Thomas Spavin and Rebecca Appleby

Photo © Pauline E (cc-by-sa/2.0)

All Saints Church, Appleton-le-Street, Tuesday, 4 June, 2013

Photo available for reuse under this Creative Commons licence.

Thomas Spavin (bap. 2 Dec 1725 at All Saints Church, Appleton-le-Street), son of Thomas Spavin and Frances Green, married Rebecca Appleby (bap. 18 Nov 1723 at St Mary's Church, Foxholes, North Yorkshire), daughter of William Appleby Jnr of Butterwick (map), Yeoman [1] and of Jane, his wife [2], at All Saints Church, Appleton-le-Street on 12 Dec 1751 [3]. [1] A "yeoman" primarily refers to a historical class of English freeholders who owned and farmed their own land and ranks between the peasantry and the landed gentry. The name "Butterwick" means 'Butter specialised-farm'. [2] It appears that Jane Beilby may have been widowed when she married Will Appleby, so this may be her previous married name, not her maiden name. [3] Thomas & Rebecca's marriage record is consistently transcribed as November, however, upon close inspection of the original it is clear it reads December and, as confirmation of that, it obviously had to have been later than the previous record on the page, a baptism, dated 28 November.

"Spavin" is typically a surname (also spelled Spaven) rather than a first name. Historically, it originated as a descriptive nickname for a lame person, borrowing from a Middle English term for a joint disease in horses. Never mind. :)

Thomas and Rebecca Spavin had seven children:

1. Thomas Spavin bap. 13 Mar 1752 in Appleton-le-Street
2. Jane Spavin bap. 17 Nov 1754 in Appleton-le-Street
3. Henry Spavin bap. 27 Mar 1757 in Appleton-le-Street
4. Frances Spavin bap. 8 Jul 1759 in Appleton-le-Street
5. Margaret Spavin bap. 6 Dec 1761 in Appleton-le-Street
6. John Spavin bap. 5 Jun 1764 in Appleton-le-Street
7. Mary Spavin bap. 2 May 1767 in Appleton-le-Street

Unusually, all seven lived to adulthood and married. 

Thomas Spavin, late of Amotherby, died, aged 84, and was buried at Appleton-le-Street on 17 Jul 1809. An Abstract of the Will of Thomas Spavin the elder, Yeoman of Appleton le Street, Yorkshire, was available for download at the National Archives. The Will was proved on 31 Dec 1810, by Thomas Spavin the Younger of Appleton in the Street aforesaid, Yeoman, his son, the sole Executor. Thomas left bequests to his six surviving children - son Henry Spavin having pre-deceased his father - to his son John Spavin, £40; and £20 each to his daughters: Jane Kenningham, Frances Cooper, Margaret Hobbs and Mary Moody - all to be paid after the death of his wife. To his wife, he left £10 a year during her life. The residue of his estate, I suspect, went to eldest son Thomas.

Rebecca Spavin, Widow, died, aged 88, and was also buried at All Saints, Appleton-le-Street on 26 May 1812. If they have a headstone, it isn't listed online.