Bob

William Frederick Spry

As Jacqueline has noted either Spry or Sprye was used depending upon the year and the publication.

1. Both his father, Lieutenant General William Spry RE and his uncle, Lieutenant General Horatio Spry RM are recorded in the Army Lists and genealogical works as Spry.

2. The family name is Spry for the family Coat-of-Arms.

3. It is noted that alternate spellings of the name include Sprye.

4. William Frederick is listed under Spry in the Army Lists.

5. His early promotions in the London Gazette used Spry.

6. He is mentioned in the London Gazette in 1812 and 1813 as Spry.

7. He is mentioned in the London Gazette in 1813 and 1814 as Sprye.

8. The General Order of August 1810 placing him in the Portuguese Service used Spry.

9. It appears that the use of Sprye dates from his entering the Portuguese Army.

10. The 1811 Portuguese Army List used Spry.

11. The 1813 Portuguese Army List used Sprye.

12. A Portuguese work listing his service in the Portuguese Army used Sprye. The work translated many of the the British names into Portuguese.

13. The Thanks of the Houses of Parliament used Sprye when thanking the British officers serving in the Portuguese Service.

To sum up, it appears that the correct spelling of the family name is Spry and that the use of his spelling of Sprye was mostly for the Portuguese Service. So a footnote explaining this as required?

Ron