You are currently viewing a report of Moore, Simpson, Ballard Family Tree - England and Scotland to Australia containing 562 individuals and 220 families.
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Welcome to the history of the families Moore, Simpson, Gwynne and Ballard.
This is an ongoing work in progress compiled by Dr. Ralph Gwynne Ballard. More data is being added frequently.
You will see from the family tree that the history of the families is very clearly documented and verified back to the early 1800's.
Prior to that there is a proven link to the Gwyn / Gwynne family - landed gentry who lived at Forde Abbey in Dorset, England. You will see that this was a well-to-do family who married into Irish nobility (the FitzGerald family - Knights of Glin). The Gwyn family also connects into the Fraunceis family - an old established family of landowners of Norman origin, who came to England soon after William The Conqueror's invasion.
And perhaps there is a link into one of the great English noble familes - the Percy family, hereditary Dukes of Northumberland.
The most contentious point is the figure of "Richard Percy of Deer Park, Devon" in England. He is a crucial link as family lore claims that he is a son of Hugh Percy, second Duke of Northumberland.
However despite extensive searching it has been difficult to trace him.
What is verified is that "Richard Pursey" was the father of Louisa Matilda Percy who married Thomas Webber Moore - a copy of the marriage certificate is in Ralph Ballard's possession. In addition "Richard Pearsey" is listed in the 1841 census as residing at a farm close to the Moore farm in Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, England. The marriage entry for "Richard Purssey" and Harriott Griffiths has now come to light, and should lead to further information.
Note that prior to the 1900's there was little consistency in spelling surnames - the sound of the name was the key. Hence the same surname could be spelled variously as Percy, Pursey, Pearcey, etc.
Famly tradition claims that Richard was a son of Hugh 2nd Duke of Northumberland but who died young - either due to being gored to death by a bull or subsequent to wounds obtained in a duel.
Despite extensive research there has been no evidence so far to prove the link Richard Percy may have with the Percy family. In fact the librarian at Alnwick Castle, seat of the Percy's, suggested that Richard may be an undocumented illegitimate son of the second Duke. Hugh Percy was well known for his enjoyment of the ladies and fathered many illegitimate children - including the scientist James Smithson who founded the Smithsonian Institute in the USA.
So, appealing as the story of Richard Percy is, at present we can only class this as a wonderfully romantic tradition - yet to be substantiated.
If Richard is indeed a son of Hugh Percy (whether legitimate or "natural" - ie. illegitimate), then the Moore family links into the history of the Percy family which can be traced back to the 6th century. I particularly enjoy the fact the the patron saint of brewing beer "Saint Arnold Of Metz" could be a direct ancestor. You will also see other significant historical figures in the Percy ancestral line - such as the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and King Heinrich the Fowler who has a role in the opera "Lohengrin" by Richard Wagner. The Percy linkage also connects the Moore family to Thomas Percy, one of the plotters with Guy Fawkes who tried to blow up Parliament and King James The First. We even have a linkage to various English monarchs through the Percy's - distant relatives by marriage include William The Conqueror, Richard The Lionheart, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard - wives of King Henry The Eighth, and Queen Elizabeth The First. Quite a list for the history buff.
If anyone can shed extra light on Richard Percy, especially to prove his connection with the Percy family, this would be greatly appreciated.
Anyhow the rest of the family ancestry is well documented:
- The Moore family had its origins in Wales and then moved to Devon as land owners and farmers. In the 1850's various members emigrated to America and then to Australia in search of fame and fortune in the gold rush - and perhaps to avoid family disgrace in England after Richard Percy may have fought a duel and killed a man. The Moore family did well with gold and settled on a sizable property at Nowhere Creek, Elmhurst in Victoria. They have continued there as successful graziers. Later generations have also moved into the professions - law, medicine, art, and dentistry for example.
- The Simpson family originally sprang from lowland Scotland as a sept of the Fraser clan. For a number of generations they lived in middle England as labourers, miners, etc. then emigrated to Victoria in the mid-1860's to join in the gold rush. They went on to set up a thriving mixed business in Ballarat. Family members subsequently spread out around Australia, generally following successful careers in business.
The Simpsons were originally an old Anglo-Saxon family living in south-west England but many of them had to move north under pressure from the Normans following their invasion in 1066. Subsequently members of this large family spread to the midlands & northern counties of England and up into the borderland of Scotland (especially around Fifeshire and Peebles). Here in lowland Scotland they became associated with the Fraser clan.
- The MacKinnon family were highland Scots farmers who emigrated from the Isle of Mull in the mid-1850's, and who married into the Simpson family in Australia. The MacKinnons left Scotland as a result of famine, and had assisted passage to Australia.
- The Ballard family came from working class stock in Birmingham, England. The surname is both French and English - going back to the 1100's. The name may originally have meant "bald head". My branch of the Ballard family were quite well known for running a big pub, the Barrel Inn, in Birmingham in the 1800's. The Ballard's migrated to Melbourne, Australia after World War I.
I have recently had my DNA tested with Family Tree DNA and the results are:
Y-DNA - haplogroup I1 M253+. This shows inheritance through the male line of the Ballard's in Birmingham, England.
Genetically it originates in Iberia around the last Ice Age some 20,000 years ago. This group then spread to Scandinavia - probably as Angles from the Jutland area. These Anglo-Saxons later came to England, especially in the north. An alternative view is that one branch of this Iberian genetic group spread to Scandinavia, while another group travelled from Iberia through France and settled in the midlands and north of England. There is also debate as to whether the I1 group in England represents intrusion by Anglo-Saxons or Vikings, or perhaps both.
See the website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I1a
mtDNA - haplogroup H. This shows inheritance through the female line back to MacDonald's on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.
Genetically this group began in West Asia around 30,000BC then spread widely throughout Europe after the last Ice Age around 15,000 years ago.
See the website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mtdna_haplogroup_h
Recently a book has come to my attention "A History Of Ford Abbey, Dorsetshire" published 1846. It is available online at www.archive.org and has provided much useful information about the Prideaux, Gwyn and Fraunceis families. The website has been updated accordingly.
More family connections will be added over time. Please contribute to expanding this family web.
Feel free to add or correct information, and send photos, by contacting Ralph Ballard at:
- Email: rballard@iprimus.com.au
- Post: P.O. Box 2, Warburton. Vic. 3799. Australia
Your contributions are valued.
All relevant documentation is held by Ralph Ballard, and he maintains this webpage.
You can navigate around the webpage using the icons at the top of the page. This will take you to such things as a pictorial family tree or "genogram", all individuals listed in the tree, and all the photos and pictures on the webpage. In addition there is an alphabetical navigation bar on the left to help you access all individuals and families listed.
Researching family history is a fascinating, complex and dangerously addictive pursuit. Savour it if you dare.
Wishing you good reading, Dr. Ralph Ballard
Updated - 21 September 2009
Excellent resources include:
- The superb website of Mr. Charles Percy in Auckland, New Zealand: http://www.geocities.com/percyfamilyhistory/
- The website of the Duke of Northumberland: http://www.alnwickcastle.com/
- The website of Forde Abbey: http://www.fordeabbey.co.uk/
- The online listing of births, deaths and marriages in the UK: www.originsnetwork.com/
- The online listing of births, deaths and marriages in Victoria, Australia: http://online.justice.vic.gov.au/
- The online encyclopedia: http://www.wikipedia.org/
- The website recording Dawn and Beverly Robertson's trip to England in 2003: http://www.shutterfly.com/action/sharedproject/0CaOWjly0bMXxA/project/view
- The online genealogical records from the Isle Of Mull, Scotland: http://www.mullgenealogy.co.uk/
- The website detailing the origins of the Simpson family: http://simpsonhistory.com/originsimpson.html
- Paul Ballard maintains an excellent website on genealogy of all Ballard's in the United Kingdom: http://www.paul-ballard.com/
- David Ballard hosts an extensive Ballard website at www.dtballard.com
- The website of Glin Castle and the Knights of Glin: http://www.glincastle.com/
- "The Knights Of Glin" published 2009 by Glin Historical Society. To order contact the editor Tom Donovan at Corcamore, Clarina, County Limerick, Ireland; or email him at trdonovan.eircom.net
- "A History Of Ford Abbey, Dorsetshire" published 1846. Available for free download at http://www.archive.org/details/historyoffordabb00londuoft
- The trilogy of novels by Carol Wensby-Scott about the Percy family in the medieval period: "Lion Of Alnwick", Lion Dormant" and "Lion Invincible"
- A historical review of the Percy family by Alexander Rose: "Kings In The North - The House Of Percy In British History" ISBN 1 84212 485 4
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This genealogy report was generated by GenoPro® version 2.00 on Monday, 21 September 2009 using skin template English Narrative Report version 2006.12.15.
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