The Wake barony on the western edge of the fens: Bourne castle and abbey (Augustinian, founded 1138 by Baldwin FitzGilbert) and the Deepings on the Welland, with rights in the fens that Crowland abbey and Peterborough also claim.
Who he is
- Name
- Baldwin Wake
- Title
- Lord of Bourne and Deeping
- Since
- Inherited from his mother Emma, daughter of Baldwin FitzGilbert de Clare, and his father Hugh Wake (died about 1172)
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Son of Hugh Wake and Emma, heiress of Bourne. Sources differ on whether the Baldwin who held in 1199 died about 1201 or about 1213 (two Baldwins in succession are possible).
- Confidence
- low
Holder for 1 January 1200 is a Baldwin Wake; which generation is not pinned.
Overlord
King John
What it holds
- Bourne castle and Bourne abbey
- Market Deeping and Deeping St James
- Fen rights between Bourne and the Welland
How it was acquired
By the marriage of Hugh Wake to the heiress of Baldwin FitzGilbert.
Allies and rivals
Disputes over fen boundaries with Crowland and Peterborough abbeys; neighbours the Gant heir at Folkingham.
How things stand that morning
Holds Bourne in peace.
Wealth
Fen pasture, peat and fisheries; the Welland crossing at Deeping.
Military
Bourne castle.
Threats
- Fen boundary quarrels with the abbeys
Places of note
- Bourne castle: Caput
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Which Baldwin held in 1200 is not pinned.
On the map: Caput block.
Primary sources for England
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
- Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
- Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
- English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
- Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
- Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online
22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.