Clan Spens
Encyclopedia
Clan Spens or Spence is a Lowland Scottish clan
.
. 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
on 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 . His son Thomas 'Dispensator' witnessed a charter in 1232 of Andreas de Moravia
, later bishop of Moray. John Spens is listed as baillie of Irvine
in 1260.
In the year 1296 Henry de Spens, feudal baron, swore fealty to Edward I of England, and his name appears on the Ragman Rolls
of 1296. He died around 1300, when his son, Thomas, succeeded. He is mentioned in two charters of King Robert the Bruce
. His heir Thomas de Spens witnessed several charters of Trinity college
of Edinburgh between 1296 and 1324 and of the monastory of Soltray
. One of his sons William de Spens was laird of Gylgyrstoun, Glespany and gets the lands of Dumbarnie and Bondiingtoune from William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
in 1358. His son William de Spens get married with Isabel Campbell of Glendouglas heiress and daughter of Sir Duncan Campbell of Glen Douglas
and Strachur. They get by charter given in Dunblane the 5 May 1385 the lands of Athaland, Ketydy and Craigswmqwar from Robert Earl of Fife and Menteith. These lands were later made into a barony in 1430.
at Perth
in 1434. John married Isabel, daughter of Sir John Wemyss of Clan Wemyss
, and had three sons. Patrick, the youngest, was officer of the 24 bodyguards sent by King James II of Scotland
to King Charles VII of France
in 1450. He settled in France and his descendents were the prominent family of Baron de Spens d'Estignols in the French nobility. The ‘Garde Écossaise
’, as they were later known, were to become the personal bodyguard of the French kings until the revolution of 1789. Charles VIII of France takes in the honour of "his beloved" Patrick baron de Spens the motto of the Spens'family :"Si Deus [pro nobis] quis contra [nos] ?". The French barons de Spens d'Estignols are the actual chief of name and arms of the Spens. All the Spens of Scotland and England comes from the marriage of John Spens laird of a quarter of lathallan and his wife Isabel Barde. This John Spens was one of the sons of William Spens, cadet son of William Spens and Isabel Campbell.
Thomas Spens, the second son, entered the Church and rose to high office. He was appointed Bishop of Galloway
and later Lord Privy Seal
, a post he held until 1470. He was translated to the bishopric of Aberdeen in 1459, and being considered a clever and shrewd negotiator, he was regularly employed on state business. In 1449 he was sent to conclude a marriage contract between the heir to the Duke of Savoy and Arabella
, sister of James II. Two years later he was sent as ambassador to negotiate a truce with England. He died in Edinburgh
in 1480, and his tomb is in the splendid chapel of Roslin
.
, but adhered to the reformed Church. When commanded by the queen to prosecute the reformer John Knox
, for alleged treason, he did so with no great zeal, and Knox was acquitted. David Spens of Wormieston, however, was a loyal subject of Mary, and was denounced as a rebel by the Parliament summoned by Regent Lennox in August 1571.
David was one of the ringleaders of the attempt to seize Lennox at Stirling
in September of that year, and he was given the task of taking the regent personally to hold as hostage. According to one narrative, Spens followed his orders to keep Lennox secure so literally that when some of the conspirators decided to kill the regent, Spens stopped a pistol shot by throwing himself in front of his prisoner. When supporters of Lennox came to his rescue, they killed Spens on the spot, despite the regent’s attempts to save his unlikely saviour. However, the family were later reconciled to King James VI of Scotland, who sent Sir James Spens of Wormieston as ambassador to Sweden, where a branch of the family settled, rising high in the Swedish nobility as Counts Spens.
Dr. Nathaniel Spens of Craigsanquhar in Fife was also the president of the Royal College of Physicians
in 1794. He was a prominent member of the Royal Company of Archers
(the monarch’s bodyguard in Scotland) and a famous portrait of him hangs in Archers’ Hall in Edinburgh
. One of his descendants, Sir William Spens, was vice-chancellor of Cambridge University from 1931 to 1933. Another kinsman, John Spens, WS, is the Albany Herald
to the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms.
, Chief of the Name and Arms of Spens in the United Kingdom.
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
.
Origins of the Clan
The name Spens or Spence means 'custodian' or 'dispenser' of the larder, possibly derived from Old FrenchOld French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
. The principal Scottish family of Clan Spens descend from one of the ancient Earls of Fife
Earl of Fife
The Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife referred to the Gaelic comital lordship of Fife which existed in Scotland until the early 15th century....
. John "Dispensator or Le Dispenser" appeared in a list of the tenants and vassals of Walter fitz Alan High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
on the period 1161–1171. Roger ‘Dispensator’ witnessed a charter by Bricius de Douglas, the bishop of Moray
Bishop of Moray
The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics...
granting the church of Deveth to Spynie
Spynie Palace
Spynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the Bishops of Moray for about 500 years. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th Century. It is situated about 500m from the location of the first officially settled Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Moray, in...
between 1202 and 1222 . His son Thomas 'Dispensator' witnessed a charter in 1232 of Andreas de Moravia
Andreas de Moravia
Andreas de Moravia was a 13th century Scottish bishop. He may have been from the "de Moravia" family of Flemish origin who were lords of Duffus and other areas in the Greater Moray region in this period. In the time of Bishop Bricius' episcopate , there was a man called "Andreas" who was rector of...
, later bishop of Moray. John Spens is listed as baillie of Irvine
Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
in 1260.
In the year 1296 Henry de Spens, feudal baron, swore fealty to Edward I of England, and his name appears on the Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
of 1296. He died around 1300, when his son, Thomas, succeeded. He is mentioned in two charters of King Robert the Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
. His heir Thomas de Spens witnessed several charters of Trinity college
Trinity College Kirk
Trinity College Kirk was a royal collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. The kirk and its adjacent almshouse, Trinity Hospital, were founded in 1460 by Mary of Gueldres in memory of her husband, King James II...
of Edinburgh between 1296 and 1324 and of the monastory of Soltray
Soutra Aisle
Soutra Aisle, just within the Scottish Borders, not far from Fala, is the remains of the House of the Holy Trinity, a church that was part of a complex comprising a hospital and a friary...
. One of his sons William de Spens was laird of Gylgyrstoun, Glespany and gets the lands of Dumbarnie and Bondiingtoune from William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas was a Scottish magnate.-Early Life:William Douglas was the son of Sir Archibald Douglas and Beatrice Lindsay, and nephew of "Sir James the Good", Robert the Bruce's trusted deputy...
in 1358. His son William de Spens get married with Isabel Campbell of Glendouglas heiress and daughter of Sir Duncan Campbell of Glen Douglas
Glen Douglas
Glen Douglas is a glen in the southwest Scottish Highlands. It is drained by the Douglas Water which discharges at the village of Inverbeg at its eastern end into Loch Lomond. The glen is followed by a minor road which links the A82 road alongside Loch Lomond with the A814 road beside Loch Long...
and Strachur. They get by charter given in Dunblane the 5 May 1385 the lands of Athaland, Ketydy and Craigswmqwar from Robert Earl of Fife and Menteith. These lands were later made into a barony in 1430.
15th century
By the early fifteenth century, the family had risen to considerable prominence, which entitled John Spens of Lathallan to sit in the Parliament called by King James I of ScotlandJames I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
at Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
in 1434. John married Isabel, daughter of Sir John Wemyss of Clan Wemyss
Clan Wemyss
Clan Wemyss is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Origins of the Clan:The name "Wemyss" is derived from the Gaelic word ‘uaimh’, meaning ‘cave’, and is believed to be taken from the caves and cliffs of the Firth of Forth in that part of Fife where the family of Wemyss made its home. Wemyss in Fife has been...
, and had three sons. Patrick, the youngest, was officer of the 24 bodyguards sent by King James II of Scotland
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
to King Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
in 1450. He settled in France and his descendents were the prominent family of Baron de Spens d'Estignols in the French nobility. The ‘Garde Écossaise
Garde Écossaise
The Garde Écossaise was an elite Scottish military unit founded in 1418 by the Valois Charles VII of France, to be personal bodyguards to the French monarchy. They were assimilated into the Maison du Roi and later formed the first Company of the Garde du Corps du Roi...
’, as they were later known, were to become the personal bodyguard of the French kings until the revolution of 1789. Charles VIII of France takes in the honour of "his beloved" Patrick baron de Spens the motto of the Spens'family :"Si Deus [pro nobis] quis contra [nos] ?". The French barons de Spens d'Estignols are the actual chief of name and arms of the Spens. All the Spens of Scotland and England comes from the marriage of John Spens laird of a quarter of lathallan and his wife Isabel Barde. This John Spens was one of the sons of William Spens, cadet son of William Spens and Isabel Campbell.
Thomas Spens, the second son, entered the Church and rose to high office. He was appointed Bishop of Galloway
Bishop of Galloway
The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...
and later Lord Privy Seal
Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal...
, a post he held until 1470. He was translated to the bishopric of Aberdeen in 1459, and being considered a clever and shrewd negotiator, he was regularly employed on state business. In 1449 he was sent to conclude a marriage contract between the heir to the Duke of Savoy and Arabella
Arabella
Arabella is a lyric comedy or opera in 3 acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. It was first performed on 1 July 1933, at the Dresden Sächsisches Staatstheater....
, sister of James II. Two years later he was sent as ambassador to negotiate a truce with England. He died in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1480, and his tomb is in the splendid chapel of Roslin
Roslin
Roslin may refer to:Scotland:*Roslin, Midlothian, a village in Midlothian, south of Edinburgh, Scotland, Home to the famous Rosslyn Chapel*Roslin Castle*Roslin Institute, where Dolly the Sheep was cloned...
.
16th century & Mary, Queen of Scots
During the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the loyalties of the family were divided. Sir John Spence of Condie was Lord AdvocateLord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
, but adhered to the reformed Church. When commanded by the queen to prosecute the reformer John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
, for alleged treason, he did so with no great zeal, and Knox was acquitted. David Spens of Wormieston, however, was a loyal subject of Mary, and was denounced as a rebel by the Parliament summoned by Regent Lennox in August 1571.
David was one of the ringleaders of the attempt to seize Lennox at Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
in September of that year, and he was given the task of taking the regent personally to hold as hostage. According to one narrative, Spens followed his orders to keep Lennox secure so literally that when some of the conspirators decided to kill the regent, Spens stopped a pistol shot by throwing himself in front of his prisoner. When supporters of Lennox came to his rescue, they killed Spens on the spot, despite the regent’s attempts to save his unlikely saviour. However, the family were later reconciled to King James VI of Scotland, who sent Sir James Spens of Wormieston as ambassador to Sweden, where a branch of the family settled, rising high in the Swedish nobility as Counts Spens.
18th to 20th Centuries
Dr. Nathaniel Spens (1728–1815), second son of the 15th Laird of Lathallan, bought back Craigsanquhar, Fife (which belonged to the family from 1385 to 1524) in 1792. His descendant, Sir Patrick Spens (1885–1973), was created 1st Lord Spens of Blairsanquhar, Fife, in 1959.Dr. Nathaniel Spens of Craigsanquhar in Fife was also the president of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1794. He was a prominent member of the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
(the monarch’s bodyguard in Scotland) and a famous portrait of him hangs in Archers’ Hall in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. One of his descendants, Sir William Spens, was vice-chancellor of Cambridge University from 1931 to 1933. Another kinsman, John Spens, WS, is the Albany Herald
Albany Herald
Albany Herald of Arms was a Scottish herald of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon.The office was first mentioned in a diplomatic mission from Scotland to England in 1401. The office was probably instituted on the creation of Robert Stewart, son of King Robert II, as Duke of Albany, on 28 April 1398...
to the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms.
Clan Chief
The Rt Hon The Lord Spens, Patrick Nathaniel George Spens, The 4th Baron SpensBaron Spens
Baron Spens, of Blairsanquhar in the County of Fife, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1959 for the lawyer and Conservative politician Sir Patrick Spens...
, Chief of the Name and Arms of Spens in the United Kingdom.