Of my 14th G. Grandfather, Robert Baldwin (1468) and The Earlier Baldwins, and Dundrige Manor

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).

The Problem of Richard Baldwin (1565)

Before I go any further, I must settle a problem. It's...
 

The Problem of Richard Baldwin (1576 or 1565)

This is going to be a really boring post for some.

To start: Richard (1576) has a birth year given as 1576 in nearly every internet link that I can find. However, I can find no reliable reason for this. He is said by Seversmith (as I will discuss below) to have been born in 1565 based on his research. Since I can not find any reliable source for the date of 1576, I will be using 1565 instead for this blog until I have better information.

When investigating the parents of Richard Baldwin (1565), one can run into a problem. Many sites and sources list his parents as being Richard (1540) and Isabel Chase. Richard (1540) is given as the son of Richard (1503) in these cases, and this seems well enough...