Spynner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Spynner is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Spynner family lived in Warwickshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Epineville, Normandy, 1

However, another source has a very different understanding of the origin of this name, claiming the name means: "a thicket; a small plantation. Evidently the same as the Latin spinetum, a bushy place, or patch of thorns. The name is probably another form of Thorne, anciently Latinized 'De Spineto.' In Buckinghamshire, however, spinney means a brook." 2

Early Origins of the Spynner family

The surname Spynner was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. The Spineys were originally of Spine Villa or Epineville of Scine in Inf in the arrondisement of Yvetot, and held lands in Feltwell in Norfolk and Cloughton in Warwickshire.

Other early records of the family in England include: Robert de la Spinei who was listed in Cheshire in 1198, John atte Spyneye in the Subsidy Rolls for Leicestershire in 1327 and John Spynneye in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1377. 3

Moving to the far south to Devon, we did find this interesting interpretation of the name: "Brismar had also held, and William [the Conqueror)] had succeeded to, the adjacent manors of Bickleigh and Sampford, now Sampford Spiney. The added name, in this latter case, is said to have been derived from its possession by the family of Spinet or De Spineto ; but as the neighbouring parish of Shaugh takes its title from the Saxon sceacga, 'rough coppice,' it is quite as probable that the Spiney here may be simply the allied word spinney." 4

The spellings Spynie and Spiny are fairly popular in Scotland where the name is derived from "Spynie in the parish of the same name in Moray. Henricus ae Spyny was vicar of Banff, 1323. William de Spyny who appears as canon of the church of Moray in 1363 may be the William de Spyny who was procurator for the abbot of Aberbrothoc in 1375. John de Spyny petitioned for a canonry and prebend of Neu and Ros ven in Ros, 1407. Sir William Spyne or Spynie, provost of Thane or Tayne (Tain) in 1509 was dead before 1545." 5 This later source presumes that Espyny recorded in 1394 is of the same family.

Early History of the Spynner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spynner research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1363, 1371, 1372, 1373, 1388, 1397, 1402 and 1406 are included under the topic Early Spynner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spynner Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Spiney, Spinney, Spine, Spines and others.

Early Notables of the Spynner family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William de Spynie (died 1406), Scottish prelate, canon of Moray by 1363 and Precentor (Chanter) of Aberdeen in 1371, exchanged the latter position with William Boyl for the Precentorship of Moray (1372-1373), became Dean of Aberdeen by 1388, possibly became Dean of Dunkeld in 1397, elected to be the new Bishop...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spynner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Spynner family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Spynner name or one of its variants: C. Spinney who arrived in New York in 1823; J. Spinney arrived in San Francisco in 1850; Thomas Spines settled in New England in 1767.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)