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The Spinney Family From The Year 1590
The Spinney name was my grandmothers maiden name. The information I have here was given to my mother Dorothy Gilbert born in Nova Scotia, maiden name Vickery.
The Spinneys were of ancient aristrocratic descent, the family was Lindsay, but King James 6th of Scotland who was also King James 1st of England, created Alexander Lindsay the first Lord of Spinney and a peer of Parliament in 1590 when Alexander married Jean Lyon of Glamis Castle in Scotland. Jean was the Countess of Angus and a widow. Glamis Castle was the former home of Elizabeth Lyon then the Queen Mother of England.
There were only 3 Lord Spinneys, two were Alexanders and the last was George who died a bachelor. At his death the title and vast estates were declared vacant until heirs could be found, they had gone overseas during the early colonial days.
Alexander the first Lord of Spinney was the youngest son of Lord Lindsay. who was also lord of Crawford. of "Spynie" to him. The king and Parliament decreed that the descendants of Alexander and Jean were to be called Spynie, deSpiney and thirdly Spinney as now spelled.
As early as 1606 some Lindsays were in the Virginia colony. The oldest tombstone in the United States is a tomb of the Rev. David Lindsay of Virginia and England.
In early times Thomas Spinney came to Chaleur Bay near the Gaspe, now Canada and later went 'Piscataqua Colony' (in Captain Fernald's ship) at Strawberry Banks, now known as Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He settled at old Kittery, now known as Elliot, Maine. No recordings were kept at kittery until 1650. that year Spinney married Margery Randall who had been the wife of William Horman, but when their daughter was born it was learned he had a wife and family back in England. He was whipped and banished, Margery had the marriage annuled and when she married Thomas the baby became known as Mary Spinney. The Spinneys were to have five more children of their own, Hannah, Samuel, James, Thomas and John.
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