Mary Wright
Events
Date of Birth: about 1735
Mary’s age at death is given as 37 on her burial monument.
Date of Baptism: uncertain.
Place of Baptism: uncertain.
Date of Death: 2 March 1772.
The date is given on Mary’s burial monument.
Date of Burial: 4 March 1772.
Place of Burial: North Meols, Lancashire, England (St Cuthbert’s).
Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks gives the burial, citing a microfilm of the bishop’s transcripts.
Relationships
Father: uncertain. (See the Commentary section.)
Mother: uncertain. (See the Commentary section.)
Spouse: William Ball (1734 - 1814). Married (probably) 29 March 1758 in Liverpool (Saint Nicholas).
Otterstrom gives transcriptions of the marriage banns and license. Mary Wright is described as of the parish of “North Maghull”, presumably an error for North Meols. William is a mariner of Liverpool.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Margaret Ball (baptized 4 February 1759 in North Meols) married Thomas Aindow 20 July 1783 in North Meols.
William Ball (baptized 5 September 1762 in North Meols - died 1 March 1844 in Southport, Lancashire) married Elizabeth Ball 18 December 1791 in North Meols.
Ellen Ball (baptized 30 June 1764).
Mary Ball (baptized 20 July 1766 - buried 2 August 1781).
Richard Ball (baptized 22 May 1768 - died 3 January 1840 in Southport) married Hannah Jackson 24 December 1788 in North Meols.
Thomas Ball (died 22 April 1771).
Evidence
Mary Ball’s burial (from Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks)
Burial: 4 Mar 1772 St Cuthbert, North Meols, Lancashire, England
Mary Ball - Wife of William Ball
Abode: South Haws
Register: Burials 1732 - 1803, Page 49, Entry 6
Source: LDS Film 1068944
Commentary
The baptism in North Meols closest to the 1735 birth date inferred from Mary’s monumental inscription is 28 March 1736 (father Richard Wright of South Haws). That her father is named Richard would fit nicely with the name Richard given to her second son. The problem is another daughter, Mary, baptized in 1742/3 and buried in 1744, to a Richard Wright of Haw Houses and his wife, Margaret. If this is the same family, it would seem to rule out the first baptism as being that of the Mary of this page.
It seems possible, however, that it is not the same family, if the parish registers are making a distinction between South Haws and Haws Houses during this period.
These entries give a residence of South Haws:
1733 George Wright, son of Richard and Margaret, baptized.
1736 Mary Wright, daughter of Richard, baptized.
1738 Anne Wright, daughter of Richard, baptized.
1743 Margaret Wright, wife of Richard Wright, buried.
These entries give a residence of Haws Houses:
1742/3 Mary Wright, daughter of Richard, baptized
1744 Mary Wright, daughter of Richard and Margaret, buried
There were several marriages of a Richard Wright in the years before 1736. A Richard Wright who married Margery Wilkinson in 1728 left a 1748 will, which does not mention Mary, but which mentions several children who do not appear in online indexes of registers. A Richard Wright married a Margaret Lovelady in 1730/1. The latter appear to be the most likely parents of Mary.
References
Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks
Otterstrom, Joyce L.C., “Mary Ball” and “William Ball” in RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Park, accessed 5 April 2014. Otterstrom gives a transcription of the inscription on Mary’s burial monument.