William Spence

William Spence was born at Portobello just outside of Edinburgh in 1866, the fourth son of Adam Spence builder and Helen Litster. He grew up in Portobello and operated a corn merchant business with an office in one of the streets parallel to the Royal Mile. He may have been one of the first commuters as he would travel by train early in the morning in from Bonnyrigg to Edinburgh, unless he was conducted the part of his business that required travelling around the local markets in Midlothian buying and selling corn, wheat, barley,etc. His interests were in pigeons and playing dominoes. He married Barbara Raeburn in 1899 and they had two sons. He died at Prestonpans east of Edinburgh in 1918 of the Spanish flue.

William Spence was awarded the goblet below at the Crystal Palace Pigeon Show in November 1897 for "The best silver Magpie Pigeon"

(information sent in by Adam Spence, July 2010)