More of the Early Spring family of Lavenham, England.

 

Inside view of St. Peter and St. Paul's Church located in Lavenham, England.

Like his father before him, Thomas Spring II, (14th great grandfather of James Patrick Regan), became a well known clothier in the town of Lavenham. History shows that professionally, with ability and resourcefulness, he followed in his fathers footsteps greatly enlarging the Spring family fortune and the Spring family's notoriety. In 1455 he married Margaret Appleton who was born about 1434 in Waldingfield, Suffolk, England. Margaret was the daughter of John Appleton and Margaret Welling.
To set the stage for future history Margaret's brother Thomas Welling, had a son named Thomas Welling, Jr. who became the parson of Lavenham. In addition, the Springs and Appeltons neighbors in Lavenham included the Adam Winthrop family. Thomas Welling, Jr.,would eventually baptize Adam's son Adam Winthrop Jr. who would later become the father of John Winthrop, the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England and leader of the Winthrop Expedition.
Thomas Spring II, and Margaret had five children, and groomed his oldest son, Thomas Spring III, to take over the family business.
Thomas II lived his life, expanded his business, and like his father became a very prominent member of the community. 
Like his father, Thomas Spring III was closely involved in the rebuilding of St Peter and St Paul's Church in Lavenham. It was Thomas Spring and John de Vere,13th Earl of Oxford, who funded  the reconstruction work. The rebuilding also gave Spring an opportunity to display his wealth and generosity, thus solidifying his position in Suffolk; a common motivation behind the construction of many wool churches.
Thomas Spring III married twice. His first marriage was in 1493, to Anne King, whose family was of Boxford, Suffolk, by whom he had two sons and two daughters:

• Sir John Spring (d. August 12th, 1547), who married Dorothy Waldegrave, the daughter of Sir William Waldegrave
• Robert Spring (1502–1550), who left a will dated October 10th, 1547 in which he mentions his wife Agnes, his eldest son and heir, Thomas, six other sons (Jerome, Robert, John, Nicholas, Stephen, and Henry, parson of Icklingham), and two daughters Dorothy and Frances. As overseer, he appointed Sir William Cordell.
• Anne Spring (1494–1528), who married Sir Thomas Jermyn (d.1552) of Rushbrooke, Suffolk. After her death, Sir Thomas Jermyn married Anne Drury.
• Rose Spring (b.1496), who married Thomas Guybon.

Spring then married Alice May (d.1538), by whom he had a daughter:

• Bridget Spring (1498–c.1557), married first William Erneley (December 21st, 1501 – January 20th,1546), son of Sir John Erneley (c.1464–1520), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, by whom she had two sons and two daughters. Her second marriage was to Sir Henry Hussey (d. August 28th,1557) of Slinfold, Sussex .

Spring made his last will on June 13th, 1523 as 'Thomas Spring of Lavenham, clothmaker', leaving his wife, Alice, all her apparel and jewels, 1000 marks in money, and half his plate and implements of household, with the other half to go to his eldest son and heir, John. Spring also left bequests to his son, Robert, his unmarried daughter, Bridget, the children of his married daughter, Rose Guybon, and the children of his son-in-law, Thomas Jermyn. To 'my wife's daughter, Alice May', he bequeathed £26 13s 4d, 'which I recovered for her of May's executors', to be paid to her at the age of sixteen. Thomas Spring III was buried in the Spring family parclose in Lavenham church before the altar of St Katherine.
Spring's widow, Alice, survived him by fifteen years. In her will, dated April 13th, 1538, she mentions her daughter by Thomas Spring, Bridget, now the wife of William Erneley; her daughter Alice, now the wife of Richard Fulmerston, gentleman; and her daughter Margaret (died c. 1552), the wife of William Risby (died c. 1551). She appoints as executors her daughter Margaret and sons-in-law, William Risby and Richard Fulmerston, and requests 'my Lord of Oxenford to aid and defend my said executors'. In a codicil added 31 August 1538, she discharges Richard Fulmerston as executor, and appoints him supervisor. Both will and codicil were probated September 5th,1538