Bealdwine = Baldewyne = Baldwin
It's been said that the name Baldwin means "brave, bold friend" and originated from Old High German, the earliest form of the German language which developed and appeared during the years 700 to 1050 AD. Variant early spellings can look something like Bealdwine or Baldewyne or Baudouin, as well as many others. English itself is a Germanic language, and the earliest Baldwins I can find appear in the area near Chesham in England. The Baldwins' origins therefore seem thoroughly European, and the name appears in many well kept records, centuries old (which is the only reason why I am able to share this information today).
I started my Baldwin ancestry charts here with Robert Baldwin (1468) because he is the earliest known Baldwin I can find with established father-son ties which trickle down to me. However, there are records of many older generations of Baldwins living in the same area as Robert, well before him. Too bad in most cases father-son connections can not be proved; there is only speculation that they were or were not ancestors of Robert directly.
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| Chesham, England |
The Earliest Known Baldwins
(And their Dastardly Deeds)
In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories. DUN DUN!
Well, OK. I'm just having fun. These early Baldwins are only known due to various entries on "Court Rolls", certain records kept by the courts in Chesham regarding land disputes, legal matters, and in some cases offenses for which these Baldwins were fined.
The following court roll information comes from various "rootsweb.ancestry.com" forum posts I dug around in, and in each instance they seem to have been originally compiled and copied from a website which is no longer in service. Since it has given sources from the New England Genealogical Society Register (NEGSR) I feel it is reliable, and that it is best to copy the information in full, below. Given the dates for the citations it looks like these sources were discovered long after Charles Candee Baldwin completed his Genealogy in 1881. They present newer information, confirming Charles' speculation that Robert was indeed the father of Richard. "Robert, you ARE the father!" Richard's brothers are also named in these court rolls.
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New England Genealogical Society Register 110, 310, 1956:
"Chesham Manor Court Rolls show that Baldwins were in Chesham hamlet of Bellingdon since the 13th century. Death of Robert Baldwin presented in court at Chesham Bury 16 April 1537. Was owner of freelands and tenements at Bellenden called Pygotts and Belchers, also at Dungrove in Botley, Chesham. These properties deeded to younger son Richard. In court 16 April 1538, John Baldwin, heir of Robert Baldwin, named."
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| No relation to these Belchers. Probably. |
A.V. Woodman 1959, New England Genealogical Society Register 113, 245-248.
"From the Court Rolls of the Manor of Chesham come the following records, no generational links necessarily specified.
I. John Baldwyne: given as an adjoining land owner in a Chesham charter in the mid 13th century.
II. William Baldewyne, son of John Baldewyne. By agreement with Matthew, Abbot of Missenden 29 October 1301, William Baldewyne is to receive all lands and tenements recovered by the Abbot from William in the Court of the King's Bench, to hold by rent of 3s per annum. 1314, William Baldewyne fined 6d for trespass in the lord's corn.
III. William and Thomas Baldewyne. Both (and others) were fined in 1330 1d for not being present at the court in their tithing. 1335 and again in 1337, free tenant William Baldewyne fined 3p for default of suit of court. 1341, Thomas Baldewyne fined 3d for default.
IV. Richard Baldewyne. Served 1354-1367 as one of the parish constables. 1368-1377 served as a tithing man. 1350, Richard Baldewyne appeared in court to explain the absence of John le Longe.
V. Richard Baldewyne. Served 1379-1384 as constable.
VI. John Baldewyne. 7 October 1409. John Baldewyne, kinsman and heir to Isabel Blakewell, wife of John Blakewell, sought to gain the household called Moryngnes (Moorings) in Chesham held by John Blakewell upon the death of his wife Isabel. John Baldewyne argued that a husband under law could not continue to hold that property, but that it reverted to the next of kin. Blakewell was fined 3d for unjust deforecement. Isabel's sister Alice Webbe was coholder of the tenement and 35 acres. Isabel and John Blakewell had a son John Blakewell who would have been Isabel's heir, in which case her widowed husband would have held the land until his death. But if John Blakewell Jr. died, then the interest of John Blakewell Sr. would have been abrogated. 1421, John Baldewyne fined 2d for brewing. Sworn in for tithing that year. 1424 and 1429, on the homage. He died before Easter 1442 when the heir of John Baldewyne was fined 2d for default.
VII. John Baldewyne. 1421, sworn in for tithing presumably at age 12, hence born circa 1409. He was the aforementioned heir of John Baldewyne, his father. 13 April 1467, was chief tithing man of Belynder; he held office for several years. 1468, John Baldwyn and William Bacheler, the two "most aged and best" in Belenden, appointed to certify the survey of glebes (church owned revenue producing lands) and tithes belonging to Leicester Abbey. 1483, a will (now missing) of John Baldwyn was proved.
VIII. John Baldwyn. 1482, Henry Webbe, son of John Webbe the younger, age 15 (hence born 1467), and his property given to custody of John Baldwyn and Henry Tokefeld. 1484, John Baldwyn fined 4d for default. 1485, John Baldwyn juror as in 1503. Not in taxation rolls of 1524.
IX. Robert Baldwyn. First Baldwyn at Dundridge which he may have leased. 1497, Robert rented 1/2 acre at Colyerscrosse for 2d per annum. 1510, rented part of Sparrowespece at 6d per annum. 1525, his Aston Clinton lands valued at £2 and goods at £13, for tax of 6s 6d. As part of a change in his taxes, it was noted that Robert's son had married within the year. His death presented to court 16 April 1536 where it was noted that lands at Dungrove in Botley had been given to his younger son Richard Baldwyn. 16 April 1537 court papers show that free lands at Dungrove and an acre of land Sperrowacre had been given to son Richard. Robert also owned a pightie (small parcel of land), 1/2 acre, lying near Colyerscrosse. John Baldwyn was next heir and of full age.
Sons of Robert:
1) John Baldwyn of the Hale (a part of the manor of Wivelsgate, which passed to John's son George who died in 1576).
2) Thomas Baldwin of the Forrens of Wendover.
3) Richard Baldwin of Dundridge."
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The following, from a William F. Baldwin, 14 June 1997, is retrieved from the Internet. His email address has been removed. For his protection.
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April 1536, court records show that Robert Baldwin held freely certain lands and tenements at Bellenden and others at Dungrove in Botley -- these given by deed presented in court to son Richard. Richard also received an acre of land called Sperrowacre in April 1537. John of the Hayle was established as his son and next heir, being of full age -- this was of import to the Lord of the Manor who held the responsibility of the obligations of the tenure system and who would have necessarily assumed that the properties went to Robert's heir John. In this time, it was generally impossible to pass land titles via wills.
(Referenced from P.H. Haselton 1989, The English Ancestry of Joseph and Sylvester Baldwin, p. 10.) The Statute of Wills, allowing transfer of land by will, was not passed by Parliament until 1540.
P.H. Haselton 1989, The English Ancestry of Joseph and Sylvester Baldwin, p. 11. 1509: Robert Baldwin one of original trustees of the Chapel Trust in St. Leonards. 1522: Muster Roll shows Robert Baldwin resident at Dundridge, with 20£ in goods, but no land recorded.
P.H. Haselton 1989, The English Ancestry of Joseph and Sylvester Baldwin, p. 12. The evidence linking Hugh Baldwin to this family is inadequate to show that he is a son of Robert.
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And there you have it. The moral of the story is, if you trespass in the lord's corn, NOT ONLY will you need to go to court and pay a fine, but 700 YEARS LATER, everybody will know about it, and talk about you behind your back.
That William. What a scallywag.
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| "GET OUTTA MY CORN!" |
Dundrige Manor
Many of the above records, and others I have used in this blog and for research, mention Dundrige Manor (Donrigge/Dundridge). In fact Richard (1503) is known as "Richard of Dundrige" while his brother was known as "John of the Hayle", and Richard's son Henry became known as "Henry of Dundrige" some time later.
Before that, though, we know that the manor was in the possession of the 8th Countess of Salisbury, Margaret Pole. She was executed in 1541; beheaded by King Henry VIII, and the land was seized by him. Henry VIII granted Dundrige to Sir John Baldwin (Chief Justice) in 1545. Baldwins Richard, Henry, Sylvester, and many others were born in the area and lived here as the manor changed ownership many times. This became the home of the Baldwin family for generations until 1768 when the Baldwins lost much of their fortune and it was sold off.
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| Dundrige. by FindaGrave user Firinne |
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| Dundrige. by FindaGrave user julia&keld |
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| Dundrige. by FindaGrave user Firinne |
The above pictures, I believe, are of the church at St. Leonard's. The manor house itself is said to have fallen into disrepair, although it seems to be still standing. Dundrige is located in Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, which seems to be close to Chesham, which can be viewed in the earlier posted map.
So that's where the Baldwins came from! And that's the end of these first introductory posts! I hope you have found them informative. Please leave your feedback below, or send me emails directly. I'll be back with some more stories of "Famous Cousins", "Royal Connections", "Unsolved Mysteries" and other stuff as I figure out where to go next in this blog. I'll leave you with some pictures of the manor house as I close.
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| It's fallen into all MANOR of disrepair! Haw haw haw |
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| And this is the end of this POST! |
Haw haw haw!
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