Spottiswoode History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Spottiswoode family

The surname Spottiswoode was first found in Berwickshire where "the name is derived from the barony of Spottiswoode. The family were benefactors to the Abbeys of Melrose and Kelso in early times. The immediate ancestor or Spottiswoode, still 'of that Ilk,' was Robert de Spottiswood, who was born in the reign of King Alexander III., and died in that of Robert Bruce. " 1

Early History of the Spottiswoode family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spottiswoode research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1510, 1513, 1565, 1567, 1585, 1596, 1597, 1637, 1639, 1645, 1646, 1666, 1676, 1710, 1728, 1740 and 1923 are included under the topic Early Spottiswoode History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spottiswoode Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Spottiswood, Spottiswode, Sportwode, Sportwood, Spotswood and many more.

Early Notables of the Spottiswoode family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

John Spottiswoode (1565-1639), Archbishop of St Andrews, Primate of All Scotland and historian of Scotland
Sir Robert Spottiswoode Lord Newabbey (1596-1646), was a Scottish lawyer and second son of John Spottiswood, Archbishop of St. Andrews
John Spottiswood, Spottiswoode or Spotiswood (1666-1728) was a Scottish advocate and legal author, the third and only surviving son of Alexander Spottiswoode of Crumstain, advocate

Migration of the Spottiswoode family to Ireland

Some of the Spottiswoode family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spottiswoode migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Spottiswoode Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander Spottiswoode, who landed in Virginia in 1710 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Spottiswoode (post 1700) +

Lily Spottiswoode, American producer, known for her work on 16 and Pregnant (2009), Morning Movement (2011) and The Search for General Tso (2014)
Jonathan Spottiswoode (b. 1964), American musician, writer, and filmmaker based in New York
Andrew Spottiswoode, English co-founder of the King's Printer Eyre & Spottiswoode, Ltd
Frank Spottiswoode, English professional rugby league footballer who played for the England National Team in 1904
William H. Spottiswoode FRS (1825-1883), English mathematician and physicist, President of the Royal Society from 1878 to 1883
Arthur Cole Spottiswoode (1808-1874), British major-general, son of Hugh Spottiswoode of the Madras civil service, who died on his passage to the Cape, 4 April 1820
Roger Spottiswoode (b. 1945), Canadian Primetime Emmy Award nominated film director, editor and writer, known for his work on Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The 6th Day (2000) and Turner & Hooch (1989)
Alicia Ann Spottiswoode (1810-1900), Scottish songwriter and composer

The Spottiswoode Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Patior ut potiar
Motto Translation: I suffer that I may obtain.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)