| ![Show Contents]() Spake History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Spake is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Spake is a name that comes from the Norman given name Espec. Early Origins of the Spake familyThe surname Spake was first found in Lancashire where a Norman noble Le Espec was an under tenant of Roger de Poitou, and was granted the lands of Speke outside Liverpool in Lancashire. Soon after the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a descendant, Richard Le Espec acquired the manors of Wenworthy and Brampton Speke in the county of Devon, 1 which he held from Robert Fitzroy of Oakhampton. His descendent, William Le Espec married and acquired the estates of Gervois. Walter Espec (d. 1153), was founder of Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire, and was probably the son of William Spech, who in 1085 held Warden, Bedfordshire, where some fifty years later Walter Espec founded and endowed an Abbey. "Espec's chief property was in Yorkshire, and he resided at Helmsley. Under Henry I he was Justice of the Forests and Itinerant Justice in the northern counties. Under Stephen he actively resisted the Scotch invasion. On 10 Jan. 1138 FitzDuncan failed in a night attack on Espec's castle of Wark. Then King David and his son Henry came up and formed a regular siege for three weeks, after which the main body passed on to Harry Northumberland. Three months later (c. 8 May) the garrison swooped down upon the Scotch king's commissariat, and had to submit to a second siege. The castle was stoutly defended by Walter's nephew, John de Bussey, but had to surrender about 11 Nov. " 2 Early History of the Spake familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spake research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1653, 1661, 1675, 1681 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Spake History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Spake Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Speak, Speck, Speake, Speke and others. Early Notables of the Spake familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John Speke of Whitelackington; and Sir Hugh Speke, 1st Baronet of Hasilbury, Wiltshire (died 1661), an English politician who sat...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spake Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Spake migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Spake or a variant listed above were:
Spake Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Tho Spake, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 3
Spake Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- David Spake, who landed in North Carolina in 1763 3
Spake Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Adam Spake, who arrived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
Spake Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Thomas Spake, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1923
- Thomas T. Spake, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States, in 1923
| Spake migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Spake Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Mr. John Spake U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 192 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 4
| Contemporary Notables of the name Spake (post 1700) | + |
- Shannon Spake (b. 1976), American NASCAR correspondent for ESPN
- G. W. Spake, American politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Jackson County, 1876-78 5
- Jeremy Craig Spake (b. 1969), Russian-born, English former reality TV star
- Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Spake migration to the United States 
Spake migration to Canada 
