Ball family, Quorndon, Leicestershire

[Cumbey]

Good day, all. I wondered if this might be a good place to ask if anyone knows anything about the Ball family/ies in Quorndon in the 19thC? There's a lot of data here: http://www.quornmuseum.com/
but I have one or two problems, the main one being that I don't know how many families there are - I'm assuming, for instance, that there are two Joseph Balls, but I wonder if there might actually be three?

My interest in this family lies in the fact that they were linked (not genealogically) to my family; Joseph and Ann were witnesses at my 3rd great grandfather's wedding (John & Elizabeth Cumberland, m. 14 Apr 1823, Kegworth), and subsequent generations changed their surname to Ball (and back again), or used the double-barrelled Cumberland-Ball.

All ideas welcome!

[This may be one of those needle/haystack tasks - there are about 10 deaths of Joseph Ball in Leics between 1840 and 1860 ...]

[willsy]

Wondered if this collection of marriages 1801-1837 might help as a starter

Leicester, St. Margaret   23-Apr   1811   Banns   
Joseph   Ball   Of This Parish      Wid      
Esther   Jones    OTP      Wid

Whitwick   14-Nov   1814   B   
Joseph   Ball   OTP            
Ann   Bottimore   OTP      

Ashby-de-la-Zouch   15-Apr   1817   B   
Joseph   Ball   OTP            
Sarah   Davies   OTP      

Castle Donington   25-Dec   1823   B   
Joseph   Ball   OTP            
Dorothy   Webb   OTP      

Quorn   08-May   1827   B   
Joseph   Ball   OTP      Bach      
Mary   Robinson   OTP      Spin

Mountsorrel   28-Feb   1832   B   Joseph   Ball    Abode Quorn            
Sarah   Johnson   OTP      

Whitwick   23-Sep   1824   B   
Joseph   Ball   OTP      Bach      
Sophia   Smith   Shepshed      Wid

[willsy]

These 2 burials will give you the ages for Joseph in Quorndon

Parish QUORNDON   JOSEPH   BALL   
Abode QUORNDON   12-Aug   1840   age 63

QUORNDON   JOSEPH   BALL   
QUORNDON   4-Nov   1851   age 47

[Cumbey]

Many thanks for that. I had most of that info, but you have plugged one or two gaps ...

[diddymiller]

HI, I do have access to Quorn Prs as I am local. Please ask for specific requests.

Diddy

[Cumbey]

Hi - thanks for your offer. I think I may be on a wild goose chase here; as I said, there was obviously quite a close connection between my family (Cumberlands) and the Balls. Having failed to discover from my end why my great and 2x great grandparents changed their name to Ball and back again, I thought I'd try from the Ball end - but as you'll be aware, Ball is extremely common.

The rumour in our family is that Ball is a chancery name; which, as far as I can make out, means that we were entitled/expected to use the name Ball in return for something - the something being looking after an illegitimate child, a promised bequest etc. But no luck yet with the Court of Chancery.

I have the parish records as provided by the museum site - I wish all parishes provided such things!

Anyway - if you have any ideas or info, I'd be grateful.

Sid