Clan Spens crest

Clan Spens or Spence is a Lowland Scottish clan. Clan map of Scotland Scottish clans (from Old Gaelic clann, children), 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 officially registered with the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which...

History

Origins of the Clan

The name Spens or Spence means 'custodian' or 'dispenser' of the larder, possibaly derived from Old French. The principle Scottish family of Clan Spens descend from one of the ancient Earls of Fife. Roger ‘dispensator’ witnessed a deed recording the transfer of lands near Dallas in Inverness-shire in 1232. John Spens is listed as baillie of Irvine in 1260. In the year 1300 Henry de Spens of Lathallan, Fife died. Henry Spens witnessed a charter by Robert, Earl of Fife, in 1390, and it was in that ancient earldom that the family was to prosper. Henry de Spens of Lathallan 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. The lands were later made into a barony in 1430. Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300 A.D. It was known at the time as the langue doïl to distinguish it from the langue... The title of Earl of Fife was created several times in the Peerages of Scotland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. ... Ragman Rolls the name given to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland were compelled to subscribe allegiance to King Edward I of England between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292 and again... Robert I, the Bruce, in a conjectural drawing Robert I, (Roibert a Briuis in medieval Gaelic, Raibeart Bruis in modern Scottish Gaelic and Robert de Brus or Robert de Bruys in Norman French), usually known in modern English today as Robert the Bruce (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), was...

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 Scotland at Perth in 1434. John married Isabel, daughter of Sir John Wemyss of Clan Wemyss, and had three sons. Patrick, the youngest, was a member of the Guard of Scots, Archers 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 Spens-Destinot de Lanere. The ‘Garde Ecossaise’, as they were later known, were to become the personal bodyguard of the French kings until the revolution of 1789. James I (December 10, 1394 – February 21, 1437) reigned as King of Scots from April 4, 1406 until February 21, 1437. ... The Royal Burgh of Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh in central Scotland. ... Events May 30, Battle of Lipany in the Hussite Wars Jan van Eyck paints the wedding of Giovanni Arnoflini The Honorable Passing of Arms at the bridge of Obrigo The Portuguese reach Cape Bojador in Western Sahara. ... Clan Wemyss crest: Je pense (I think) Clan Wemyss is a Lowland Scottish clan. ... James II of Scotland (October 16, 1430 – August 3, 1460) was king of Scotland from 1437 to 1460. ... Charles VII the Victorious, a. ... Events March - French troops under Guy de Richemont besiege the English commander in France, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, in Caen April 15 - Battle of Formigny. ...

Thomas, 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. The Bishop of Galloway is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh. ... Events May 15 - Charles VIII of Sweden who had served three terms as King of Sweden dies. ... The House of Savoy was a dynasty of nobles who traditionally had their domain in Savoy (a small region between Piedmont, Italy, and France). ... Arabella is an opera (lyric comedy in 3 acts) by Richard Strauss with libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last common work. ... James II can refer to: James II of Scotland James II of England James II of Aragon James II of Cyprus This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Edinburgh (pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: ) is the capital of Scotland and its second-largest city. ... Roslin may refer to: Scotland: Roslin, Scotland, (sometimes spelt Rosslyn or Roslyn) a village in Midlothian, south of Edinburgh Roslin Castle Roslin Institute, where Dolly the Sheep was cloned Battle of Roslin, 1303 [1] People: Toros Roslin, a 13th century Armenian Byzantine style manuscript illuminator (active 1256-1268) Alexander Roslin...

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 Advocate, 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. Tragically, 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. Mary, Queen of Scots is the name of: Mary I of Scotland, the former queen of France and Scotland executed by her cousin Elizabeth I of England Mary, Queen of Scots (movie), a 1971 film about that queen starring Vanessa Redgrave Mary, Queen of Scots (1969 book), a 1969 book... Broad St at the heart of Stirlings Old Town area (called Top of the Town by locals) on a rare snowy day Stirling Castle (Southwest aspect) The main courtyard inside Stirling Castle. ... James VI and I King of England, Scotland and Ireland James VI of Scotland and I of England (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) was a King who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. ...

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 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. College building by Denys Lasdun The Royal College of Physicians of London is the oldest medical institution in England was founded in 1518 and is one of the most active of all medical professional organisations. ... The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereigns 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. ...

See Also

• Scottish clan
• Armigerous clan

Clan map of Scotland Scottish clans (from Old Gaelic clann, children), 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 officially registered with the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which... An armigerous clan or Family, is a Scottish clan the chief of which has matriculated arms with the Lyon Office. ...

External Links

• http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/spens2.html
• http://www.myclan.com/clans/Spens_129/default.php