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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Growth of the Spring Family Dynasty

The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul located in Lavenham, England.

Seven years after his death, Thomas Spring II's son James was slain in an inter village fight between Lavenham and Brent Eleigh, a village less than 2 miles down river from Lavenham. Feelings between the two neighboring villages were, for unknown reasons, particularly bitter at the time. This altercation occurred in 1493. James lies buried in the Lavenham Church along with his father.

This generation of Springs, specifically Thomas II's son's, Thomas III and William, brings us to a critical juncture in the family tree. With James being killed in the inter-village brawl, only Thomas III and William were left to carry on the Spring family name as well as the Spring family business. By this time the Springs were extremely rich and influential people.
Thomas III remained in Lavenham and brother William moved to Long Melford located a few miles to the southwest. Thomas III as eldest son was the heir to the lions share of the family fortunes.
Thomas Spring III prepared his oldest son John Spring to take over the family business. John Spring would lead the family to become more rich and famous, some entering the ranks of nobility, while another of his heirs would leave England to become a founder of Watertown, Massachusetts.

John Spring inherited the Spring family cloth trading business at his father’s death. During the reign of Edward VI he was referred to as lord of the manor of Leffey. He was knighted at the accession of Edward VI. Sir John Spring aided the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk in suppressing the Lavenham revolt of 1525, by removing the bells from the Church of St Peter and St Paul, meaning the rebels could not be called to arms.
Sir John Spring had a brother, Robert Spring, whose daughter, Margaret, married Aubrey de Vere, second son of John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford; Aubrey de Vere and Margaret Spring were the grandparents of Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford.
Sir John Spring made his last will on June 8th,1544 as 'John Spring of Hitcham, esquire', leaving bequests to his wife, Dorothy, his father-in-law, Sir William Waldegrave of Smallbridge in Bures St Mary, and mother-in-law, Margery (née Wentworth) Waldegrave, his son and heir, William, his son-in-law, Edmund Wright, and his unmarried daughter, Bridget, and expressing the wish that Sir William Drury should 'have the marriage of my son [William] before any other'. The will was probated May 21st 1549.
Sir John Spring was buried at Hitcham.
Spring married Dorothy Waldegrave, the daughter of Sir William Waldegrave, by whom he had a son and two daughters:

  • Sir William Spring (d. February 3rd, 1599), who married firstly Anne Kitson, the daughter of Sir Thomas Kitson of Hengrave Hall, Suffolk, and secondly Susan Jermyn, widow of Lionel Talmache, esquire, and daughter of Sir Ambrose Jermyn of Rushbrooke, Suffolk.

  • Frances Spring, who married, before June 8th, 1544, as his second wife, Edmund Wright (died c.1583), esquire, son and heir of Robert Wright of Burnt Bradfield, Suffolk, by Anne Russell, the daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Russell. They had five or six daughters, and in 1551 were granted the wardship of Frances Spring's brother, William.

  • Bridget Spring, who married first, in June 1563,Thomas Fleetwood, esquire, by whom she had seven sons and seven daughters. After Fleetwood died Bridget married Sir Robert Wingfield.
Sir John Spring's widow, Dorothy, was buried April 10th 1564. She left a will  probated November 10th, 1564