Talk:Thomas Spring of Lavenham

Sephardic roots?

Hi everyone, I’ve been researching Thomas Spring and the wider Spring family, and I came across an interesting possibility. The Springs rise very suddenly in Suffolk in the late 1400s, and their merchant’s marks, burial traditions, and wool trade connections suggest they may have had roots outside of Suffolk.

The surname “Spring” is usually explained as a local English topographic name, but in this case the family seems to appear without earlier Suffolk records. That raises the question of whether the name could have been adopted or anglicized if they were newcomers.

Specifically, there were many Portuguese/Spanish converso (Sephardic Jewish) merchant families expelled in the 1490s who resettled in northern Europe. Some were involved in the wool and cloth trade, which fits the Spring family’s economic base.

I’m not proposing we add anything to the article yet (to avoid original research), but I’m wondering: does anyone know of published sources—academic, genealogical, or trade history—that discuss the possibility of Iberian or converso merchants integrating into East Anglia at this time, or possibly linking to the Spring family?

If such sources exist, it could add valuable context about the international trade networks that may have shaped Thomas Spring’s career. 2600:1702:3090:6540:2907:94D4:D622:F3A (talk) 14:49, 23 September 2025 (UTC)