William Spencer was born in about 1440 in Radbourne, Warwickshire, England. He was the son of Henry Spencer and Isabel Lincoln.
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Spencer lineage from 1595 |
This is the 'official' Spencer lineage as created in 1595 and published in the Visitation of Warwickshire in 1619. It has been shown to be bogus, especially before Henry Spencer. There are also too many generations between Henry and Sir John on the bottom line (knighted in the 20th year of Henry VII's reign). The William Spencer de Wormleighton and the William Spencer, son of Henry, are almost certainly the same person. This means the John Spencer who marries Joan Warsted and William are brothers not father & son.
William married Elizabeth Empson in Towcester, Northamptonshire, England. She was the daughter of Sir Peter Empson and sister of Sir Richard Empson. This marrying into gentry is the mark of a family on the rise. His son, Sir John Spencer's tomb incorporates the Empson coat of arms[1].
William and Elizabeth have two recorded sons, John and Thomas, both recorded in the Visitation of Warwickshire[2]. (Both brothers petitioned for and received together a coat of arms in 1504).
He died in about 1485. There is a legacy recorded in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1485 from a William Spencer to Richard Stowe, Master of the Guild of the Holy Cross, the Blessed Mary the Virgin, and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist[3]. This may well be from William.
This week's featured connections are American Founders: William is 13 degrees from John Hancock, 13 degrees from Francis Dana, 21 degrees from Bernardo de Gálvez, 15 degrees from William Foushee, 14 degrees from Alexander Hamilton, 18 degrees from John Francis Hamtramck, 14 degrees from John Marshall, 13 degrees from George Mason, 18 degrees from Gershom Mendes Seixas, 16 degrees from Robert Morris, 12 degrees from Sybil Ogden and 13 degrees from George Washington on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.