Spalding Clan History

The surname Spalding has a territorial origin, coming from the town of the same name in Lincolnshire, England.

The first of this surname recorded in Scotland is believed to be Radulphus de Spalding who, in 1225, was witness to the signing of a charter of the mill of Caterline in Kincardineshire.

In, or around, 1294, a grant of lands in Aberdeen was witnessed by Magister John de Spaldyn. He is mentioned again, though this time as Johan Despanyding, as canon of Elgin around the very start of the 14th century, and he is probably the same person as the Johan de Sapuyding who, in 1304, sent off a petition to England’s Edward I to try and get twenty oaks from his forest of Laund Morgund so he could build his church of Duffus.

In 1296, Symon de Spalding, parson of the church of Ogheltre in Ayrshire, pledged his allegiance to Edward I by signing the Ragman Roll.

It is said that in 1318 during Robert the Bruce’s seige of Berwick, one of the towns burgesses, called Peter de Spalding, was so disgusted with severity of the governor that he helped Bruce’s army, the besiegers. Peter was rewarded by the Scottish king for his aid and was given, in the May of 1319, the lands of Ballourthy (Balzeordie) and Petmethey (Pitmachie) in Angus, as well as the keepership of the royal forest of Kylgerry, in return for all of his lands and tenements in Berwick.

In 1398, it was recorded that a William Spaldyng was elected as a lineator of Aberdeen, and in Dundee, a Thomas de Spalding and David de Spalding held a tenement in 1442.

David Spaldeng of Dundee had papers granted to him for a safe conduct into England in 1453, and John de Spaldynge was deacon in Brechin, Angus, in 1456, and in 1479, a George Spalding is recorded as being provost of Dundee.

The Spaldings are mentioned in “The roll of the clannis that hes capitanes, cheiffs and chiftanes quhome on thai depend,” in 1587.

John Spalding, a lawyer and commissary clerk of Aberdeen during the reign of Charles I was the author of a famous historical work, Memorials of the troubles in Scotland and England from 1624 to 1645 . An antiquarian society known as The Spalding Club was named in his honour.

In 1576, Colonel David Spalding led members of his clan to fight in Flanders for the King of Spain. The Clan’s success in there campaign was such that Spalding returned with enough funds to build Ashintully Castle. The castle was modelled on nearby Whitefield Castle which had been built by King Malcom III in 1057.

In 1615, David “Deas” Spalding started the first regular Highlands market place: “Michael Mass Fair”

The Spalding supported the Jacobite cause and like many others found themselves dispossessed when the reprisals against the risings began. Many of the Spalding who had lived near the clan lands dispersed far and wide across Scotland, into Liverpool, England and further afield to Germany, Sweden. Jamaica and Viginia & Georgia in the USA.

The last Spalding of Ashintully was Flora Spalding who died in London in 1930.