Person Ball; William (c 1627 - 1690); astronomer Ball William astronomer Balle c 1627 - 1690 British Male England, Europe c 1627 1627 Mamhead, Devon, England, Europe 1690 1690 Burial: Temple Church, London, England, Europe (22 October 1690)

Mamhead House, Devon (-1690)

Astronomy Career: Registered at Middle Temple (1646) but no record of being called to the bar; made observations and drawings of Saturn (1656-1659, 1665-1666) Parents: Sir Peter Ball and Ann Cooke Siblings: sixteen, incl. Peter Ball (FRS 1663) Married: Mary Posthuma Hussey Children: five sons and one daughter Ball stemmed from a legal and mercantile family in Devon, whose estate however was reportedly split and fortune decreased at the beginning of William Ball's life. It also slightly unclear of he belonged to a group of displaced royalists who met in London, amongst whom were also Seth Ward (FRS 1661) and Christopher Wren (Founder Fellow), or whether he became interested in astronomy through lectures at Gresham College. The level of detail in Ball's first accounts as Treasurer fill in much of the administrative history of the Society and its earliest Fellows. Ball's astronomical observations on a belt around Saturn played an important part in Christopher Wren and Christiaan Huygens' work and theories on a elliptical 'corona' and a solid circular ring. Royal Society roles: Treasurer 1660-1663 Committee and panels: Audit Committee (1668) Founder Fellow 22/04/1663 Upon his retirement as Treasurer, Ball gifted the Society a iron chest with three locks and the keys, which is still in the possession of the Society today Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; ODNB References: Armitage, A. 1960. 'William Ball, FRS (1627-1690)', in Notes and Records, vol. 15, pp. 167-172 Gribbin, J. 2004. 'The Fellowship' (Penguin Books) Maddison, R E W. 1959. 'The Accompt of William Balle from 28 November 1660 to 11 September 1663', in Notes and Records, vol. 14, pp. 174-183 Turnbull, G H. 1953. 'Samuel Hartlib's Influence on the Early History of the Royal Society', in notes and Records, vol. 10, pp. 101-130 Notes: The election date is Ball's re-election date into the Society after the grant of the second charter in April 1663. All Fellows admitted in a two-month window after this charter, until 22 June 1663, are considered Original Fellows. He was present at the foundation meeting on 28 Nov 1660, which means he is considered one of the twelve Founder Fellows. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH483 c 1627 - Oct 1690 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 22/11/2021 as part of Name Authority Project update. NA4277 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 06/05/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes 56ec4b6c-3406-45ef-b358-2804b96f0ae3