He was the son of John Spring (d.1601) and his wife Mary (or Anne) Trelawney. He was the grandson of Sir
William Spring of Lavenham and his first wife Anne Kitson, and of
John Trelawney of
Menheniot,
Cornwall and his wife Anne Reskymer. His stepfather was
Sir Robert Gardiner,
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (died 1620). He was educated at
Emmanuel College, Cambridge, graduating in 1603, followed by
Middle Temple until 1606. At university, Spring became a close friend of another student from Suffolk,
John Winthrop, with whom he would correspond for the rest of his life. He was succeeded by his son,
William, who was made a
baronet by
Charles I. ==References==