Spencer (surname)

For a list of persons with the surname Spencer, see List of people with surname Spencer.
Spencer
Family name

Arms of Sir John Spencer of Wormleighton and Althorp, adopted c. 1595
Pronunciation spènser, /ˈspɛnsər/
spEnser
Meaning derived from the Old French despensier, a steward
Region of origin England
Related names Spenser, Spender, Espencer, Spence, Spens
Footnotes: [1]

Spencer (also Spence, Spender, Spens, and Spenser) is a surname, representing the court title dispenser, or steward. An early example is Robert d'Abbetot,[2][3][4] who is listed as Robert le Dispenser ('the steward'), a tenant-in-chief of several counties, in the Domesday Book of 1086. In early times the surname was usually written as le Despenser, Dispenser or Despencer—notably in works such as the Domesday Book of 1086 and the Scottish Ragman Rolls of 1291 and 1296, but gradually lost both the "le" article and the unstressed first syllable of the longer surname to become Spencer.

The surname Spencer has gained in popularity over time. In the 19th century it also become popular as a given name—especially in the more anglicised areas of the United States.

Variations

Main article: Orthography

English

In its transition from the French dispencier to its current form, the name Spencer has been presented and spelled in many ways—especially through the period of its early evolution in the medieval period from c.1100 to 1350 AD. The following (in alphabetical order) is a selection of the many orthographic variants:

Despencer,[5] de Expansa (derived from expence),[6] De Spencer,[7] de Spendure,[8] de Spens, de la Despense,[8][9] De la Spence,[10] de la Spense,[8] del Spens,[8] Despenser,[5][11] DeSpenser, Dispencer,[12] Dispenser,[11] Despensator,[11] Dispensator,[12] la Spens, le Despencer,[12] le Despendur,[8] le Despencer,[13] le Despenser,[13][14] le dispencer,[7] le Espencer,[15] le Espenser,[15] le Spencer,[16] le Spendur,[8] Spendure,[8] le Spenser,[16] le Spensier,[15] Spence,[8][12][17] Spences, Spen, Spender,[8] Spens,[8][12] Spensar,[18] Spense,[8] Spenser,[12][18] Spensers, Spensor, Spincer,[18] also the rare patronymic Spencers,[8] and the aphetic (derived) Spender.[8]

Within a few generations the le ("the") usually placed before Despenser was omitted. The name variant Spens first appears as Simon del Spens, dated 1300, in the "Charters of Gisburn Priory", Yorkshire, England, during the reign of Edward I.[19] Spence, another form of Spens, means both "the place where provisions are kept" and the "clerk of the kitchen".[12] This form of the name was popular in both the north of England and in Scotland. In Fife the word referred to "a spare room beside the kitchen", and in England to a "yard, enclosure or buttery"—simply an abbreviation of despencer referring to the household store.[10] The principal Scottish family of Clan Spens descend from one of the ancient Earls of Fife. John "Dispensator or Le Dispenser" appeared in a list of the tenants and vassals of Walter fitz Alan High Steward of Scotland in the period 1161–1171. Roger 'Dispensator' witnessed a charter by Bricius de Douglas, the bishop of Moray granting the church of Deveth to Spynie between 1202 and 1222. The family de Spens in Fife trace their ancestry back to 1170 and the "Baron de Spens d'Estignols", who settled in France in 1450,[20] and "the Count de Spens, who ranked among the first of the Swedish nobility and was generalissimo of the Swedish forces".[21] As a north country word for 'pantry', spence was used by Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson in the sense of a refectory: "Bluff Harry broke into the spence and turn'd the cowls adrift" (The Talking Oak, l.47.).[22]

The surnames Stewart and Stuart denote essentially the same occupation but have a completely different word derivation. They originate from the pre-7th-century English words stigweard—a compound of stig meaning household—and weard, a guardian.[23]

Other countries and cultures

Foreign Equivalents:

German: Speiser – a steward. This is a derivative of the Middle High German spise, meaning food or supplies via the Old High German—in turn derived from Late Latin expe(n)sa (pecunia), or "(money) expended".
Jewish (Ashkenazic): Speiser – occupational name for a grocer, from a later semantic development of "Speiser".[24]
Greek: Economos – the anglicised surname derived from the Greek oikonomou ("oi" in Greek pronounced as a long E.) Oikon (English = ēcon) means house in classical Greek. This surname has the same occupational derivation as Spencer but, like the surnames Stewart and Stuart, has a different etymology. The original meaning of oikonomou was a home owner but it evolved to mean estate manager, somebody who was responsible for all resources on the estate, a steward. Oikonomou was a medieval Eastern Roman title for somebody who was in charge of a project or institution; it is still used by the Greek Orthodox church. Over time the meaning of Oikonomou has evolved from "manager of resources" to "manager of money, a treasurer".[25]

Etymology

Main articles: Etymology and Philology

Philologists have been able to track changes in the name Spencer over time—in different dialects and languages—as well as trace its derivation from a common ancestry. The name Spencer can be traced through its Latin and French roots to its Middle English and modern form.[26]

Medieval Latin – dispensa, dispensator and dispensarius – steward.
Old French –
a. despense – larder
b. espenser, -ier – dispenser of money, provisions etc.; someone working at, or in charge of, the buttery; a household steward
c. despendour – steward.
Anglo-French – despenser, -ier.
Middle English – spens(e) and spence – larder; dispensour – steward. With the agent suffix –er this becomes spenser – butler or steward.

Derivation

Main article: Surname

In England, up to about the time of the Norman Conquest when communities were small, each person was identifiable by a single name, usually a personal name or nickname. Picts, Gaels, Britons, Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavians and Normans all originally used single names, but as the population increased, it became necessary to identify people further—giving rise to names like John the butcher, Henry of Sutton, Roger son of Richard and William the short, which naturally evolved into John Butcher, Henry Sutton, Roger Richardson and William Short. Although a few hereditary patrilineal surnames (those passed from father to son and daughter) appear to have existed in before the Norman Conquest, the now traditional use of binomials (two names, a given name and a surname) appears to have gathered momentum at this time[27]—particularly after the introduction of records for personal taxation, known in England as the poll tax, first levied in 1275. The poll tax was the historical means by which local communities recorded the registering, categorizing, and polling of citizens, free-subjects and other voters.

The meaning of a surname generally derives from one of the following four sources: location (toponym) such as a specific place (e.g. London, York) or feature of the place or landscape (e.g. Hill, Townsend); a relationship (e.g. Richardson); a nickname (e.g. Grey, Wellbeloved); or an occupation or office (e.g. Sawyer, Skinner).[28] The surname Spencer relates to occupation and office.

Robert Despenser, Urse d'Abbetot, and the Despenser family

Robert Despenser

12th Century Chateau de Tancarville, Seine-maritime, Normandy – homeland of Robert Despenser.
Main article: Robert Despenser

Robert d'Abbetot [nb 1] was granted titles, lands and a high position in William's court. In addition to his position as steward he also was given land grants in county Bedford. He held his office for the period c.1088–1098.[29]

Robert's last name of d'Abbetot had no meaning in England so it was likely changed to Robert le Despenser (many spelling variants of this name exist including Robert the Dispensor, Robert Despensator,[11] Robert Dispenser,[30] and Robert fitzThurstin.)[29] which reflected his new official position and occupation.[31] He seems to have maintained his popularity with William because in the Domesday Book of 1086, Robert Despenser was listed as a land tenant-in-chief in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire, as well as holding lands in Worcestershire obtained from the Bishop of Worcester.[29]

Robert is assumed to have died shortly after restoring some estates to Westminster Abbey[29] but he appears to have had no legitimate male children, as his heir was his brother Urse.[32] He may have had a daughter, as some of his lands were inherited by the Marmion family, but it is also possible that a daughter of Urse married into the Marmion family.[31][33] Robert's office as the king's steward may also have gone to Urse, as it was later held by Urse's heirs. A later steward, Thurstin, might have been an illegitimate son of Robert.[34]

Robert's brother Urse d'Abbetot

Main article: Urse d'Abetot

Robert Despenser's brother, Urse d'Abbetot (c. 1040–1108), became a medieval Sheriff of Worcester and royal official. He did not take up the name Despenser. In Normandy the brothers lived in the town of Saint Jean d'Abbetot as tenants on lands of feudal lords in the Tancarville family in the Pays de Caux region on the lower Seine.[35]

Ralph Fitz Gerald (Chamberlain of Tankerville) was the elder brother of Aumary d'Abetot. Their father was Gerold (husband of Helisendis) Sire de Tankerville with the hereditary office of chamberlain to the Dukes of Normandy. His younger son, Aumary, inherited the fiefs of Abetot and had two sons, Urso and Robert "Despencer" who gave the name to the noble families of Le Despencer and Spenser that trace their descent from his niece. In 1073 Urse was one of the king's council. He rendered great service in the suppression of the rebellion of the Earls of Hereford and Norfolk and had a reputation as a spoiler and devastator of the Church. Urse's son Roger d'Abetot, having killed a servant of Henry I, was banished and his confiscated estates given by the king—together with the hand of his sister Emmeline d'Abetot—to Walter de Beauchamp of Bedford.[36]

However, within 2–3 years of 1066 both brothers were established in England—Urse as Sheriff of Worcestershire, supervising the construction of Worcester Castle. The Domesday survey showed Urse's lands mostly in the West Midlands while Robert's extended to the North Sea. Robert remained a benefactor to the Priory of St. Barbe-en-Auge in Normandy, which had been founded by the Tancarville lords.[37]

Lands held by the d'Abbetots in Worcester are recorded in Hemming's Cartulary. The d'Abbetot family settled mostly in Worcester where they were lords of Hindlip (Hind Leap), 20 miles (32 km) from Worcester, for 200 years holding the manor for a knight's fee, that is, the service of an armed knight in the event of war. A church has stood on the site since the 11th century. Two villages have taken the D'Abbetot family name. Redmarley D'Abitot lies on the extreme south-west border of Worcestershire in Gloucestershire. Here the D'Abitots owned property in the parish in the 16th century, and lived at Down House although the last member of the family is believed to have died in the 18th century. The other village is Croome D'Abitot, which lies 7–8 miles south-east of Worcester.[38] Many of the descendants of Robert Despenser and Urse achieved notoriety of various kinds and the Dispenser line has been traced for at least 10 generations.[39]

Associated families

The Norman family of de Ferrers, through Henry de Ferrers, had received the largest grants of land and manors in Derbyshire and were closely related to the d'Abbetots by marriage.[40] Similarly, Urse's son Roger had a sister, Emmeline, who married Walter de Beauchamp from another influential family of the time.[41] Walter succeeded to Urse's lands after the exiling of Roger around 1110.[31] Tradition has it that the Derbyshire D'Abitots sprang either from Robert d'Abitot or a junior branch of the Worcester d'Abitots, although it is more likely to trace directly from Urse.[42]

Heraldry

Secretum of Bishop Despenser

Heraldry, the practice of designing, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and badges, arose from the need to distinguish participants in combat when their faces were hidden by iron and steel helmets.[43] The process of creating coats of arms (these are often called "family crests" but in the heraldic traditions of England and Scotland an individual, rather than a family, had a coat of arms) began in the eight and 9th centuries.[44][45][46] Eventually a formal system of rules developed into increasingly complex forms of heraldry that allowed the use of coats of arms by countries, states, provinces, towns and villages in a form of civic heraldry. In more recent times coats of arms have evolved from their military origins to denote educational institutes, and other establishments, apparently leading to the modern logo and corporate livery.[47][48]

The secretum or private seal of Henry le Despenser, Bishop of Norwich (A.D. 1370–1406) is shown here.[49] Arms of Hugh le Despencer.[50]

Hereditary names and genetic lineages

The possession of the surname Spencer does not necessarily indicate a hereditary relationship to Robert Despenser. Irregularities can occur with non-paternity and it is possible that consecutive but unrelated people in the same occupation may well have adopted the same name resulting in the foundation of many different Spencer genetic lineages. It is known, for example, that in London in the 13th and 14th centuries trade apprentices would take on the names of their masters. Nevertheless, also in London, surnames of all kinds had become hereditary in the patrician class by the 12th century.[51]

Nevertheless, the genetic similarity of people with identical surnames has been shown to be quite high, especially those with rarer surnames.[52] It might seem an almost insurmountable task to determine the true lineage of contemporary Spencers when such an "occupational" name probably has many founders. Nevertheless, modern genetics now has the capacity to discriminate relationships at an increasingly detailed resolution both in terms of close recent ancestry and distant ancestry. Many people are now using gene testing laboratories as part of a surname DNA project to resolve not only who their close relations are around the world, but also the migration patterns of their ancestors over the 50,000 years since modern man left Africa.[53]

In America many Spencers have been traced back genetically to four Spencer brothers: William Spencer 1601–1640, Thomas Spencer 1607–1687, Michael Spencer 1611–1653, and Gerard Spencer 1614–1685.[53][54]

The Spencer aristocracy

John Spencer (1734–1783)
1st Viscount Spencer and 1st Earl Spencer, by Thomas Gainsborough

The English aristocratic Spencer family has resided at their ancestral home at Althorp, Northamptonshire, since the early 16th century. The Estate now covers 14,000 acres (57 km2) in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Norfolk. From pre-Tudor times the Spencers had been farmers, coming to prominence in Warwickshire in the 15th century when John Spencer became feoffee of Wormleighton in 1469, and a tenant at Althorp in 1486. His nephew, another John, used the gains from trade in livestock and commodities to buy both properties. He was knighted in 1504 and died in 1522. John's descendants expanded the family holdings through business dealings and marriage into the peerage. The family is related through marriage to the Churchills of Blenheim Palace, a line that included the Dukes of Marlborough and Winston Churchill. From the Althorp line came the Earls of Sunderland, the later Dukes of Marlborough, and the Earls Spencer. The family captured international attention when Lady Diana Frances Spencer married Prince Charles on 29 July 1981, and her death in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.[55]

Notable Spencers

The following is a small selection of notable Spencers.

13th Century

14th Century

16th Century

17th Century

19th Century

20th Century

Popularity, numbers and distribution

There is strong evidence that despite population movement in the 19th Century most people stayed relatively near to their place of birth.[56] The greatest density of Spencers in present-day England is in Nottinghamshire, followed by Derbyshire (see below). Derby and Notts were closely connected at the time of Domesday, and up until the time of Elizabeth I had the same Sheriff.[57] The d'Abbetot family had holdings in Croome, Hindlip and Redmarley[58] as well as Clopton and Acton Beauchamp.[59]

In North America early settlement of Spencers date to Thomas Spencer in Virginia in 1623; William Spencer, Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1630; Thomas Spencer, Maine 1630. Col. Nicholas Spencer arrived in Virginia in the 1650s and subsequently served as Acting Governor. An account of Spencers in America has been published by Ancestry.com.[60]

Spencers arriving in Australia with the convicts of the First Fleet in 1788 were Daniel Spencer from Dorchester, John Spencer, and Mary Spence from Wigan.[61] With the Third Fleet in 1791 came John Spencer from Lancaster and Thomas Spencer from London.[62]

Statistics for popularity, numbers and distribution of Spencers are presented in the tables below:

 Spencer Family Statistics for the UK[63]
When bornNumber
Since 19008,616
In the 19th century14,486
In the 18th century5,602
US46,082828th
In the 17th century2,968
In the 16th century1,522
Before 15001,601
Unknown birth date6,778
1990 US Census142,500
Surname summary data for Spencer, UK, US, Australia [64]
CountryTotalRankFrequencyFPM
UK (current)33,7991400.074736
UK (1881)27,3411180.091913
Change since 1881+6,458-22-0.017-177
US173,1801630.057570
Australia6,9851820.04343
Cities with greatest density of Spencers[65]
Top citiesRegionCountry
1. NottinghamE MidlandsUK
2. BirminghamW MidlandsUK
3. LeicesterE MidlandsUK
4. LiverpoolNorth WestUK
5. SheffieldYorks & HumberUK
Density of Spencers per country[65]
CountryFPM
1. United Kingdom799
2. Australia742
3. US490
4. New Zealand398
5. Canada379
 Spencer numbers and popularity rating[65][66]
CountryNumberPopularity
UK35,891---
US153,108189th
Given name
US46,082828th
 Most popular given name used with surname Spencer[65][67]
1. John 2. David 3. Robert 4. James
  • FPM = frequency per million

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Robert was named after his place of origin, the present-day Normandy village of St-Jean-d'Abbetot. In the historical literature his name, and that of the village, are spelled and presented in many ways including d'Abitot, d'Abetot, Dabitote, d'Abbetot, d'Arbitot and d'Albeto: the "d" is sometimes capitalised or anglicised to "of". For consistency the contemporary spelling of the town name has been adopted here. The word is derived from the Norse apel, apal – apple combined with topt derived, in turn, from the Latin tost and tostum – farm, hence Apple Farm.

References

  1. ↑ 1990 Census Name Files
  2. ↑ See Round, 2004.
  3. ↑ Barlow, 1983, pp. 141–142.
  4. ↑ Arthur, 1857, p. 238.
  5. 1 2 Reaney and Wilson, p. 132.
  6. ↑ Weekley, 1917 p. 106.
  7. 1 2 accuracy
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Reaney and Wilson, p. 420.
  9. ↑ Ragnam rolls
  10. 1 2 Bardsley, 1875 p. 209.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Keats-Rohan, p. 383.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lower, 1860. p. 325.
  13. 1 2 Bardsley, 1875 p. 542.
  14. ↑ Thuresson, p. 117.
  15. 1 2 3 Thuresson, p.118.
  16. 1 2 Bardsley, 1875 pp. 209, 598.
  17. ↑ Bardsley, 1875 p. 598.
  18. 1 2 3 Familytreena reference
  19. ↑ See
  20. ↑ French National Library:Nouveau d'Hozier vol 308.
  21. ↑ Anderson, pp. 494–495.
  22. ↑ cited in Weekley, 1914 p. 186.
  23. ↑ Reaney and Wilson, p. 427.
  24. ↑ Ancestry.com
  25. ↑ Stanford University
  26. ↑ Lewis, p.420.
  27. ↑ Reaney and Wilson, pp. xi–lix.
  28. ↑ Reaney and Wilson pp. xli–xlii.
  29. 1 2 3 4 Barlow 1983, pp. 141–142.
  30. ↑ Mason, p. 75.
  31. 1 2 3 Round, Abetot, Urse d' (c.1040–1108).
  32. ↑ See Barlow
  33. ↑ George Edward Cokayne (1893), Complete Peerage (hardback), London: George Bell & Sons.
  34. ↑ Mason, p. 141.
  35. ↑ Mason, 2005.
  36. ↑ Planché. James R. 1874. The Conqueror and His Companions. London: Somerset Herald, Tinsley Brothers.
  37. ↑ Newman, p. 150.
  38. ↑ D’Abitot family at Redmarley D’AbitotHindlipCroome D’AbitotActon Beauchamp
  39. ↑ Genealogy from Robert to the 10th generation.
  40. ↑ Barlow, M. p. 4.
  41. ↑ Barlow, M. p. 6.
  42. ↑ Barlow, M., p. 6.
  43. ↑ Brooke-Little, p. 2.
  44. ↑ Fox-Davies
  45. ↑ Woodward
  46. ↑ Medieval names archive
  47. ↑ Understanding Corporate Identity
  48. ↑ Employee Identification with the Corporate Identity International Studies of Management and Organization 32(3): 2002.
  49. ↑ Boutelle, pp. 189–190.
  50. ↑ Wright, p. 2.
  51. ↑ Reaney and Wilson, Introduction.
  52. ↑ Jobling. p. 353.
  53. 1 2 Spencer DNA lineage testing
  54. ↑ Jacobus, Donald L. 1951. The Four Spencer Brothers—Their Ancestors and Descendants. The American Genealogist 27: 79–87.
  55. ↑ Althorp Estate visitor information
  56. ↑ Seeand
  57. ↑ Barlow, M. p. 8.
  58. ↑ Barlow, M. p. 5
  59. ↑ See
  60. ↑ Ancestry.com 2007. The Spencer Name in History. Provo, Utah: The Generations Network.
  61. ↑ Convicts of First Fleet. Transcript from London Gazette", October 1788.
  62. ↑ Convicts of the Third Fleet
  63. ↑ Spencer Family Statistics for the UK Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  64. ↑ "Spencer Surname Meaning and Geographic Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2014
  65. 1 2 3 4 Cities with greatest density of Spencers
  66. ↑ Spencer numbers and popularity rating
  67. ↑ Map of Spencer distribution in US

Bibliography

Look up Spencer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Genealogy
DNA lineages
History
Peerage

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