1) As a noun this could refer to a small piece of wood, a strip of undressed leather, a trimming of hide used in making glue or size (OED).
1664 for spetches, haire and a kettle for lime
1666 Tho: Hebden pro blew powder, white lead and oaken spetches pro sizing, Ripon. It is in evidence as a noun and a verb and it referred especially to leather patches or clouts used in the repair of shoes and boots: 1582 the shomakers of this Cyttie … shall not in any wise spetche, clowte or coble any manner of bootes, York
1639 sufficient mending or spechinge lether, Austonley. It was used by all classes of society: in the memorandum book of Miss Mary Worsley of Hovingham, in 1715, is an entry of 2s 10d spent on a pair of shoes & a pair spetching. Cobblers may have seen it as an alternative spelling of ‘patch’ and a cobbler’s account book for 1770-7 has the following: heelespecht with strong leather
soald and backspecht
shoo toospecht
Benjamin shoo specht o’th side of too, South Crosland. Perhaps it contributed to the development of the surname Spetch, a variant of Petch which is first recorded in 1609. In fact, there is an early example of its use as a minor place-name: 1592 a close or parcel of land … called the Spetche, Barkisland.