THE HISTORY OF THE SPALDING FAMILY OF GREAT BRITAINTHE HISTORY OF THE SPALDING FAMILY OF GREAT BRITAIN
The Spalding family originated in Flanders, the old home of many East Anglicans of Britain. The Spalding surname appeared quite early in English history derived from the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire. The first written records concerning Spalding was a Charter issued in 716 A.D. by King Ethelbald to the Monks of Crowland Abbey. Another charter written in 868 A.D. referred to Spaldelying.
Spalding began as a division town of the fens and marshes of East Anglia. It was founded at the point where a road ran over the low country to the Wash. "Yng" is a Celtic word for fen or low meadow-land; today, the fens are still known as "ungs." Spalding was one of the Saxon divisions of the county known as "the Spalda." The Saxon suffix "ing" from the Teutonic "ingoz" denotes sons of a family or tribe; thus, the people who lived in Spalding were known as the "Spaldingas" or the Spalding tribe. In the Doomsday Book prepared for William the Conqueror after 1066, Spalding is spelled "Spallinge." In Latin, Spall or Spald means "the shoulder." The town of Spalding of Saxon derivation means literally: "the tribe who live at the shoulder" (marsh or swamp dwellers).
The Spalding tribe were known to have held
land in South Holland in the 7th century, part of a Saxon Kingdom. The
"Doomsday Survey," showed Holland to be an area of large villages concentrated
in the fens. The town early became a market center with two important industries:
salt making and fisheries. The Manor of Spalding before the Norman Conquest
belonged to the King's Geld. William, Duke of Normandy and future King of
England, although he confiscated most land belonging to Anglo-Saxon nobles, didn't touch
land belonging to any of his feudal tenants in Spalding. The Manor of Spalding,
however, which had belonged to Algar, Earl of Mercia, was conferred upon
the Duke's nephew, Ivo Talbois, and became the Duchy of Lancaster.
The first recorded Spalding was Ralph de Spalding, 1273. Judge Charles Warren Spalding, author of "The Spalding Memorial," obtained a copy of an ancient deed naming him. When Edward III in 1327 ordered a wool merchant to be elected to Parliament for York, William de Spalding, son of Richard de Spalding, was elected for the borough or county. The Parliament of 1376 held at Westminster held both William and John Spalding.
In later centuries, Spaldings went north into Scotland and west into central England, moving into both Suffolk and Norfolk. They settled around Bury St. Edmunds, Framlingham, and in the valley of the Waveney River. Thomas Spalding was named in the will of John Spalding, yeoman, of Wissett, county of Suffolk, proved Dec. 10, 1659. William & Anna Rutherford, authors of "Genealogical History of Our Ancestors," offered the wills of the Suffolk & Norfolk Spaldings in their two volume genealogy as possible ancestors of Thomas Spalding, our Maryland progenitor. [see Appendix]
The first Spalding to come to the American colonies of whom there is an early record was EDWARD SPALDING, his wife, son and daughter. They were living at Elizabeth City, VA, in Feb 1623. Edward and his family left Jamestown Va. and sailed to New England where they became the progenitors of the large New England Spalding family.
Photo right: Crowland Abbey mentioned in "Spalding Memorial" on page 26.
When the Spaldings left the flat fenlands of East Anglia to escape religious persecution under the Tudor Kings, they also left behind the class-bound English society. In Leonardtown, Maryland, the Protestant minority, was granted religious freedom by the Catholic majority. Maryland was founded on principles of religious freedom. Later, when Purtians came to power in England, the colony was removed from the control of the Calverts. The men who came to power then as well as later did not grant freedom of religion to Catholic fellow-citizens. Catholics were not allowed to vote or hold public office. Once more, people who came looking for freedom in the New World were denied the very freedom they sought!
After the Revolutionary War, many Marylanders left for Kentucky. Leaving the seaboard colony meant a new start with no restrictive hidebound laws. To the men and women who settled Kentucky, political as well as religious freedom was uppermost in their minds.
The Spalding Family: A Tentative Reconstruction in Robert W. Barnes, "British Roots of Maryland Families," Balto., Md.: Gen. Pub. Co, 1999, p. 406., uses as reference "Origins of Clements-Spalding and Allied Families of Maryland and Kentucky," by J.W.S. Clements. Louisville: Standard Press, 1928; and Possible Background Information from "Genealogy of Our Ancestors," by Anna & Wm. Kenneth Rutherford, Lexington, Mo., privately published by authors, 1989, Vol. 1, p. 410.
Note: I have a copy of each of these wills and am in the process of transcribing them. Handwriting in the Tudor and Stuart "hand" is extremely difficult to decipher. When the process is completed, I will post the transcription on this page.
Spalding of county Suffolk, England, Wills 1521-1655
John Spalding Sr. of Wissett, county Suffolk: Will dated May 3, 1655, proved Dec. 10, 1659 by Thomas Spalding, executor... to Margarett, my wife; to Thomas Spalding, my son, to be my sole executor...to John Spalding Jr., my youngest son...to Richard Spalding, my son...to Elizabeth Barwick, my daughter...to John Spalding, my son, now deceased...to Elizabeth Dodd, my grandchild...to Wm. Fuller, my grandson. [Source: county Suffolk Wills. PCC Pell 555, Public Record Office, London]
Robert Barnes comment: "Thomas, son of John of Wissett, is suggested by Clements as possibly being the Maryland settler (progenitor). On 2 Dec 1661, John Shirtcliffe(sic) of SMCo made his will naming, among others, a cousin Thomas Spalding (MWB 1:172). Thomas and Christian Spalding claimed land for service in 1667 (MPL 10:475, 500); and Katherine Spalding claimed land for service in 1667 (MPL 18:101)."
Augustine Spalding of Tymworth, county Suffolk: Will dated Nov. 29, 1626. to Elizabeth, my wife; to Thomas Spalding, my son; to John Spalding, my son; to William Spalding, my son; my six daughters, Margaret, Ann Elizabeth, Alice, Susan, and Sarah. {Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, Sufolk, Vol. 49 "Pearle," folios 628-629 in Greater London Records Office, Co. Hall, London]
Thomas Spalding of Tymworth, Diocese of Norwich, county Suffolk: Will dated April 21, 1573...to Agnes, my wife; to son Augustine Spalding; to son Robert Spalding. [Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, county Suffolk, Vol 32 "Large," folio 143. [Source: Greater London Records Office, Co. Hall, London]
John Spalding of Tymworth nigh St. Edmundsbury in the Diocese of Norwich: Will dated June 19, 1535. "I do ordain & make this my last will & testament...Anne my wife...Robert Spalding, my son; John Spalding, my son; William Spalding, my son; Thomas Spalding, my son; Helen, my daughter; my sisters Margaret & Isabelle. [Source: Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, county Suffolk, Vol 13 "Longe." Folios 211-212]
John Spalding of Fornham All Saints within the Diocese of Norwich: Will dated April 21, 1521. "I do make & ordain this my present testament and last will... to John Spalding, my son; to Henry Spalding, my son; to Beatrice Stockinge, my daughter; to Agnes Prince, my daughter. [Source: Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, county Suffolk, Vol. 10 "Johnson," folios 129-130, Greater London Record Office, Co. Hall, London]
Spalding of England Web Sites:
Spalding, Lincolnshire, England
Simon's Suffolk Churches: http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/Alist.htm
Angelcym Ancient Saxon Village; "Regia Anglorum" - Kingdom of the English
"Register of Maryland's Heraldic Families," Alice Norris Paran, Series II, p. 152, sponsored by The Southern Md. Society of Colonial Dames," April 1935-36.
Corrections and additions in parenthesis by Pat Doster, webmaster.
Gallant-Spalding: "The Spaldings, presumably of French origin (found in the land of the) Counts of Flanders when Flanders was both French and Dutch, came from Flanders to England in the 6th Century. During the reign of Edward III in 1307, William de Spalding, son of Richard de Spalding, was elected to Parliament at York from the borough of Spalding, while the Parliament of 1337 had (seated) both William and John de Spalding of the town of Spalding (East Anglia). This Flemish family with a French name were given a language (Old English), and in England became simply William and John (de) Spalding. Thomas Spalding, named (executor) of his father John Spalding of Wissett's will, proven Dec. 10, 1659, referred to sons Richard and John, was the progenitor of our branch in America. Thomas Spalding (of Tymworth), whose will was proven in 1573, refers to his sons Augustine, Robert, and other children. John Spalding's (of Tymworth near Bury St. Edmunds, will proven in 1535) father was John Spalding the Elder of Fornham (not Farnham) All Saints whose will was proven in 1521 naming sons Henry and John, indicating descent of the Parliamentarians William, Richard and John Spalding."
"Either Thomas Spalding's mother was a Shircliffe, or John Shircliffe's was a Spalding. John Shircliffe died c1663 (in St. Mary's Co Md.) devising 50 a. of land to his cousin Thomas Spalding. Thomas Spalding and his wife Katherine each rec'd from the Proprietary 50 a. of land for serving the colony at Upper Waters of McIntosh (Winikipimsco Run) Creek on Bretton Bay. Poor (from) religious persecution in England, but with brains and blood as good as any in England or in the colony of his adoption (as) derived from a long line of landed gentry (who had) worked and flourished, he received lands in 1671 (by patent) and 1675 called St. Giles. Perhaps Catherine died first, and Thomas remarried..." (Remainder of text unproven conjecture: Thos. Spalding did not remarry. )
"Shiercliffe Family Tree" by Sharry Anne Stevens: http://www.packrat-pro.com/tree/tree.htm
An Open Letter to Spalding Genealogists:
For those who would like to undertake research of their Spalding ancestry in England, I suggest two guides: (a) "In Search of Your British & Irish Roots," by Angus Baxter, Balto.Md.: Gen. Pub. Co., 1991, Third Edition; and (b) "A Genealogical Gazetteer of England," compiled by Frank Smith, Balto, Md.: Gen. Pub. Co, 1995.
For those who hesitate to travel to East Anglia without further guidance, may I suggest New England Historic Genealogical Society's "Heritage Tour to East Anglia" with Dr. George Redmonds. Dr. Remonds also teaches seminar "English Family History for Americans" at John Hancock Conference Center, Copley Square, Boston, Mass. Contact NEHGS, 101 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116-3007 for brochure. NEHGS can be visited on-line at their web site which offers convenient on-line membership. Upon joining, they send a catalog, genealogy book rental list, and seminar-travel brochures.
New England Historic Genealogical Society: Membership, Circulating Library, Tours, and Seminars