Joseph Ballard

Joseph Ballard baptised 1655

To

1. bap 1 Jun 1655, Joseph Ballard son of Peter & Mary, Bottisham, Cambridgeshire (born 27 April 1655) see notes below.

2. bap  19 Jun 1655, Joseph Ballard son of Wm & Mary Monks Kirby, Warwickshire (born 22 Apr 1655) see notes below.

1673 Joseph Ballard [London Apprentiship Abstracts 1442-1850. FMP]. check.

1680 4th May Joseph Ballard of St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, a batchellor age 25 and upwards - Elizabeth Price age 23 & upwards of the same parish, spinster with to be married. [Marriage Licence Allegation. DL/AL/AB/001/MS09063 ].

1680 6th May at the parish church of St Mary Woolnoth, City of London. Joseph Ballard & Elizabeth Price are married by licence [London Metropolitan Archives; P69/Mry15/A/001/Ms07635/002 ].

note; 4 may 1680 joseph Ballard had sworn under oath he was 25 years and upward so he must have been born before 4 May 1655.

the nearest dated parish record entries of births and baptisms that could fit are as follows;

bap 1 Jun 1655, Joseph Ballard son of Peter & Mary, Bottisham, Cambridgeshire (born 27 April 1655)

bap  19 Jun 1655, Joseph Ballard son of Wm & Mary Monks Kirby, Warwickshire (born 22 Apr 1655). no further mention in pr's. - Traces Back to Ballard's of Northamptonshire)

bap 29 Oct 1655, Joseph Ballard son of  Johnathan of Anstey, Warwickshire (born 19 Oct 1655). no further mention in pr's.

My gut feeling is,  it is a little too convienient that this family were from Bottisham, Cambridgeshire, an area that fits neatly into ancient y DNA extracted burial samples. The alternative family of Monks Kirby, Warwickshire, on first inspections go back to a family from Northamptonshire and the proximity of later generations lends itself better as a connection, so for the time being, pending further investigation i am open minded as to the correct link until further evidence is found.

Elizabeth Price was aged 23 so would have been born before 4th May 1657 and no earlier than 4th may 1657

candidates are;

1656 -  6 May to Christopher, of Abergaveny, Monmouthshire

1656 - 12 May to Hugh & Mary,  of Knighton, Radnorshire, Wales 

1656 - 11 May to Morgan, of Oswetry, Shropshire

1657 - 13 Mar to ? of High Ercall, Shropshire

1657 - 12 Apr to Nicholas & Susana, of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire

1657 - 5 June of John & Ann, of Drayton Parslow, Buckinghamshire

1657 - 15 Oct of David, of St Chad, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

1657 - 22 Nov of John, of St Sepuchre, Cambridge, Cambridgshire - bur 30 Dec dau of John

St Mary Woolnoth church, their place of marriage, as it was quite a distance from their declared parish of residence, may give clues to her family links

1680