John BALDWIN of The Hole Wendover BKM [21950]

  General Notes:

John BALDWIN, the eldest surviving son and the heir of Robert, was born [about] 1490 and died in 1565, at which time his wife, whose identity is unknown, had, already died. He was principally associated with a property called The Hale, located on the manor of Wivelsgate, which he held by lease (Woodman, note 13). Wivelsgate is about a mile west of Dundridge in the parish of Wendover.

John had seven sons: John, George, Nicholas, Sylvester, Richard, Robert, and Thomas. It will be appropriate to give a synopsis of all these sons, as disclosed by Mr. Woodman and by Mr. Seversmith, before connecting the youngest, Thomas, to Joseph Baldwin, the immigrant. The number of properties left to his sons and grandson, ranging over several nearby communities and including lease of the entire manor of Cholesbury, gives us a basis for appreciating John's success.

John Baldwin3 (John2, RobertI) died before 1557 [?] and thus before his father. Accordingly, his father's will makes no mention of him. However, he had had a son, John of Linslade, to whom his grandfather left six silver spoons, a mazer, a featherbed that had been the boy's father's, and the lease of the manor of Cholesbury. A court roll for 1566 confirms John of Linslade [Buckinghamshire at the time and now Bedfordshire] was the grandson and heir of John of The Hale (Woodman, note 16).

George Baldwin3 (John2, RobertI), eldest surviving son of John, received a monetary bequest, three half acres, and the residue of his father's belongings. (The term "half acre", as found quite regularly in these old records, is believed by David and John [sic\emdash Joan] Hay (p. 75) to refer to the width of strips in the common fields, for which they cite a court roll giving "4 closes in the fields of Cholesbury called Half acres amounting to 15 acres". As it's found in some contexts where reference to common fields seems unlikely, I suspect it became a generic term for any sort of small, non-descript plot).
The residue of his father's estate must have included the lease on The Hale, George was resident there and had bought it before his death in 1576. He and his wife, Avelyn (probably Avelyn Aystell), had six sons: Ralph, James, Edmund, John, Henry, and Michael.
Ref: "The English Ancestry of Joseph and Sylvester Baldwin" by Philip H. Haselton
Source: http://genforum.genealogy.com/baldwin/messages/6789.html, accessed 7 Oct 2014.

  Research Notes:

John Baldwin gent of Hole farm at St Leonards Aston Clinton nr Wendover Bucks. As described in a Indenture dated 1556 and a deed dated 1558.

  Other Records

1. The will of John Baldwin: of Wendover, May 1564, Wendover BKM.
JOHN BALDWIN, OF COUNTY BUCKS ENGLAND.
AND HIS DESCENDANTS.
1. JOHN Baldwin of the Hayle, County Bucks, England, was named as the overseer of his brother Richards will in 1555 [?]. He made his own will 12 March 1564/5 [?], describing himself as of the Hayle, in the parish of Wendover, County Bucks, yeomen.
The following is an abstract of it:
Two each of my children's children 4 pence.
To Nicholas my son, my houses and lands in Great Missenden and the Loe, and a tenement in Wendover.
To Sylvester my son, a grove called Lord's grove, in Wendover and lands in Aston Clinton called Pleadell's and the same after his death to go to his son John and his heirs for ever.
To Richard, my son, £20.
To Robert, my son, £10.
To Thomas, my son, a horse worth 33s 4d [?].
Two George, my son, all the residue of my estate, and he to be my executor; as overseer, my son Sylvester. The Will was proved to March 1565/6, in the archdeaconry court on Bucks, by the son George. His wife evidently died before he did.

From Fair/Hartlett/Kain Family Tree Ancestry 2020.
Transcript of John Baldwin of the Hale's Will (from original photocopy sent to me by George Duo by email on 26 July 2014):
In the name of god Amen wryten the xij day of March in the year of our Lord god a th[page torn-ousand five?]
hundred thre score and four [1564] I John Baldwyn of the hayle in the parishe of Wendover in the [torn] [countie?] of Bucks yoman [sic] and of Lynkon^[1] dyosys sick in Boddy Butt perfect of mynde thanks begiven to [torn] order and make this my Last will and testament in this manner and forme following
First [torn] and Bequeath My soule in to the hands of all myightee god my maker and Redeemer a [torn]
my Boddy to [be] buryed in Christian buryall
Item I geve unto the Mother church of Lynkon 2d [torn], the church of Wendover 2d
Also I give unto every one of my childrens children 4d and ev[ery-torn] god chyld 2d
Item I Will and Bequeath unto Nycolas Baldwyn my sone my house and landes not solde and ly[torn]
and Being in the parishes of great Myssenden & the Lee, and also one tenement with the ap[urte--torn] nances Lying & being in the forrens of Wendover to the house of Nycolas my son and his eyers [sic]
forever [crossed out is "I give unto alys his daughter 20s to be payd her at the day of her marriage"]^[2]
Item I give unto Silvester Baldwyn my son one grove of wood and land lying and being in the parish of Wendover [and also one crossed out] called Lordes grove and one pese of land and woods lying and Beyng in the parish of Aston Clynton callyd pleadels to the house of hym [?] during [?] his life and then to John Hybsen and hys eyers for ever
Item I give unto Richard my son 20li and to Robert my son 10li
and to Thomas my son one horse price 38s 4d
Item I give unto John Baldwyn of Lynslad [Linslade] 6 sylver spoons a mazer one feather Bed yt^[3] is in the hye lofte yt whas some tyme his fathers and I give him the lease of the manor of Cholysbury [sic]
Item to Alys Gery 20s
Item I give unto George my son three half acres of land som tyme gerys to the house of george & his eyers for ever upon thys condesyon[,] yt George my son his eyers executors admynystrators or asyense [assignes] shall paye for the same land forty shillings of good and lawful mony of England in this sorte and manner in the spayse of xij yeres next after my decease as this [illegible] to be debt [----------------------illegible----------------] every yere yt ys to say forty pense to fortie persons men women and chyldren and ffurdor [further] I will that and if this mony aforesaid be not paid and every part thereof according to this my laste will and testament then I will that [illegible] three half acres of Land to Sylvester my son and his eyers forever and he and his eyers to paye up the mony as before sayd
^[4]The rests of my goods and bequests my will performed and my detes [debts] payd
I give unto George my son and he to dysspose for my soule and all chrystyan soules as he thynketh best
the which george my sonne I do ordain and make my lawful executor and Sylvester my son to be supervisor to this my presente will [torn] after my son shall have for his laybor and paynes 6s 8d [torn] [illegible] is I give to Richard Bachyllor my servant 6s 8d [torn] as to this my laste will and testament Henry collett [illegible]
[torn] [illegible] Sylvester Baldwyn with others.
Per me Rychard rogers Vyker of Wendover wytness of this his last will.
Will was proved 2 March 1565.[5]

[1] Lincoln
[2] This may be Alys Gery mentioned later. It may indicate that sometime before his death but after he wrote the will, she married.
[3] Abbreviation for that.
[4] There is a partial sentence between this line and the one above which is crossed out. It seems to read "Item I give unto Margaryt Bachyllors children to be payd them by -----------". She could be the wife of Richard Bachyllor he calls his servant.
[5] Woodman, p. 320, an abstract of his will. Also, a photocopy of original will sent to me by George Duo, but is very hard to read.
English Origins of New England Families, Vol. III
North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
N Whisenant13

John married.