Spinney

Spinney
This most interesting and unusual surname is of early medieval English and Old French origin, from the Middle English word "spinney", a small wood or copse, deriving from the Old French "espinel", ultimately from the Latin "spina", a thorn-bush. Hence the surname was used as a topographical name for a dweller by a small wood or patch of thorn bushes. In some instances, the name may also be of English locational origin, from either Spinney Hills in the city of Leicester, or Spinney Abbey in Cambridgeshire, which was recorded in 1254 as "Spinnetum" in the "Valuation of Norwich"; both places are named from the same derivation as mentioned above. Early examples of the surname include the marriage of John Spiney and Christian James on November 16th 1565, at Piddlehinton, Dorset; the christening of William Spinneye on November 11th 1587, at Sturminster Marshall, Dorset; and the marriage of Susanna Spinney and William Stevens on June 1st 1766, at St. Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Judeth Speny, which was dated March 1st 1562, in the Church Registers of St. John's, Hackney, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Spinney — Spin ney, n.; pl. {Spinneys}. Same as {Spinny}. T. Hughes. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spinney — 1590s, from O.Fr. espinei (Mod.Fr. épinaie) “place full of thorns and brambles,” from espine (see SPINE (Cf. spine)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • spinney — a BrE word for a small wood or copse, has the plural form spinneys …   Modern English usage

  • spinney — ► NOUN (pl. spinneys) Brit. ▪ a small area of trees and bushes. ORIGIN Old French espinei, from Latin spinetum thicket …   English terms dictionary

  • spinney — [spin′ē] n. pl. spinneys [ME spenne, thorn hedge < OFr espinei < VL * spinēta, for L spinetum < spina, thorn, SPINE] Brit. a small wood; copse …   English World dictionary

  • Spinney — Caroll Edwin Spinney (* 26. Dezember 1933 in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA), auch bekannt als Carroll Spinney oder Ed Spinney, ist ein US amerikanischer Puppenspieler. Er spielt seit 1969 die Figuren Oscar und Bibo in der US amerikanischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • spinney — UK [ˈspɪnɪ] / US noun [countable] Word forms spinney : singular spinney plural spinneys British a small area of land covered with trees and bushes …   English dictionary

  • spinney — Spinny Spin ny, n.; pl. {Spinnies}. [OF. espinaye,espinoye, espinei, espanoi, F. [ e]pinaie, from L. spinetum a thicket of thorns, fr. spina a thorn. See {Spine}.] A small thicket or grove with undergrowth; a clump of trees. [Written also… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spinney — [[t]spɪ̱ni[/t]] spinneys N COUNT A spinney is a small area covered with trees. [BRIT] Syn: copse (in AM, use copse) …   English dictionary

  • Spinney Hills, East Quogue — Spinney Hills is in East Quogue, New York. It is used as an off roading site for dirt bikers, quadders, paintballers, and four wheelers. Spinney hills gets its name because it is on Spinney Road in East Quogue. Its hills are created by the rock… …   Wikipedia

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