Henry Lidgbird Ball
Encyclopedia
Henry Lidgbird Ball was a Royal Navy
officer, best known for discovering and exploring Lord Howe Island
.
In 1788, having previously commanded HMS Supply, Lieutenant Ball commanded the vessel entrusted with shipping the first group of settlers from Botany Bay
to Norfolk Island
.
Between 1788 and 1790, Ball explored the area around Port Jackson
and took part in the capture of the Aborigine, Arabanoo, on 31 December 1788, in addition to revisiting Lord Howe's Island and Norfolk Island.
After falling ill in January 1791, Ball returned to England
to convalesce. Leaving Australia
in November 1791, he landed at Plymouth
in April 1792 with the first kangaroo
to be shipped to England on board his ship.
Ball returned to duty in December 1792 and was made a captain in 1795, in which position he served with distinction between 1795 and 1812, when he went on to half pay in semi-retirement. On 4 June 1814 Ball was promoted to rear admiral of the Blue.
Ball married on 17 June 1802 in London to Charlotte Foster. She died a year later and, on 19 July 1810 at Kingston-upon-Thames, he married for a second time, to Anne Georgianna Henrietta Johnston. Ball had one daughter, Ann Maria.
Ball died on 22 October 1818 in Surrey, England.
Ball's Pyramid
, Mount Lidgbird, Ball's Bay and Ball's Head in Sydney Harbour are all named after him.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer, best known for discovering and exploring Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
.
In 1788, having previously commanded HMS Supply, Lieutenant Ball commanded the vessel entrusted with shipping the first group of settlers from Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
to Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
.
Between 1788 and 1790, Ball explored the area around Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
and took part in the capture of the Aborigine, Arabanoo, on 31 December 1788, in addition to revisiting Lord Howe's Island and Norfolk Island.
After falling ill in January 1791, Ball returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to convalesce. Leaving Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in November 1791, he landed at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in April 1792 with the first kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
to be shipped to England on board his ship.
Ball returned to duty in December 1792 and was made a captain in 1795, in which position he served with distinction between 1795 and 1812, when he went on to half pay in semi-retirement. On 4 June 1814 Ball was promoted to rear admiral of the Blue.
Ball married on 17 June 1802 in London to Charlotte Foster. She died a year later and, on 19 July 1810 at Kingston-upon-Thames, he married for a second time, to Anne Georgianna Henrietta Johnston. Ball had one daughter, Ann Maria.
Ball died on 22 October 1818 in Surrey, England.
Ball's Pyramid
Ball's Pyramid
Ball's Pyramid is an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera that formed about 7 million years ago. Ball's Pyramid is southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean. It is high, while measuring only in length and across, making it the tallest volcanic stack in the world...
, Mount Lidgbird, Ball's Bay and Ball's Head in Sydney Harbour are all named after him.
External links
- Silhouette picture of Ball, at the National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
- Vivienne Parsons, 'Ball, Henry Lidgbird (1756 - 1818)' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 1, Melbourne University Press (1966)