Mrs Mary Ballard

Who lived in the almshouses from 1906-1919

  • Born Mary Griffin—one of three children—in Chittlehampton, Devon in 1833. Her father—James—was a cooper. Her young brother—John—was a carpenter and lived in Devon all his life.

  • Mary and her elder sister—Jane—went into domestic service; by 1861 both were working in London—Mary was a Cook. Jane married George John Lock, a Coachman, on 28 Jul 1862 in Willesden; Mary was one of the witnesses. By 1871 Mary was Cook to Henry H. Slade at Northerwood House—John Ballard was his Butler.

  • John and Mary married on 3 Mar 1875—in Byfleet, Surrey.

  • In 1881 John and Mary Ballard lived at Hill House, Emery Down—John was a yeoman (or farmer) and Mary’s niece, Anne Lock, lived with them.

  • John, described as a ‘farmer of Pikes Hill’, died on 24 Mar 1889 aged 47; he was buried at Emery Down on 29 Mar 1889; his personal estate was £326 19s.

  • Mary Ballard returned to work as Cook to Benjamin N.H. Jones, retired Lieutenant 6th Dragoon Guards; in 1891 he and his household were at the Crown Hotel in East Everleigh, Wiltshire.

  • By 1901 Mary had retired and returned to Emery Down; her niece Annie, now Annie Fleming, was with her and her occupation was given as Cook.

  • In 1906, Mary was accepted into the Almshouses. Her old age pension in 1908 was 2/- (two shillings) per week.,

  • Mary Ballard died on 22 January 1919 aged 86.  She is buried in Emery Down churchyard.  Annie was buried there too when she died in 1925 aged 60; her address in the burial register is shown as Emery Down.

    Mrs Ballard found fame for her endeavours knitting socks and mittens for serving men during The Great War as recorded by The New Forest Magazine:

    ‘Mrs Ballard (Emery Down) has sent Miss Chawner one hundred pairs of beautifully knitted socks and forty-nine pairs of mittens since the beginning of the war. This is certainly a record for the district when it is remembered that the knitter is over 80 years of age. Mrs Ballard intends to continue her good work ‘for the duration of the war’. New Forest Magazine, March 1916. [Note: Miss Chawner lived at Forest Bank, Lyndhurst.]

    ‘The Lyndhurst and Emery Down band of knitters still carry on faithfully. This year, in addition to mufflers for the Navy, we have sent fifty pairs of socks to Col. Boteler, DSO, RA, for his Ammunition Column, fifty pairs to the Hampshire Depot, twenty five pairs to the ‘Westminster Gazette Comforts for Fighting Men’ and twenty five pairs to the ‘French Wounded Emergency Fund’. …… Mrs Ballard is still one of the most regular and energetic workers and must soon have another 100 pairs to her credit.’ New Forest Magazine, February 1918.

    ‘Mrs Ballard, Emery Down, has now knitted 200 pairs of socks for Soldiers and Sailors. Considering her advanced age this is really a great achievement and, if not altogether a record, must approach very nearly to one.’ New Forest Magazine, October 1918.  

    Research undertaken by Sara Hall for How We Used To Live, incorporating research by Carol Standeven, and recorded online at New Forest Knowledge; for the complete article click here.