Sir John Spring, Lord of Liffey (c.1500-c.1549), of Lavenham

Lavenham

Lavenham is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is noted for its 15th century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walk. In the medieval period it was among the 20 wealthiest settlements in England...

, Hitcham

Hitcham, Suffolk

Hitcham is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located on the B1115 road, between Hadleigh and Stowmarket, it is part of Babergh district. The parish contains the hamlets of Bird Street, Cook's Green and Cross Green....

, and Cockfield

Cockfield, Suffolk

Cockfield is a village and civil parish located approximately 3½ miles from Lavenham in Suffolk, England. The village consists of a central point and several outlying hamlets: Buttons Green, Colchester Green, Cross Green, Great Green, Oldhall Green, Smithwood Green and Windsor Green...

, was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 merchant and politician who inherited the Spring family cloth trading business upon his father’s death. He was knighted by Henry VII

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

. Spring aided the dukes of Norfolk

Duke of Norfolk

The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...

 and Suffolk

Duke of Suffolk

Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in British history, all three times in the Peerage of England.The third creation of the dukedom of Suffolk was for Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, in 1551. The duke also held the title Baron Ferrers of Groby...

 in suppressing the Lavenham revolt of 1525

Amicable Grant

The Amicable Grant was a tax imposed on England in 1525 by the Lord Chancellor Thomas Wolsey. Called at the time "a benevolance", it was essentially a forced loan that was levied on one-third of both the clergy and laity's incomes...

, by removing the bells from the Church of St Peter and St Paul, meaning the rebels could not be called to arms.

John Spring was the son of Sir Thomas Spring

Thomas Spring of Lavenham

Sir Thomas Spring , also known as Thomas Spring III, was an English merchant in Suffolk during the early 1500s. He lived in Lavenham, Suffolk. He had inherited the Spring family cloth business from his father, also Thomas Spring. During Spring’s lifetime, the cloth trade was at its most profitable...

. He married Dorothy Waldegrave, daughter of Sir William Waldegrave

William Waldegrave

William Waldegrave may refer to:* William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock , admiral* William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave , vice-admiral* William Waldegrave, 9th Earl Waldegrave , politician...

, and together they had three children:

• William (married Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Kitson), later knighted.
• Frances (married Edmund Wright)
• Bridget (married Sir Robert Wingfield)
• Margaret (married Aubrey de Vere), grandmother to the Earl of Oxford
  Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford
  Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford was the second cousin of Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford. When Henry died some time between 2 and 9 June 1625, Robert emerged as the heir apparent to the earldom. Robert's claim was by his descent from John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, but his title was not...
  
  

He is buried in Hitcham.

Sir John’s great-great-grandson was made a baronet

Baronet

A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...

 by Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

.