SPALDING, GABRIEL [SSNE 4816]
Text source
Gabriel Spalding was born either on 25 March 1633 or in 1642 in Gothenberg where he worked as a merchant (The sources vary). He was the son of John Spalding [SSNE 4677] and Johanna Kinnaird [SSNE 2711]. His name appeared on the Gothenburg shipping registers from 1664 until 1690. The majority of ports he dealt with appeared to be outwith Scotland: Amsterdam, Dunkirk, Hamburg, Riga, London, Hull, Plymouth, Stralsund, Newcastle, St Malo, Stockholm, Danzig, Portugal, Weymouth, Yarmouth, Wismar, King's Lynn, La Rochelle, Lisbon, for example. He did also trade with Scotland: Ayr(1669, 1674), Edinburgh(1670), Leith(1671, 1678), and Irving((1677) appeared as specific destinations. Gabriel later became President of Commerce in 1678. In 1671 he imported oysters on a Swedish ship returning from Leith. He then exported wood products on the ship's subsequent journey to Leith. He was an important member of the community in Gothenburg as his frequent appearance as godparent at Christina Church indicates. He was godfather to Lorentz Braun's son in 1665; to Major Kronman's son in 1668 along with Gustav Maclean and his wife; to Hindrich Braunjohan's daughter in 1668 again along with the Macleans; and to Johan Maclean's daughter that year. The following year he was godparent to Kilian Treutiger's son, Cordt Brunjohan's son, and Sybrand Valk's daughter. In 1672 he was godparent to Cord Brunjohan's daughter and Hindrich Schmidt's daughter. In 1673 he was godparent to Simon Simson's son. In 1674 he was godparent to Jacob Lauterbach's son, Gustav Fistulator's son, and Lt.Colonel Hamilton's daughter (along with the Macleans). In 1675 he was godparent to Anders Hermanson's son, Daniel J Gertner's son, Ratke Set's son (along with Gustav Fistulator), Volradt Tham's daughter, Heinrich Schmidt's daughter (along with the Macleans) and Major Wolfgang Otto a Vicken's son. In 1676 he was godparent to Cornelij van der Flieth's daughter. In 1677 he was godparent to Albert Hunter's son, Major Anckerhielm's daughter,and Wilhelm Damby's son (along with Maccabeus Thornton). In 1678 he was godparent to Paul Jurgensson's daughter. In 1679 he was godparent to Doctor Osterring's daughter and David Matzen's daughter. In 1680 he was godparent to Friderich Jansen's daughter, Udfall's son and Daniel Croquet's son. In 1681 he was godparent to Clas Engelken's daughter, Captain Hinrich Wagenfeld's daughter, and J.O. Burchard's daughter (along with Macleans). In 1682 he was godparent to Friderich Crantzen's daughter and Hans Calmus'daughter. In 1683 he was godparent to Martin Friderich Herman's daughter (along with Macleans) and Adam Altesleben's daughter. In 1684 he was godparent to Maccabeus Thornton's daughter (along with Macleans). In 1685 he was godparent to Doctor Abraham Bex's daughter (along with Macleans) and Anton Egmund's twins. In 1686 he was godparent to Marting Strokirch's son and Lt Johan Otto von Vicken's daughter (along with Macleans and Kinnairds). In 1687 he was godparent to Martin Brusewiten's son. Gabriel and his siblings (Elizabeth [SSNE 6413], Johanna [SSNE 6414], Margareta [SSNE 6415], Anna [SSNE 6416] and Catharina [SSNE 6417]) were ennobled and introduced in 1680 under the number 910. This had partly been made possible after he and his brother John [SSNE 4941] applied to the Scottish Privy Council in 1674 for birthbrieves to prove their Scottish origins. His brother was the Swedish Resident in Spanish Flanders, based at Dunkirk. Gabriel died in 1687 though many letters about him were written after that date. Gabriel was married first to Catharina Schmidt on 1 February 1665 and second to Catharina Wernle, a Swedish noble woman with whom he had ten children. Catharina died of plague at the age of 31 in October 1690. Gabriel died on 9 December 1687 at the age of 45 of "steinschmergen". He was buried on 29 April 1688. One of his sons, Hans or Johan [SSNE 6874], was allegedly ennobled in 1678 while another, Herman [SSNE 3545] built a successful career in the Swedish army. Both are said to have died at the battle of Freidrichshall in June 1716. A daughter, Johanna Beata was born on 1 December 1668 and married Captain Michael Muller on 5 April 1705. Another of Gabriel's sons, Michael Gabrielson Spalding [SSNE 6109], travelled to Britain where he was press ganged into the Royal Navy. He was released after intervention by the Swedish resident and went on to become a commodore in the Swedish navy. One of Gabriel Spalding's sisters married the Gothenburg merchant Henrie Browne [SSNE 6642]
Sources: Göteborg Landsarkiv, Förteckning över Landshövdingens i Göteborg och Bohus Län - Skrivelser till Kungl. Maj:t 1657-1840 - 21/10/1690, 02/03/1691; Göteborg Landsarkivet, Drätselkammare; Swedish Riksarkiv, Biographica Microcard E01832 3/6; Brev till Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie a) fran enskilda Afd, I:II 1677 (5); Personregister Skriv. T. K. Maj:T., landshövdingens i Goteborg och Bohuslän, letters from 13/12/1687, 02/03/1691, 02/01/1693; Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd series, IV, 1673-1676, p.306; National Archives of Scotland, AC7/3, Register of Decreets, 1672-1673, ff.202-221. 13 September 1672. Captain Henrie Fraser against Swen Brounsone of The Nicholas. Also 4 October 1672. Captain Patrick Gordon against Andreas Nielson, The Fortune; ff.67-83; Eduard Spalding, Geschichtliches, urkunnden, stamm-tafeln der Spalding in Schottland, Deutschland und Schweden: Während der letzten sechs jahrhunderte, speciell der Deutsche zweig der familie (Greifswald, 1898), pp.12-41 and Appendix V, Family tree for Johan Spalding in Gothenburg; G. Elgenstierna, Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, vol. 7, pp.371-372; W. Berg, Samlingar till Göteborgs historia, Christina Kyrkas böcker, vol.1, passim, esp pp76-213, and pp.14, 504 and 508; E-B. Grage, 'Scottish merchants in Gothenburg, 1621-1850' in T.C. Smout, ed. Scotland and Europe, 1200-1850, (Edinburgh, 1986), p.113; C. Dalhede, Handelsfamiljer på Stormaktstidens Europamarknad (3 vols., Partille, 2001)III, cdrom; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.215, 226-227.
Service record
- SWEDEN, GOTEBORG, GOTHENBURG
- Departed 1687-12-31
- Capacity MERCHANT, BURGESS, purpose CIVIC, MERCANTILE, TRADE