of arms associated with the name has the blazon of a red field charged with a fesses between three crosses, all silver. It is unclear when the surname was first recorded but surviving church registers of the city of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
include Hugh Perche who married Elizabeth Chamberlen at St Margaret's, Westminster on April 23rd 1559, and Margery Pearch who married Walter Hill at St Giles Cripplegate, on August 12th 1633.