Daily AncestorSpinster
Spinster in older legal and church records meant a woman who had never married; earlier still it meant a woman who spun thread.
In deeds, marriage records and wills, spinster was the usual description of a woman who had never married, as bachelor was for a man.
The word began as an occupation, a person who spun thread. In a marriage record it confirms the bride had not been married before, as opposed to a widow.
As seen in a recordMarriage register, 1700s
Married: Jno. Hale, bachelor, and Martha Crane, spinster, both of this parish.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Spinster." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/spinster. Last checked 2026-10-01.