E iv.   Ancestors of Bessie Ball Living in Little Petherick 
                                          Home Page    Family History  Ball Family Start       29 March 2007

Little Petherick is a small hamlet 3 miles from Padstow and 5 miles fromWadebridge.. The map below is my coloured version, which highlights footpaths (red dots/lines) roads, however minor, (yellow), streams (blue) the valley in which L.Petherick is situated and the higher ground surrounding it. Bellaminers, described below, is just to the south of the village, opposite the Anglican Church.

The Ball line can be firmly traced back to Christopher and Bridget Ball; their son, Christopher, was christened in 1680 at St.Ervan. As described earlier, Christopher and Bridget died when some, at least, of their children were very young. Christopher (the younger) was raised in the nearby parish of Little Petherick. At 25 years old, he married Elizabeth Ivey at St.Merryn on the 21^st May of 1715.

What evidence there is suggests that Christopher & Elizabeth and John & Catherine Clemoes, Bessie’s GreatGreatGrandparents, played an important part in the parish:

"An Accompt of Gregory Tom, overseer of the Poor in Ye Parish of Little Petherick for ye year 1733." was signed by 7 individuals, including Christopher Ball.

Christopher and Elizabeth had three sons (John {Bessie’s Great-Grandparent}, William and Thomas) and a daughter (Grace) between 1716 and 1721. The couple died at the age of 62 and were buried at Little Petherick. Whilst there are no epitaphs to them in the Churchyard there is an impressive memorial to their grandson which refers to, his father - their son, John.

Figure 21 Epitaph to Christopher and John Ball

Two of Christopher and Elizabeth Ball’s sons, John and William, are regularly mentioned in the Parish records (L.Petherick handbook).

Whilst the post of church warden appears to have been an annual appointment John, Bessie’s GreatGrandfather, held it for a number of years and his relationship with the rector Edward Rudd was close:

"A true and exact" account of the parsonage was "made by Edward Rudd Rector and John Ball Church Warden, together with the rest of the inhabitants whose names were subscribed in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty five." Amongst the additional signatures, at the end of the document, was the name of William Ball, John’s uncle.

Their links with the church, the importance of the family, and the friendship of the rector caused the latter to add detailed comments in his parish records of the relationships of the various Ball’s who died, adding comments such as:

"1742 Christopher Ball was buried April 29th 1742. This Christopher Ball was the father of John Ball in whose Church Wardenship AD 1750 the present Church Tower in this Parish was Built." B.Lque Rector

"1754 Thomas the son of Christopher Ball was buried Oct 22 1754 And a mortuary paid. He was baptised Sept 11 1722."

"1756 Elizabeth Ball was buried 10 day of May 1756. The widow of Christopher who was buried in 1742."

John Ball died in 1764 at just 48 yrs of age. His wife Ann, née Clemoes, shortly after gave birth to Jonathan Ball (Bessie’s grandfather) in 1763. With six children to support (two had died in childhood) Ann, not surprisingly, remarried a year later:

Register of L.Petherick

Ann and William Fradd had two children. Sadly, within 12 years, Ann lost three more of her first family (James 1767, Robert 1768 and Ann 1778) leaving just Christopher, John and Jonathan Ball. Anne died in 1791 at Ballaminers farm, eight months after the death of her second husband. The status of the family is evidenced by the fact that the rector described both William Fradd and Christopher Ball, at their deaths, as yeomen.

Anne’s mother, Catherine Climoes, was buried on Feb 18 1776.

Although there is no memorial stone marking Ann’s grave, it is possible that she was buried with her first husband, because the epitaph on William Fradd’s tombstone states:

"Here lies the body of William Fradd of this parish who departeth this life the 15th of April 1792 aged 75 years. Also near this place lies the body of Ann, wife of the above named W,Fradd who departeth this life on the 19th day of November 1794 aged 65 years."