Spence Family
SPENCE. Family.
History of the surname Spence.
This very interesting name is of early medieval Anglo-Scottish origins. Introduced by the Norman French after the Invasion of England in 1066, it was a metonymic occupational surname for someone who was originally in charge of the pantry of a great house or monastery. The term derives from the pre 10th century Old French word “despense”, from the Latin “dispendere”, meaning to weigh out or dispense.
In Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”, the glutton in the Sumner’s Tale is described as being “all vinolent as botel in the spense”. The modern surname can be found as Spence, Spencer, and the Scottish form Spens, Spenser and Despenser.
The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Simon del Spens. This was dated 1300, in the Charters of Guisburn Priory, Yorkshire. during the reign of King Edward 1st, known as “The Hammer of the Scots”, 1272 – 1307.
Denise is seeking information about her 5 times Great Grandfather Thomas Spence who worked in the Unicorn Hotel Ripon as a boot boy. He was also known as Tom Crudd and Old Boots. If you can help her please
Peter Cockerill would like information about Thomas Spence, Shoemaker of Grewelthorpe from 1841 to 1881.
Rose Hay is also interested in ancestors of James Spence b. 1812 the Cooper.
If you can help please contact this site.
Jean Greenwwod would like information about James Spence b1812 Grewelthorpe and his children particularly John Spence born 1828.
Jenni Corner sent this comment.
Robert Spence was born in your area in 1784 and his son John Foster Spence was a Mayor in North Shields. I’d be interested if anyone knows more about him.
The following information about the Spence families of the Grewelthorpe area have been taken from census returns, parish registers etc.
Last updated Feb. 2010.
AMELIA SPENCE. Born C 1871 Sowerby. Dau of William & Sarah.
ANNIE SPENCE. Born C.1873 Ripon. Dau of Thomas & Harriett. Teacher in Ripon 1891.
BESSY [ELIZABETH] SPENCE. Born C. 1816 Grewelthorpe. Married to Joseph. Widow & laundress in 1891 living in Kirkby Malzeard with son Richard.
CHRISTOPHER SPENCE. Born 1817 Grewelthorpe. Husband of Mary Ann of Hull. Servant to General Cecil Wray Dalton. of The Hutts, Grewelthorpe. in 1871.
CHRISTOPHER SPENCE. Bap. 21.6.1828 Aldfield. Son of George & Margaret.
CHRISTOPHER SPENCE. Born C 1860 Notts. Son of Christopher & Mary Ann. Living Grewelthorpe 1871.
CLARA ORTON SPENCE. Born C.1869 Ripon. Dau of John & Sarah Lambert.
CYRIL C. SPENCE. Born C. 1875 Ripon. Son of John & Sarah Barker Orton married Sarah Bland.[b.1868 Knaresbro] the sister of his step Mother Mary Bland.
DAVID SPENCE. Bap. 3.7.1859 Kikrby Malzeard. Son of Joseph & Elizabeth.
DAVID RALPH SPENCE. Born C 1865 Sowerby. Son of William & Sarah of Sowerby.
EDMUND SPENCE. Born C. 1872 Ripon. Son of John & Sarah Lambert.
ELIZA SPENCE. Born C. 1859 Ripon. Dau of James & Sarah Lambert. Living in Ripon 1871.
ELIZA SPENCE. Born C. 1862 Bilton Harrogate. Wife of John the plumber.
ELIZABETH SPENCE [nee ?]. Buried 24.1.1804 Grewelthorpe. She was a widow.
ELIZABETH SPENCE. Born 1816. see Bessy.
ELIZABETH SPENCE. Born C. 1888 Ripon. In 1911 she was a domestic servant in Grewelthorpe with the Grundy family.
GEORGE SPENCE. Bap.16.5.1830 Aldfield. Son of George & Margaret.
GEORGE SPENCE. Born C. 1854 Grewelthorpe. servant at Shaw’s Farm Masham in 1891.
HANNAH SPENCE. Born C1834. Dishforth. Wife of John. Schoolmistress at Marton le Moor in 1881.
HAROLD SPENCE. Born C 1898 Bilton Harrogate. Son of John & Eliza.
HARRIETT SPENCE. Born C. 1841 Ripon. Wife of Thomas the joiner.
HARRIETT SPENCE. Born C.1877 Ripon. Dau of Thomas & Harriett.
ISABELLA SPENCE. Dau of George of Azerley. Married on 6.8.1855 at Kirkby Malzeard church to William Cartman. son of Anthony of Azerley.
JAMES SPENCE. Born 1812 Grewelthorpe. Son of Thomas the Farmer. Husband of [1] Sarah Lambert of Kirkby Malzeard and [2] Dorothy Mary Steel of Stockton. He was a cooper. Living Ripon 1871. Sarah Lambert died 1868.
JAMES SPENCE. Born 1849. Son of James & Sarah Lambert. James was a wood turner. Married Jane Blackburn. in 1870.
JANE SPENCE [Nee ?]. Buried 5.10.1731 Kirkby Malzeard. Wife of William of Azerley.
JANE SPENCE. Bap. 3.2.1810 Kirkby Malzeard. Died 1850 Dallowgill. Dau of Thomas. Married John Cundall. on 20.11.1833 Kirkby Malzeard. Witness Ann Baul. Had 8 children.
JANE SPENCE. Born C. 1843 dau of Joseph & Elizabeth of Kirkby Malzeard. Married on 25.1.1868 at Kirkby Malzeard church to Simon Morland. [b.1844] son of Simon Morland. of Norton le Clay.
JANE SPENCE. Born C. 1853 Ripon. Grand dau. of Aaron & Jane Musgrove living in Kirkby Malzeard in 1861.
JANE SPENCE. Born C.1863 Dau of William of Kirkby Malzeard.
Married on 4.7.1885 at Kirkby Malzeard church to George Teale. [b.1851] son of Joseph Teale. George was a groom.
JENNY MAUD SPENCE. Born C1876 Dallowgill. Dau of Matson & Jan Elizabeth.
JOHN SPENCE. Buried 4.4.1802 Grewelthorpe. Son of John Spence.
JOHN SPENCE. Born C.1819 Kirkby Malzeard. Shoemaker. Married to Lavinia from Lincolnshire.
JOHN COWPER SPENCE. Bap. 30.5.1824 Aldfield. Son of Christopher & Catherine of Fountains.
JOHN SPENCE. Born 1838. Son of James of Grewelthorpe. He was a Timber Merchant. Became Mayor of Ripon in 1900/2. see photo at end.
JOHN SPENCE. Born C. 1835 Grewelthorpe. Farm Lab. Husband of Hannah of Dishforth. Living Marton le Moor 1881.
JOHN SPENCE. Born 1838 Grewelthorpe. Son of James & Sarah Lambert. He was a Timber Merchant. Husband of [1] Sarah Barker Orton.[b.1833 Kirkby Malzeard]. [2] Mary Bland. Married in Knaresbro 1897.
JOHN SPENCE. Born C. 1859 Grewelthorpe. Husband of Eliza of Bilton. Plumber & Painter in New Park, Bilton, Harrogate in 1891/1901.
JOHN G. SPENCE. Born C. 1878 Kirkby Malzeard. Son of John [The shoemaker] & Lavinia.
JOSEPH SPENCE. Born C 1804 Grewelthorpe. Husband of Elizabeth [Bessy] of Sutton. Living Kirkby Malzeard 1871.
LESLIE SPENCE. Born 1900 Ripon. Son of John & Mary Bland.
LUCY SPENCE. Born C 1857 Notts. Dau of Christopher & Mary Ann. Living Grewelthorpe 1871.
MARGRET SPENCE. Born C.1880 Bilton, Harrogate. Niece of John the plumber.
MARIA SPENCE. Bap. 9.6.1851 Kirkby Malzeard. Dau of Joseph & Elizabeth.
MARK SPENCE. Born C 1856 Ripon. Son of James & Sarah Lambert. A cooper like his Father.
MARY SPENCE. Married [1]*Anthony Dawson.* in 1723 at Kirkby Malzeard. He was from Azerley. Born 1698. [2] John Ascough of Ripon.
MARY DOROTHY SPENCE. Born C 1820 Darlington. Wife of James the cooper. Living Ripon 1871.
MARY ANN SPENCE. Born C1823 Hull. Wife of Christopher servant at The HUtts, Grewelthorpe.
MARY SPENCE. Born 1859 Pateley Bridge.
MARY SPENCE. Born C 1867 Sowerby. Dau of William & Sarah.
MARY SPENCE. Born 1875 Ripon. Dau of Thomas & Harriett. Drapers apprentice in Ripon in 1891.
MATSON SPENCE. Born C1851 Studley. Husband of Jan Elizabeth of Dallowgill. Cattle dealer. Living Grewelthorpe 1881.
REGINALD SPENCE. Born 1899. Ripon. Son of John & Mary Bland.
RICHARD SPENCE. Bap. 19.6.1853 Kirkby Malzeard. Son of Joseph & Elizabeth [Bessy].
Living K.Malzeard, unmarried. Classed as an imbicile in 1871 and a labourer in 1891.
SARAH SPENCE . Born C. 1835 Ripon. Wife of John the timber merchant.
SARAH E. SPENCE. Born C. 1865 Ripon. Dau of John & Sarah Lambert.
SARAH ELLEN SPENCE. Bap. 4.2.1877 Dallowgill. Dau of John Matson & Jane Elizabeth.
STEPHEN HAROLD SPENCE. Bap 26.11.1880 Grewelthorpe. Son of John Matson [The Butcher] & Jane Elizabeth.
THOMAS SPENCE. Buried 17.9.1721 Kirkby Malzeard. Lived Azerley.
THOMAS SPENCE. Born C.1843 Grewelthorpe. Grandson of James & Sarah Lambert. Husband of Harriett Hebden. Joiner & Cabinet maker in Ripon 1891.
THOMAS SPENCE. Born C 1855 Notts. Son of Christopher & Mary Ann. Living Grewelthorpe 1871.
THOMAS H.SPENCE. Born C. 1871. Ripon. Son of Thomas & Harriett. A cooper living Ripon 1891.
THOMAS SPENCE. Born 1883 Ripon. Son of James the wood turner & Jane Blackburn.. Married Sarah Ellen Goodyear Britton Shackleton. in 1906 in Leeds.
Alderman Thomas F. Spence. Lived at Red Hill Grange. He donated Quarry Moor to Ripon.
WILLIAM SPENCE. Born C. 1808 Grewelthorpe. Widower living Pickhill in 1891.
WILLIAM SPENCE. Born C 1841 Grewelthorpe. Husband of Sarah of Sowerby. A grocer’s porter in Sowerby in 1871.
WILLIAM SPENCE. Born C. 1869 Thirsk. Son of William & Sarah of Sowerby.
Excerpt from History of the Unicorn Hotel, Ripon.
THOMAS SPENCE. 1760-1780.
During this period the Unicorn was famous for a character known as Tom Crudd or “Old Boots”. His real name was Thomas Spence. “This extraordinary person was favoured by Nature with a nose and chin so enormously long, and so lovingly tending to embrace each other, that he acquired by habit the power of holding a piece of money between them.” Being a servant of the Unicorn Inn in Ripon, Yorkshire, it was his business to wait on travellers who arrived there, to assist them in taking off their boots. He usually introduced himself in the room with a pair of slippers in one hand and a boot jack in the other. “The company in general were so diverted with his odd appearance that they would frequently give him a piece of money on condition that he held it between his nose and chin. This requisition he was always ready to comply with, it being no less satisfactory to himself than entertaining to them”.
Photo submitted by Jean Greenwood.
JOHN SPENCE. of Ashley House, Ripon. son of the late Mr. James Spence. was born at Grewelthorpe on Nov. 6th 1838 and educated at Mr J.Dunnington’s private school. He was in business in Ripon as a timber merchant. Various branches of the Spence family have been connected with the muncipal life of Ripon for centuries. John was a member of the Council from 1873 to 1879 when he did not seek re-election. he was chosen as Mayor from outside the Council in 1900 and re-elected as Mayor for the Coronation Year in 1901. On both occasions unanimously. He was for a number of years a member of the Ripon Board of Guardians and Rural Sanitary Authority; a Church warden of the Cathedral, and a trustee of various institutions connected with the city. he was Hon. secretary of the Ripon Agricultural Association and a practical agriculturist.
Photo by courtesy of youroldbooksandmaps.co.uk.