Name Origin

The surname Spaulding is derived from a geographic location. It means "one who comes from the parish of Spalding". The parish is in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Alternate forms of the name include: Sparlden, Spalden, Spolden, Spaldinge, Spaldingge, Spaldyng, Spaldene and, Spalding. Some of the oldest recorded forms of the name include:¹ Ralph de Spaldinge, co. Hunts, 1273 (as recorded in The Hundred Rolls)
Ida de Spaldingge, co. Camb., ibid. Robertus de Spaldyng, 1379: P.T. Yorks, p.48 Margareta de Spaldyng, 1379: ibid. p.100 The ancient chronicles of Scotland reveal the early records of the name Spalding as a Norman surname which ranks as one of the oldest. The history of the name is finely interwoven within the tapestry of Scottish tartans dominating the panorama of the history of Scotland.² Skilled historical analysts have researched ancient manuscripts such as the Doomsday Book (compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror), the Ragman Rolls, the Wace poem, the Honour Roll of the Battel Abbey, The Curia Regis, Pipe Rolls, the Falaise Roll, tax records, baptismal, family genealogies, local parish and church records. This research has shown the first record of the name Spalding was found in Lincolnshire where they were seated, and granted lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They were tenants of the Norman Baron Randolph Mechin, Earl of Chester. They held Spaulding Abbey. Many Scottish Clans and families trace their origins to Normandy. The Spalding name occurred in many references, from time to time, including Spaulding, Spalding, Spaldene, and these changes in spelling occurred, even between father and son. Scribes recorded and spelled the name as it sounded, phonetically. It was not unlikely that a person would be born with one spelling, married with another, and buried with another. All three spellings related to the same person. Sometimes preferences for different spelling variations either came from a division of the family, or, for religious reasons, or sometimes nationalistic reasons. Believed to be descended from the Norman race, the Normans were frequently, but mistakenly, assumed to be of French origin. They were more accurately of Viking origin. The Vikings landed in the Orkneys and Northern Scotland about the year 870 A.D. under their king, Stirgud the Stout. Thorfinn Rollo, his descendant, landed in northern France about the year 910 A.D. The French King, Charles the Simple, after Rollo laid siege to Paris, finally conceded defeat and granted northern France to Rollo. Rollo became the first Duke of Normandy, the territory of the north men. Rollo married Charles' daughter and became a convert to Christianity. Duke William who invaded and defeated England in 1066, was descended from the first Duke Rollo of Normandy. By 1070, the Norman nobles in the north of England were in rebellion. Duke William took an army north and laid waste most of the northern counties. King Malcolm Canmore of Scotland invited many of the displaced nobles to his court and gave them grants of land. About 1130, the Earl of Huntingdon, heir to the Scottish throne, later to become King David of Scotland also offered land to his Norman friends in England, particularly in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the lower midlands. The surname Spalding emerged as a notable Scottish family name in the county of Kincardineshire. Finding disfavour with the Norman rule they moved north the Kincardineshire and Aberdeen in Scotland. John Spalding, a Canon of the church, petitioned King Edward I to give 20 oaks from his forest to build his church at Duffus. His successor, Simon Spalding, parson, rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296 on his brief conquest of Scotland. Peter Spalding received a grant from Robert the Bruce of the lands of Balzeordie and Pitmachie in Angus, and was appointed Keeper of the Royal Forest of Kylgerry. The Spaldings still held their relationships with the English branches, and David Spalding of the estates in Dundee, had a safe conduct for trading into England in 1453. In 1587 the Spaldings were recognized as a Clan with a Chief. Prominent amongst the family at this time was George Spalding of Dundee. The surname Spalding contributed much to the affairs of England and Scotland. Later, in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries Scotland was ravaged by religious and political conflict. The Monarchy, the Church and Parliament, fought for supremacy. During these times of tyranny the exodus began. Highlanders joined the Highland Regiments. Lowlanders were shipped to Ireland. Families sought favorable alliances, with powerful clans, either by marriage or contract. Choosing the wrong loyalty could be disastrous to a family name, and their viable future. Since a succession of monarchs had tried to subdue Ireland, it was very fashionable to become loyal to that cause. The settlers in Ireland became known as the "Adventurers for land in Ireland". They "undertook" to keep the Protestant faith, both within their family and among their workers. There is no evidence that this distinguished family migrated to Ireland, but this does not preclude the possibility of individual migration. The democratic freedom of the New World attracted many. They sailed aboard the fleet of sailing ships known as the "White Sails". The stormy Atlantic, small pox, dysentery, cholera and typhoid took its toll on the settlers and many of the overcrowded ships arrived with only 60 or 70% of their passenger list. The first authentic record of the Spaulding family in America appears in the Virginia Colonial records, 1619-1680. Evidence shows that Edward Spaulding arrived with Sir George Yeardley as an indentured servant on or about 1619 to join the Virginia Colony³ from Lincolnshire, England⁴. In this year, several families immigrated to the Virginia Colony, induced by a promise of prosperity from the company; prior to this time, the colony consisted mostly of males. On March 22, 1622, following an Indian massacre which devastated the colony, a census was ordered. The census records of February 16, 1623 include in a "List of the Living," both an Edward Spalding (at "James Citie") and an Edmund Spalden (at "Elizabeth Citie"). Some years later, in 1640, he was freed after 20 years of service and joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, while Edmund joined the Maryland Colony under Lord Baltimore; Alex Spalding settled in Maryland in 1716; another Edward Spalding settled in Newport, Rhode Island in 1822. Settlers joined the wagon trains westward. During the War of Independence some declared their loyalty to the Crown and moved northward into Canada and became known as the United Empire Loyalists. Meanwhile, the family name was active in the social stream. There were many notables of this name Spalding: Rear Admiral Ian Jaffery Spalding; Professor Dudley Brian Spalding, Science.
In the process of researching this distinguished family name we also traced the most ancient grant of Arms from the branches which developed their own Arms. The most ancient grant of a Coat of Arms found was: Blue and gold with three buckles. The Crest was: A sword point upward. The ancient family Motto for this distinguished name was: "Hine Mihi Salus.
¹"A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames With Special American Instances", Charles Wareing, Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968 ²Researched by Hall of Names; Jersey, Channel Islands ³"The Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy - First Families of America", Frederick A. Virkus, Editor, A. N. Marquis & Co., Pgs. 94, 824, 836-837, 930, 991 ⁴"The National Cyclopædia of American Biography", James T. White & Co., 1907, Vol V, Pg. 265, and Vol VI, Pg. 355
The book, "The Spaulding Memorial" by Charles Warren Spalding, is a must for anyone researching the Spalding/Spaulding families. Originally compiled and published in 1872, this massive production contains about 1276 pages and over 15,000 names, with illustrations of various coats of arms and numerous steel engravings of the members of the Spalding family. At the time of publication, it was said to be "the largest and most complete genealogical work ever published in America." The Spalding Memorial Foundation is currently cataloguing every known descendant of Edward Spalding in a complete genealogy which builds upon the "The Spaulding Memorial." They plan to publish it in seven volumes around the year 2000.