Early Origins of the Spetchly family
The surname Spetchly was first found in
Worcestershire where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of
Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a
Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all
England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the
Domesday Book,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the village and lands of Spetchley, held by Hugh de Lacy from Worcester Church, who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086.
Early History of the Spetchly family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spetchly research.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spetchly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spetchly Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Spetchley, Speechley, Speechly, Speckley, Speckerley and many more.
Early Notables of the Spetchly family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Spetchly Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Spetchly family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..