George Ballard (c. 1706 – June 1755) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

antiquary and biographer, the author of ''

Memoirs of Several Ladies of Great Britain A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

'' (1752).

Life

Ballard was born at

Chipping Campden Chipping Campden is a market town in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its terraced High Street, dating from the 14th century to the 17th century. ("Chipping" is from Old English ''cēping'', 'market', 'market- ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. Self-educated, Ballard taught himself Saxon while working in a habit-maker's shop, and attracted the attention of the Saxon scholar

Elizabeth Elstob Elizabeth Elstob (29 September 1683 – 3 June 1756), the "Saxon Nymph", was a pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon. She was the first person to publish a grammar of Old English written in modern English. Life Elstob was born and brought up in th ...

. Lord Chedworth and other local gentlemen provided him with an annuity of £60 a year, enabling Ballard to move to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

to use the Bodleian Library. Dr. Jenner appointed him a clerk of Magdalen College, Oxford, and he subsequently became a university beadle. Ballard died young, and his only printed publication was ''Memoirs of several ladies of Great Britain, who have been celebrated for their writings, or skill in the learned languages, arts and sciences'' (Oxford: W. Jackson, 1752). This quarto volume was published by subscription, and dedicated to Sarah Talbot of

Kineton Kineton is a village and civil parish on the River Dene in south-east Warwickshire, England. The village is part of Stratford-on-Avon district, and in the 2001 census it had a population of 2,278, increasing to 2,337 at the 2011 Census. Kin ...

, the wife of the clergyman William Talbot of Kineton who had helped him receive patronage as a young man, and Mary Delany. The first woman treated by Ballard's ''Memoirs'' is Julian of Norwich; the last is

Constantia Grierson Constantia Grierson (née Crawley; c. 1705 – 2 December 1732), was an editor, poet, and classical scholar from County Kilkenny, Ireland. She is notable for her achievements as a classicist, which were all the more remarkable given her labou ...

(1704/5–1732). Ballard left a large manuscript collection, and his substantial correspondence, to the Bodleian.

Subjects of ''Memoirs of Several Ladies of Great Britain''

In the ''Memoirs'', Ballard arranged his sixty-five essays chronologically. This list is alphabetical, and names have been modernized to reflect current practices. * Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536), queen consort * Margaret Ascham (née Harleston; then Howe; c. 1528 – c. 1592), writer and editor *

Anne Askew Anne Askew (sometimes spelled Ayscough or Ascue) married name Anne Kyme, (152116 July 1546) was an English writer, poet, and Anabaptist preacher who was condemned as a heretic during the reign of Henry VIII of England. She and Margaret Cheyne ...

(later Kyme; 1521–1546), poet and preacher *

Mary Astell Mary Astell (12 November 1666 – 11 May 1731) was an English protofeminist writer, philosopher, and rhetorician. Her advocacy of equal educational opportunities for women has earned her the title "the first English feminist."Batchelor, Jenni ...

(1666–1731), writer and philosopher * Ann Bacon (née Cooke; 1528–1610), writer and scholar * Mary Basset (née Roper; also Clarke; c. 1523 – 1572), translator and classicist * Ann Baynard (1672–1697), natural philosopher *

Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant of ...

(1443–1509), politician and patron *

Juliana Berners Juliana Berners, O.S.B., (or Barnes or Bernes) (born 1388), was an English writer on heraldry, hawking and hunting, and is said to have been prioress of the Priory of St Mary of Sopwell, near St Albans in Hertfordshire. Life and Work Very lit ...

(b. 1388), writer and nun * Elizabeth Bland (fl. 1681 – 1712), Hebraist *

Catherina Boevey Catherina Boevey (1669–1726) (or Bovey, ''nee'' Riches) (pronounced "Boovey"), was a philanthropist. Origins Catherina was born in London in 1669, the daughter of John Riches (1628–1718) by his second wife Anne Davall, whom he had married ...

(née Riches; 1669–1726), philanthropist *

Elizabeth Burnet Elizabeth Burnet (''née'' Blake; 8 November 1661 – 3 December 1709) was an English philanthropist. Her prayer book, ''A Method of Devotion'', went into several editions. Life Elizabeth Blake was born near Southampton in 1661 and brought up ...

(née Blake; 1661–1709), philanthropist and religious writer * Elizabeth Bury (née Lawrence; 1644–1720), diarist * Elizabeth Cavendish (1626–1663), writer *

Margaret Cavendish Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1623 – 15 December 1673) was an English philosopher, poet, scientist, fiction writer and playwright. Her husband, William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was Royalist co ...

(née Lucas; c. 1624-1674), writer and philosopher * Katherine Chidley ( fl. 1616–1653), Puritan activist and Leveller *

Mary Chudleigh Mary, Lady Chudleigh (; August 1656–1710) was an English poet who belonged to an intellectual circle that included Mary Astell, Elizabeth Thomas, Judith Drake, Elizabeth Elstob, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and John Norris. In her later ye ...

(née Lee; 1656–1710), poet and intellectual *

Margaret Clement Margaret Clement or Clements (1508–1570), née Giggs, was one of the most educated women of the Tudor era and the foster daughter of Sir Thomas More. Biography Clement's maiden name was Giggs. She was born in 1508 and was the daughter of a ...

(née Giggs; 1508–1570), scholar *

Anne Clifford Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...

(1590–1676), autobiographer and patron * Elizabeth Clinton (née Knyvet(t); c. 1570–1638), noblewoman and writer *

Mildred Cooke Mildred Cecil, Baroness Burghley (née Cooke; 1526 – 4 April 1589) was an English noblewoman and translator in the sixteenth century. She was the wife of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, the most trusted adviser of Elizabeth I, and the mother ...

(1526–1689), scholar and translator * Elizabeth Dauncey (née More; 1506–1564), daughter of

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

* Eleanor Davies (1590–1652), prophet * Elizabeth Fane (d. 1568), writer and literary patron * Anne Finch (1661–1720), poet *

Mary FitzAlan Mary FitzAlan, Duchess of Norfolk (1540 – 23/25 August 1557) was an English translator. She was the youngest daughter and child of Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel and his first wife Lady Katherine Grey, therefore Mary was a first cou ...

(1540–1557), translator * Grace Gethin (née Norton; 1676–1697), essayist *

Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553. Jane was ...

(1537–1554), scholar *

(née Crawley; c. 1705-1732), classicist, editor, and poet *

Anne Halkett Anne Halkett (née Murray) (c. 1623 – 1699), also known as Lady Halkett, was a religious writer and autobiographer. Early life Halkett's father Thomas Murray was tutor to King James I's children. He later became Provost of Eton College. H ...

(née Murray; c. 1623 – 1699), religious writer and autobiographer * Cecily Heron (née More; born 1507–?), Latinist and daughter of

* Susanna Hopton (née Harvey; 1627–1709), religious writer * Jane Howard (1537–1593), noblewoman *

Esther Inglis Esther Inglis ( or ) (1571–1624) was a skilled member of the artisan class, as well as a miniaturist, who possessed several skills in areas such as calligraphy, writing, and embroidering. She was born in 1571 in either LondonFrye, Susan. 201 ...

(née Langlois; 1570/71-1624), calligrapher and miniaturist *

Margery Kempe ' Margery Kempe ( – after 1438) was an English Christian mystic, known for writing through dictation ''The Book of Margery Kempe'', a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Her book chronicles Kempe's d ...

(c. 1373 - c. 1440), pilgrim and writer *

Anne Killigrew Anne Killigrew (1660–1685) was an English poet and painter, described by contemporaries as "A Grace for beauty, and a Muse for wit." Born in London, she and her family were active in literary and court circles. Killigrew's poems were ci ...

(1660–1685), poet and painter *

Catherine Killigrew Major-General Granville Elliott, 1st Count Elliott (7 October 1713 – 10 October 1759), was a British military officer who served with distinction in several other European armies and subsequently in the British Army. He fought at the Battl ...

(c. 1530-1583), gentlewoman and scholar * Elizabeth Legge (1580–1685), linguist & poetElizabeth Legge
" Collective Biographies of Women. Accessed 24 June 2022. * Elizabeth Lucar (née Withypoll; 1510–1537), calligrapher *

Jane Lumley Jane Lumley, Baroness Lumley ( Lady Jane Fitzalan; 1537 – 27 July 1578), sometimes called Joanna, was an English noblewoman. She was the first person to translate Euripides into English. Life and family Jane is the eldest child of three sibli ...

(née Fitzalan; 1537–1578), classicist *

Damaris Cudworth Masham ] Damaris, Lady Masham (18 January 1659 – 20 April 1708) was an English writer, philosopher, theologian, and advocate for women's education who is characterized as a proto-feminist. She overcame some weakness of eyesight and lack of access to ...

(1658–1708), philosopher theologian * Mary Monck (née Molesworth; 1677? – 1715), poet * Dudleya North (1675–1712), orientalist, linguist, and classical scholar * Frances Norton (née Freke; 1640–1731), writer * Julian of Norwich (1343–1443), anchorite and writer * Dorothy Pakington (née Coventry; 1623–1679), religious writer * Catherine Parr (1512–1548), queen consort *

Blanche Parry Blanche Parry (1507/8–12 February 1590) of Newcourt in the parish of Bacton, Herefordshire, in the Welsh Marches, was a personal attendant of Queen Elizabeth I, who held the offices of Chief Gentlewoman of the Queen's Most Honourable Privy C ...

(1508-1589), antiquary *

Katherine Philips Katherine or Catherine Philips (1 January 1631/2 – 22 June 1664), also known as "The Matchless Orinda", was an Anglo-Welsh royalist poet, translator, and woman of letters. She achieved renown as a translator of Pierre Corneille's '' Pompée'' ...

(née Fowler; (1631/2 – 1664), poet *

Margaret Roper Margaret Roper (1505–1544) was an English writer and translator. Roper, the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More, is considered to have been one of the most learned women in sixteenth-century England. She is celebrated for her filial piety and sch ...

(née More; 1505–1544), scholar, translator, and daughter of

* Margaret Rowlett (née Cooke; d. 1558), sister of Ann Bacon,

, Elizabeth Russell * Elizabeth Russell (née Cooke; 1528–1609), gentlewoman and poet * Anne Seymour (later Dudley; 1538–1588), poet *

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

(1541–1561), poet * Margaret Seymour (b. 1540), poet *

Mary Sidney Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (born Sidney, 27 October 1561 – 25 September 1621) was among the first Englishwomen to gain notice for her poetry and her literary patronage. By the age of 39, she was listed with her brother Philip Sidney ...

(later Herbert; 1561–1621), poet *

Arbella Stuart Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marri ...

(later Seymour; 1575–1615), noblewoman * Mary Stuart (1542–1587), Queen of Scotland * Catherine Tishem (died 1595), classical scholar *

Elizabeth Tudor Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eliz ...

(1533–1603), Queen of England and Ireland * Mary Tudor (1516–1558), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth Walker (née Sadler; 1623–1690), diarist and pharmacist *

Elizabeth Jane Weston Elizabeth Jane Weston ( la, Elisabetha Ioanna Westonia; cs, Alžběta Johana Vestonie) (1581 or 1582, in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire – 23 November 1612, in Prague) was an English-Czech poet, known for her Neo-Latin poetry. She had the unusual ...

(bap. 1581?, d. 1612), scholar & linguist *

Anne Wharton Anne Wharton (née Lee, 20 July 1659 - 29 October 1685) was an English poet and verse dramatist. Little of her work was published in her lifetime, but some 45 pieces have been ascribed to her. Life Anne Lee was born 20 July 1659 at Ditchley P ...

(née Lee; 1659–1685), poet and dramatist

Notes

References

* Allibone, S. A. ''A critical dictionary of English literature''. 1859-71. * Ballard, George. 'Memoirs of several ladies of Great Britain''. Edited with an introduction by Ruth Perry. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1985. * Chalmers, A. ''The general biographical dictionary''. 1812-1817. *

External links

*Full digitized text available at HathiTrust:
Memoirs of several ladies of Great Britain, who have been celebrated for their writings, or skill in the learned languages, arts and sciences
' (Oxford: W. Jackson, 1752). *Full digitized text available at the Internet Archive:
Memoirs of several ladies of Great Britain, who have been celebrated for their writings, or skill in the learned languages, arts and sciences
' (Oxford: W. Jackson, 1752). {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballard, George 1706 births 1755 deaths People from Chipping Campden English biographers 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers 18th-century English people Prosopography Historiography Biographical dictionaries of women