F. Elrington Ball facts for kids
Francis Elrington Ball (1863–1928) was an Irish writer and historian. He was especially interested in the history of law. He is most famous for his book, The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921. This book covered a long period of Irish legal history.
Contents
Who Was F. Elrington Ball?
Early Life and Family
Francis Elrington Ball was born in 1863. His father was John Thomas Ball. He was a very important lawyer. He served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1875 to 1880. This was a top legal job in Ireland. Francis's mother was Catherine Elrington.
Francis tried to become a politician. He ran for Parliament in 1900. He wanted to represent South Dublin. He was a Unionist. This meant he wanted Ireland to stay part of the United Kingdom. He did not win the election. However, his attempt caused another Unionist to lose. His father had also been a Member of Parliament.
A Passion for History
Ball is best known for his amazing historical research. He studied many different topics. He wrote about Jonathan Swift, a famous writer. He also wrote about the local history of Dublin. Most importantly, he wrote about the history of judges in Ireland. His big book, The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921, covered almost 700 years.
In 1922, a very important building was destroyed. This was the Four Courts. It happened during the Irish Civil War. The Four Courts held many public records and legal documents. These were all lost in the fire. Because of this, Ball's research became even more valuable. He had studied these records before they were destroyed. Later historians relied on his work.
A review in a legal magazine called his book "truly marvellous". It said he had studied a very long period of history. The review also said Ball was "a writer of great care and accuracy". This means he was very careful and always got his facts right.
Later Life
Francis Elrington Ball was also involved in his community. He was a governor of the Blue Coat School in Dublin. He lived in Blackrock, County Dublin for many years.
Ball was strongly against the Irish War of Independence. This war was fought for Ireland's freedom. In 1920, he moved to England. He spent his last years there. He was visiting Dublin when he passed away in 1928. He was married to Florence Hamilton. She died in 1913. They did not have any children.
What Did He Write?
Ball wrote many books about the history of different places. Most of his books focused on areas around Dublin. He explored the stories of towns and villages. He looked at their past and how they changed over time.
Here are some of the places he wrote about in his books:
- Part 1 (1902) included Monkstown, Kill-of-the-Grange, Dalkey, Killiney, Tully, Stillorgan, and Kilmacud.
- Part 2 (1903) covered Donnybrook, Booterstown, St. Bartholomew, St. Mark, Taney, St. Peter, and Rathfarnham.
- Part 3 (1905) looked at Tallaght, Cruagh, Whitechurch, Kilgobbin, Kiltiernan, Rathmichael, Old Connaught, Saggart, Rathcoole, and Newcastle.
- Part 4 (1906) included Clonsilla, Leixlip, Lucan, Aderrig, Kilmactalway, Kilbride, Kilmahuddrick, Esker, Palmerston, Ballyfermot, Clondalkin, Drimnagh, Crumlin, St. Catherine, St. Nicholas Without, St. James, St. Jude, and Chapelizod, as well as places within the Phoenix Park.
- Part 5 (1917) focused on Howth and its owners.
- Part 6 (1920) covered Castleknock, Mulhuddart, Cloghran, Ward, St. Margaret, Finglas, Glasnevin, Grangegorman, St. George, and Clonturk.
