William is described as a husbandman in his will, and as a fisherman in a 1773 indenture in which his son is a party.
Events
Date of Baptism: 24 December 1676.
Place of Baptism: North Meols, Lancashire, England (North Meols).
The baptism is recorded in the parish register.
Date of Death: between 12 November 1743 and 4 February 1744.
The dates are when William made his will and when his widow appeared in the probate court.
Date of Burial:30 January 1744.
Place of Burial: North Meols.
Relationships
(probable) Father: Thomas Ball (died 1716). (See the Commentary section).
(probable) Mother: Alis Rimer. (See the Commentary section.)
Spouse: Jane Thomasson. Married 13 January 1703/4 in North Meols.
The marriage is given by Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks. William mentions his children with Jane in his will.
Spouse: Margaret (probably buried 15 August 1754 in North Meols). Probably married 5 May 1734 in Maghull, Lancashire.
Margaret is named in William’s will and in the baptism records of William and John. The marriage bond index entry cited below gives the marriage license details for the marriage of William Ball and Margaret Swift. The parish register entry for the same couple, however, gives the names as William Wright (widower) and Margaret Swift (widow), both of Meales.
Children (by Jane):
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Thomas Ball (baptized 29 February 1703/4 - died 22 June 1771) married Isabel Wright 23 November 1747 in North Meols.
Alis Ball (baptized 7 May 1710) married Edward Wright 16 December 1735 in North Meols.
Nicholas Ball (baptized 14 April 1712 - buried 22 March 1789) married Jane Leatherbarrow 27 August 1739 in Halsall, Lancashire.
Ellen Ball (buried 8 February 1754) married Barnaby Rymer 29 October 1731 in North Meols.
Ann Ball (baptized 17 June 1716).
Mary Ball (baptized 17 June 1716).
Children (by Margaret):
William Ball (baptized 13 October 1734 - died 24 August 1814) married Mary Wright 29 March 1758 in Liverpool (St Nicholas’).
John Ball (baptized 12 June 1737 - buried 6 March 1786) married Anne Wright 23 November 1758 in North Meols.
Evidence
Baptism (North Meols parish register)
Will: Ball Sonne of Tho: de Roe baptizd December the 24 1676
Marriage bond index entry:
Year: 1734
Days of Month: 4. May
Marriage License granted to William Ball
of the parish or Chapelry of Lydiate
and Margaret Swift
of the parish or Chapelry of …..
To be married in the Church of Chapel of North Meols. Halsall. Aughton
Oath made and Bond given by The Same & Laurence Farrar
Before Mr. Atherton
Information from the marriage bond:
Bound: John Ball of Lydiate, miller; Lawrence Farrer of the same, husbandman
William Ball & Margaret Swift to be married in North Meols, Halsall, or Aughton
Baptisms of children (North Meols parish register)
[1703]
Tho: Ball sonne of Willi bap feb: the 29
[1710]
Alis Ball daugh: of Willi bap May the 7th
[1712]
Niccolas Ball Sonn of Willi: bap Aprill the 14
[1734]
October 13 William s. of William & Margrat Ball of South Hose Bapd
[1737, June]
[1]2th John Son of W.m Ball of South Haws
The will of William Ball:
In the name of God Amen I William Ball of North Meols in the county of Lancaster husbandman this twelfth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seaven hundred & fourty three do make Publish & declare this my last will & Testament in manner & form following (That is to say) First I will that all my Just Debts funerall Expences & cost of probate of this my last will & Testament be paid & discharged out of & with my personal Estate by my Executors hereafter named Then I give & bequeath to Thomas my oldest son the Messuage Tenement & Reall Estate where I now live & which I hold by Lease from Roger Hesketh Esquire he my said son first Paying to my Daughters Ailce Elling Ann & Mary Each the sum of twenty shillings as a Legacy by me herein to them bequeathed I do give to my sd son Thomas one black box or Trunk usually standing in the fire house where I now live. I do give to my loving wife Margrat all the rest Residue & remainder of my goods & personall Estate I do allso give devise & bequeath to my sd wife Margrat the reall Estate House Messuage & Tenement Lying in South hose usually called Marshalls to her to hold dureing her Life or widdowhood as a Joynture & provision for her maintainance but if my sd wife happen to dye or marry again then I will that she forthwith quit the same and after such her marriage or death I give devise & bequeath the same my sd reall Estate called Marshall to my sons William & John equally to be divided or equally to be by them enjoyed share & share alike I do allso further give to my brother Richard the sum of twenty one shillings I do give to my son Nicholas the sum of twenty shillings And do hereby further acquit him of all Debts rents & arrears of rents by him to me owing including the rents of this present year he my sd son peaceably delivering up the sd Tenements to my sd wife to be by her enjoyed as by me above bequeathed. & it is my mind that my Executors here after named pay the Legacys of twenty shillings above by me herein given to my son Nicholas & allso the twenty one shillings to my brother Richard be paid out of my personall Estate any thing herein to the contrary contained in any wise notwithstanding & lastly I do hereby nominate contitute & appoint Margrate my loving wife & Richard Ball my Brother to be Executors of this my last will & Testament hoping they will perform the trust I have hereby reposed in them. and Lastly I do hereby revoke disanull & make void all former wills by me hertofore made & do ratify & confirm this to be my last will & Testament as witness my hand & seal the day and year first above mentioned. ---
The mark & seal of William X Ball [seal]
Sealed sighned published Expressed & declared by the within named William Ball the Testator as his last will & Testament in the presence of us whose names are here subscribed as witnesses to the due Execution hereof --
Richard Wright
John Ball
Peter Rymer
1744 Feb.y 4 Margaret Ball & Richard Ball the within-named Executors were sworn in common form before Will: Knowles Sur:
Probate issued Feb. 18:th
Commentary
Joyce Otterstrom gives Thomas Ball and Alis Rimer as parents for William. This seems consistent with the known facts:
(1) William mentions his brother Richard in his 1743 will, and Thomas Ball mentions his sons William and Richard in his 1716 will.
(2) William named his first son Thomas and his first daughter Alis. Richard appears to have done the same.
(3) Another son mentioned in the 1716 will of Thomas Ball, Robert, mentions his brother Richard in his 1760 will. Robert and Richard appear to have married sisters. Robert also named his first son Thomas and his first daughter Alis.
(4) Thomas, Richard, and Robert were all of Roe or New Roe or Rowe Lane, so the 1676 baptism of “Will Ball - Son of Tho Ball de Roe” fits.
(5) The order in which the sons are listed in Thomas’s 1716 will implies that William was the eldest. Since Thomas names his wife, Alis, in his will, the 13 July 1673 marriage of Thomas Ball and Alis Rimer at St Cuthbert’s, North Meols, seems likely to be that of William’s parents.
The evidence fits together well, but perhaps falls short of being absolutely conclusive. It is certainly the most reasonable hypothesis.
References
Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks
Otterstrom, Joyce L.C., “William Ball” and “Thomas Ball” in RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Park, accessed 5 April 2014. Otterstrom gives a transcription of William Ball’s will.
William Ball - Margaret Swift marriage bond no. 879 (1734) in Cheshire Marriage licence bonds and allegations 1606-1905; digital image on Findmypast.co.uk (accessed 6 April 2014).
Will of William Ball of North Meols, husbandman. Consistory Court of Chester, 1743/4. Digital image on FamilySearch (Film # 004421107).