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Wytherspoon is a name that dates back to the kingdom of Dalriada in ancient Scotland. It was given to someone who lived in various places throughout Scotland. It may have been a habitation name from a now lost place name, thought to come from the Old English terms wether, which means "sheep," and "spong," or from spang, which means "a narrow strip of land." 1 Habitation names form a broad category of surnames that were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
The surname Wytherspoon was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland.
The first record of the family was found c. 1290 when Roger Wythirspon, clerk, attested a grant by James the High Steward of lands in Renfrew. 1
The family acquired business interests in Glasgow, and also were tenants of the Cupar Angus Abbey.
In 1496, a payment was thus noted: "Widderspune the foulare that tald talis and brocht foulis to the king." Later, John Wyddirspwn was tenant of Dalbeth in 1518 and a tenant of Cupar-Angus Abbey, c. 1500, was named Wychthirspone. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wytherspoon research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1546, 1547, 1548, 1643, 1646, 1722, 1768, 1792, 1794, 1820, 1850, 1866, 1873, 1894 and 1921 are included under the topic Early Wytherspoon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling in the medieval era was a highly imprecise process. Translation, particularly from Gaelic to English, was little better. For these reasons, early Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. In various documents Wytherspoon has been spelled Wotherspoon, Witherspoon, Weatherspoon, Wetherspoon and many more.
Notable amongst the family at this time was Samuel Wilderspin (1792?-1866), joint-founder of the infant school system in England, was the son of Alexander Wilderspin, and was born at Hornsey, Middlesex, in or about 1792. He began life as a clerk in a merchant's office, but left this occupation to devote himself to the development of infant schools. He was not the originator of the system, the credit of which is generally given to Oberlin, pastor of Waldbach in Alsace, and, in Great Britain, to Robert Owen of New Lanark. But when Lord Brougham and...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wytherspoon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many of the ancestors of Dalriadan families who arrived in North America still live in communities along the east coast of Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence many of the original settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the ancestors of many Scots began recovering their collective national heritage through Clan societies, highland games, and other patriotic events. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wytherspoon or a variant listed above: Grizell Wotherspoon settled in East New Jersey in 1686; she also spelt her name Witherspoon; Elizabeth, Henry, James, John, Margaret Witherspoon, all arrived in New England in 1804.