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text Paul-W-Spens-with-his-Kodak-Stereo-Realist-Camera-taken-May-5-Kensington-Park-Lake-Boardwalk-park-1956-A-Wonderful-Man-who-became-my-husband-on-May-5-1956-Ethel-May-H-Spens.
The Spenses of Wormiston
According to Slater's Directory
(1852), the town of Crail is
"...a parish and royal burgh, and
a sea-port--the latter 26 miles
east from Kirkcaldy, and 10
south-east from St. Andrews. It's
importance has greatly
declined, and notwithstanding it
possesses great capabilities as a
port, it enjoys but very little
trade; this, in some measure,
may be ascribed to the
inconvenience of its harbour,
for it is elegibly situated. Its
principal exports consist of grain
& potatoes: the imports are
chiefly coals. 16 vessels belong
to the port. The town consists of
2 streets, and 2 or 3 lanes; of
the former one is broad and
spacious, containing some
good houses, several of which
are of that massive and antique
description which indicate past
wealth. Crail was erected into a
royal burgh by Robert Bruce. In
conjunction with St. Andrews,
Cupar, Fife, the Anstruthers,
Kilrenny and Pittenweem, it
returns one member to
parliament. The parish church,
a free church, and an united
presbyterian chapel, are the
places of worship. The
celebrated James Sharp,
archbishop of St. Andrews, was
once minister of the church,
and his handwriting is still to be
seen in the session records.
Located on the East Neuk of
Fife, the ancient land of
Wormiston, or
Wormieston/Wolmerston is
located between the towns of
Crail and Cupar, just northwest
of Crail. According to Barrow,
"Wormieston by Crail was
evidently granted by William I
to a certain Winemer for 2d.
blench ferm every Whitsun.
Winemer had been a prominent
retainer of the Countess Ada in
the Crail district. It is likely that
the land outside Crail to which
he seems to have given his
name was granted to him in
return for his services to the
countess and (after her death) to
her son" (p. 308). William I, "the
Lion", king of Scots, reigned
from 1165-1214. It was also
during the reign of William I
and immediately following the
Treaty of Falaise (1174) "that
later Scottish tradition, if
correctly reported by Sir
Thomas Grey, assigned a
sudden and massive tidal wave
of Norman immigration into
Scotland, bringing with it the
families of Balliol, Bruce,
Soules, Moubray, Sinclair, Hay,
Giffard, Ramsay, Laundells,
Bisset, Barclay, Valognes, Boys,
Montgomery, Vaux, Colville,
Fraser, Graham, Gourlay and
several more" (Barrow, p. 331).
As will be seen later, at the
close of the fourteenth century,
the Wormiston lands passed into
Spens hands. According to
Burke, "the family of
Wolmerston, another great
branch of the name of Spens,
produced many worthy patriots,
who did honour to their country,
both in the cabinet and in the
field, and had also the lion
rampant in their armorial
bearings" (p. 169).
Anderson states:
It is not improbable that Sir
Patrick Spens, of the ancient
ballad which bears that name,
was a baron of Wormieston. The
occasion of the ballad was the
expedition which conveyed the
princess Margaret, daughter of
King Alexander III, to Norway in
1281, when she was espoused
to Eric, king of that country. 'In
returning home' says Fordoun in
his History of Scotland, after the
celebration of her nuptials, the
abbot of Balmerinoch, Bernard
of Monte-alto, and many other
persons were downed.' The
command of the ship that bore
the princess to Norway, was
given to Sir Patrick Spens as --
"the best sailor That ever sailed
the sea;" and the gallant
commander and all his
company are represented as
having been lost on their
homeward voyage: "Sir Patrick
he is on the sea, And far out
ower the faem, wi' five and fifty
Scots lords' sons that longed to
be at hame."
Midway between Norway and
the coast of Fife, they were all
cast away: "Half ower, half ower,
to Aberdour" Sir Walter Scott
preferred to read it, "O forty
miles off Aberdeen," remarking
that in a voyage from Norway, a
shipwreck on the north coast
appears as probable as either in
the Firth of Forth or Tay. But as
Aberdour was the nearest port to
Dunfermline, where the Scottish
monarchs chiefly resided from
the time of Malcolm Canmore
to that of Alexander III, and as
the royal commissioners,
Wemyss of Wemyss and Scott of
Balwearie, sent to escort the
young princes to her husband,
belonged to Fife, it seems more
likely that the common reading
is the correct one: "Half ower,
half ower, to Aberdour, full fifty
fathoms deep, And there lies
gude Sir Patrick Spens, Wi' the
Scotch lords at his feet" (p. 494).
Between 1981 and 1984, a
series of articles concerning Sir
James Spens of Wormiston (d.
1632), appeared in the Scottish
Genealogist. In one of those
articles, Harry D. Watson
outlines the successive
ownership of the Wormiston
lands: ...At the close of the
fourteenth century the estate of
Wormiston had passed into the
hands of Duncan Spens, who
some historians believe at least
derived from the MacDuff Earls
of Fife. Duncan's son Alan is
described as "balivus de Crail"
and from him the estate passed
to Murdo Spens...
In 1458 Alexander Spens,
Constable of Crail, was married
to Mariota Anstruther, and
Christian Spens--probably their
daughter--was married in 1483
to Andrew Anstruther. In 1467
Alexander Spens and James
"Lumisden" of Airdie and
Sypsies were nominated by act
of parliament to investigate the
rents paid by the barons of Fife.
A little later, the name of Spens
begins to crop up regularly in
the register of the Collegiate
Church of St. Mary's in Crail. In
1500, for example, William
Spens--son and heir of the late
John Spens--sells 4 roods of
land in Crail to Sir William
Myrtone, chaplain of the altar of
St. Michael the Archangel. In
1502 Edward Spens, a bailie,
lends his personal seal to
Marjorie Wemyss--'because she
had none'. In 1517 Marjory
"Anstrothir" (perhaps the
"Mariota" we encountered
before) is named as the widow
of Alexander Spens and is
recorded as conveying all her
rights in two acres of land in
Crail to her son David, "laird of
Wilmerstone". One the same
day, 15th July 1517, David
Spens resigns the said lands to
Sir William Myrtone, one of the
witnesses being a certain James
Spens. Indeed this David
Spens--who seems to have been
the great-grandfather of our Sir
James--was a particularly
devout son of the Church, for in
the following year he makes
over the rents from certain lands
to the clergy of St. Mary's and
the prioress and nuns of the
convent of North Berwick. By
1526 he has become a bailie
like Edwards Spens before him.
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| Ethel May Spens Family aka "May and her sister Hilda" |
Harvey H****(age 27)
Married
May Pearl Manning
(age 33) In August 1918.
They had 3 children.
Ethel may (Spens)
Hilda (Swenson)
And Jim H****.
Married
May Pearl Manning
(age 33) In August 1918.
They had 3 children.
Ethel may (Spens)
Hilda (Swenson)
And Jim H****.
| Ethel May (private) Born: Jan 6 1920, Died: Jan 28 2009 Ethel was born on Fullerton Avenue in Detroit, just off of Grand River. In 1924 she moved to Livonia, Michigan when she was 2 yrs old. She lived there with her son, Richard till she died in her own home in her childhood bedroom as she had demanded far too many times. |
No. 2 Second, the 1900's
generation
generation
Paul William Spens married Ethel Mae
(private), May- 05, 1956 in St. Thomas &
St. Peters Lutheran Church, Detroit,
Michigan. Ethel was born January 6, 1920
on Fullerton ave.in Detroit, Michigan.
(private), May- 05, 1956 in St. Thomas &
St. Peters Lutheran Church, Detroit,
Michigan. Ethel was born January 6, 1920
on Fullerton ave.in Detroit, Michigan.
| Hilda: Born: 6-11-1922 Died |
| James AKA Jim Born: 1-15-1926 Died: 1994 |
Richard Paul Spens
Born: about 1960
Born: about 1960
May Ethel
Hilda
James
Fredrick
Fredrick
 |
No.2 Second the 1920's
generation
generation
No.3 Third Ca. 1950's generation
1940s
May Pearl (Manning),
died 1945 their Mom
in between Jim and Hilda.
May Spens,
Jim H,
Hilda Swenson
1980's
1980s
May Pearl (Manning),
died 1945 their Mom
in between Jim and Hilda.
May Spens,
Jim H,
Hilda Swenson
1980's
1980s
Pictures on this Spens Education webpage below are
Copyright © 1996-2007 R.P.S.ENTERPRISES™, All
Rights Reserved. please contact webmaster to use
or copy in any way.
Copyright © 1996-2007 R.P.S.ENTERPRISES™, All
Rights Reserved. please contact webmaster to use
or copy in any way.
| Ethel May (private) Born: Jan 6 1920, Died: Jan 28 2009 |
The Spenses of Wormiston
According to Slater's Directory
(1852), the town of Crail is
"...a parish and royal burgh, and
a sea-port--the latter 26 miles
east from Kirkcaldy, and 10
south-east from St. Andrews. It's
importance has greatly
declined, and notwithstanding it
possesses great capabilities as a
port, it enjoys but very little
trade; this, in some measure,
may be ascribed to the
inconvenience of its harbour,
for it is elegibly situated. Its
principal exports consist of grain
& potatoes: the imports are
chiefly coals. 16 vessels belong
to the port. The town consists of
2 streets, and 2 or 3 lanes; of
the former one is broad and
spacious, containing some
good houses, several of which
are of that massive and antique
description which indicate past
wealth. Crail was erected into a
royal burgh by Robert Bruce. In
conjunction with St. Andrews,
Cupar, Fife, the Anstruthers,
Kilrenny and Pittenweem, it
returns one member to
parliament. The parish church,
a free church, and an united
presbyterian chapel, are the
places of worship. The
celebrated James Sharp,
archbishop of St. Andrews, was
once minister of the church,
and his handwriting is still to be
seen in the session records.
Located on the East Neuk of
Fife, the ancient land of
Wormiston, or
Wormieston/Wolmerston is
located between the towns of
Crail and Cupar, just northwest
of Crail. According to Barrow,
"Wormieston by Crail was
evidently granted by William I
to a certain Winemer for 2d.
blench ferm every Whitsun.
Winemer had been a prominent
retainer of the Countess Ada in
the Crail district. It is likely that
the land outside Crail to which
he seems to have given his
name was granted to him in
return for his services to the
countess and (after her death) to
her son" (p. 308). William I, "the
Lion", king of Scots, reigned
from 1165-1214. It was also
during the reign of William I
and immediately following the
Treaty of Falaise (1174) "that
later Scottish tradition, if
correctly reported by Sir
Thomas Grey, assigned a
sudden and massive tidal wave
of Norman immigration into
Scotland, bringing with it the
families of Balliol, Bruce,
Soules, Moubray, Sinclair, Hay,
Giffard, Ramsay, Laundells,
Bisset, Barclay, Valognes, Boys,
Montgomery, Vaux, Colville,
Fraser, Graham, Gourlay and
several more" (Barrow, p. 331).
As will be seen later, at the
close of the fourteenth century,
the Wormiston lands passed into
Spens hands. According to
Burke, "the family of
Wolmerston, another great
branch of the name of Spens,
produced many worthy patriots,
who did honour to their country,
both in the cabinet and in the
field, and had also the lion
rampant in their armorial
bearings" (p. 169).
Anderson states:
It is not improbable that Sir
Patrick Spens, of the ancient
ballad which bears that name,
was a baron of Wormieston. The
occasion of the ballad was the
expedition which conveyed the
princess Margaret, daughter of
King Alexander III, to Norway in
1281, when she was espoused
to Eric, king of that country. 'In
returning home' says Fordoun in
his History of Scotland, after the
celebration of her nuptials, the
abbot of Balmerinoch, Bernard
of Monte-alto, and many other
persons were downed.' The
command of the ship that bore
the princess to Norway, was
given to Sir Patrick Spens as --
"the best sailor That ever sailed
the sea;" and the gallant
commander and all his
company are represented as
having been lost on their
homeward voyage: "Sir Patrick
he is on the sea, And far out
ower the faem, wi' five and fifty
Scots lords' sons that longed to
be at hame."
Midway between Norway and
the coast of Fife, they were all
cast away: "Half ower, half ower,
to Aberdour" Sir Walter Scott
preferred to read it, "O forty
miles off Aberdeen," remarking
that in a voyage from Norway, a
shipwreck on the north coast
appears as probable as either in
the Firth of Forth or Tay. But as
Aberdour was the nearest port to
Dunfermline, where the Scottish
monarchs chiefly resided from
the time of Malcolm Canmore
to that of Alexander III, and as
the royal commissioners,
Wemyss of Wemyss and Scott of
Balwearie, sent to escort the
young princes to her husband,
belonged to Fife, it seems more
likely that the common reading
is the correct one: "Half ower,
half ower, to Aberdour, full fifty
fathoms deep, And there lies
gude Sir Patrick Spens, Wi' the
Scotch lords at his feet" (p. 494).
Between 1981 and 1984, a
series of articles concerning Sir
James Spens of Wormiston (d.
1632), appeared in the Scottish
Genealogist. In one of those
articles, Harry D. Watson
outlines the successive
ownership of the Wormiston
lands: ...At the close of the
fourteenth century the estate of
Wormiston had passed into the
hands of Duncan Spens, who
some historians believe at least
derived from the MacDuff Earls
of Fife. Duncan's son Alan is
described as "balivus de Crail"
and from him the estate passed
to Murdo Spens...
In 1458 Alexander Spens,
Constable of Crail, was married
to Mariota Anstruther, and
Christian Spens--probably their
daughter--was married in 1483
to Andrew Anstruther. In 1467
Alexander Spens and James
"Lumisden" of Airdie and
Sypsies were nominated by act
of parliament to investigate the
rents paid by the barons of Fife.
A little later, the name of Spens
begins to crop up regularly in
the register of the Collegiate
Church of St. Mary's in Crail. In
1500, for example, William
Spens--son and heir of the late
John Spens--sells 4 roods of
land in Crail to Sir William
Myrtone, chaplain of the altar of
St. Michael the Archangel. In
1502 Edward Spens, a bailie,
lends his personal seal to
Marjorie Wemyss--'because she
had none'. In 1517 Marjory
"Anstrothir" (perhaps the
"Mariota" we encountered
before) is named as the widow
of Alexander Spens and is
recorded as conveying all her
rights in two acres of land in
Crail to her son David, "laird of
Wilmerstone". One the same
day, 15th July 1517, David
Spens resigns the said lands to
Sir William Myrtone, one of the
witnesses being a certain James
Spens. Indeed this David
Spens--who seems to have been
the great-grandfather of our Sir
James--was a particularly
devout son of the Church, for in
the following year he makes
over the rents from certain lands
to the clergy of St. Mary's and
the prioress and nuns of the
convent of North Berwick. By
1526 he has become a bailie
like Edwards Spens before him.
Caution................. THIS PAGE IS UNDER
RECONSTRUCTION, so please be careful where
you step.
RECONSTRUCTION, so please be careful where
you step.
RPS-running-a-Bridgeport-age-5-or-6-My-Dad-started-me-early-during a visit inspecting the Detroir Mfg of cold war parts
for Bendix.
f
for Bendix.
Paul William Spens Has his son in his lap
during a business trip inspecting the cold war
for the goverment.
during a business trip inspecting the cold war
for the goverment.
18 YRS GRADUATION HS.
23 yrs Graduation, recieved
BSMET from LTU 1 983
(Was LIT at the time)
BSMET from LTU 1 983
(Was LIT at the time)
May Pearl
(Manning} May
Spens Mother, just
before she died in
1945.
(Manning} May
Spens Mother, just
before she died in
1945.
Harvey H******
Harvey H*** takes a swim at Bell Isle around 1917.
Aunt Amy, May Pearl
Manning
Manning
May Pearl Manning on
a Sunday stroll in
Detroit.(Note thge
ornate hats and
dresses Ca. 1910 WWl
a Sunday stroll in
Detroit.(Note thge
ornate hats and
dresses Ca. 1910 WWl
1900
1920's
Harvy and his brother
Charles came from
England thru Canada to
Detroit about 1900
Charles came from
England thru Canada to
Detroit about 1900
Harvey H
May Pearl Manning
Born1886
Born1886
No.1 First
the 1880's generation
the 1880's generation
1880
Albert
Manning
Born 1841 in
england, came to
Canada in
Manning
Born 1841 in
england, came to
Canada in
Mary Emma Duck
Manning Died
Armstrong age 75
Manning Died
Armstrong age 75
Pictures on this Spens Education webpage are Copyright
© 1996-2023 R.P.S.ENTERPRISES™, All Rights
Reserved. please contact webmaster to use or copy in
any way.
© 1996-2023 R.P.S.ENTERPRISES™, All Rights
Reserved. please contact webmaster to use or copy in
any way.
Married Thelma
Jan 1948.
Kathy Ann Aug 25 1949.
Jenny Lee May 29 1952.
They split about 1955.
Married Margie Oct 17
1958.
Margie had 2 children at
the time.
Danny and Kathy.
Jan 1948.
Kathy Ann Aug 25 1949.
Jenny Lee May 29 1952.
They split about 1955.
Married Margie Oct 17
1958.
Margie had 2 children at
the time.
Danny and Kathy.
Married William Weiandt
July 6 1946.
They split 1959.
Married Gunnar Swenson.
July 27 1968
July 6 1946.
They split 1959.
Married Gunnar Swenson.
July 27 1968
1910
1918
WWI
ends,
married
life for
Harvey
begins.
WWI
ends,
married
life for
Harvey
begins.
Isabell-May-s-Bestie-in the 1940s-Got her into SEARS
-Got her into the Air Force WWll
----- Where she met Paul Senior.-The back-porch-before-her-husband-Pauls-addition
the-pine-tree-is a good-bit-smaller.
-Got her into the Air Force WWll
----- Where she met Paul Senior.-The back-porch-before-her-husband-Pauls-addition
the-pine-tree-is a good-bit-smaller.
By 1926 They had 3 children.
Ethel may (Spens) Hilda (Swenson) And Jim H****
.
Ethel may (Spens) Hilda (Swenson) And Jim H****
.
A little bit WWI Hittler,
Hmmmmmmm.
Maybe it was a style then.
Hmmmmmmm.
Maybe it was a style then.
1940's
grey bar on left longer now
1950's
1960's
1980's
Then
they met
and
later,
Then
they got
Married.
they met
and
later,
Then
they got
Married.
Harvy H***
May Spens
Dad.
May Spens
Dad.
May Pearl
Manning
May Spens
Mom.
Manning
May Spens
Mom.
2000
The
Melinium
The
Melinium
May the
oldest,
the
stubbornst
oldest,
the
stubbornst
2010
The
Melinium
for May is
over
The
Melinium
for May is
over
May-Spens-is-Mad-Hilda-Always
gets to be first she
complained...
Even-the-first-to-die.
It-should-be-me-there-she-
grumbled.....She's-always-been-
first-at-everything.
gets to be first she
complained...
Even-the-first-to-die.
It-should-be-me-there-she-
grumbled.....She's-always-been-
first-at-everything.
April 2008 Great Aunt Hilda
dies, who is next?
It comes in threes, it is said.
dies, who is next?
It comes in threes, it is said.
April 2008 Great Aunt Hilda
dies, who is next? It comes
in threes it is said.
dies, who is next? It comes
in threes it is said.
1990's
May Ethel about
1984
1984
May Ethel
about 1998
First new html pic added 7-2015
about 1998
May Ethel
about 1998
about 1998
May Ethel
about 1998
about 1998
May Ethel
about 1998
about 1998
May Ethel
about 1998
about 1998
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