n s. vii. may si, i9i3] NOTES AND QUERIES. 431 15 July, 1713. And assuming that Samuel Farley (the founder) was correct in his numbering, the Times and Mirror adopts 15 Feb. (or thereabouts), 1713, as the date of foundation. But the facsimile of the title-page of the Postman which the Times and Mirror published on 15 Feb. last read thus:— Sam. Farley's Bristol Post-Man: Or, Weekly Intelligence From Holland, France, Spain, &c. With General Occurrences, Foreign and Domestick. Saturday. December the 31st, 1715. [No. 25.] Now if No. 25 really represents twenty- five consecutive weekly issues from the start of the paper, then, of course, it began in the middle of 1715, and not in Feb., 1713 ; but, as already stated, there is extant No. 24, dated 15 July, 1713. Charles Wells. 134, Cromwell Road, Bristol. With reference to Mr. Nobkis's query as to the date when the Stamford Mercury was first published, this is stated by ' The Newspaper Press Directory ' in its first issue of 1846 to be the year 1695. This date is also confirmed in vol. i. p. 269 of ' The His- tory of British Journalism.' The Licensing Act, controlling the publi- cation of newspapers, which had been en- forced for several short terms of years, was not renewed when it came before the House of Commons in 1695, and as a result several newspapers quickly sprang up. The Lin- coln, Rutland, and Stamford Mercury ap- peared during the year as soon as the law allowed, and is believed to be the first English coimtry newspaper printed. Your correspondent inassuming the earliest date of issue to be 1713, on the ground that volumes were issued half-yearly, may have overlooked the fact that it is quite possible that in those days the earlier numbers were not issued in volumes at all. ' The Newspaper Press Directory ' of 1846 states that the Stamford Mercury has been uninterruptedly published for 151 years. C. Mitchell & Co., Ltd. Snow Hill, E.C. Mr. Richard Ball, B.D. (11 S. vii. 330), —Richard Ball was a native of Northamp- tonshire. The Ball family are found in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries at Kettering, Oundle, Wellingborough, Thrap- ston. Earls Barton, and Northampton. There is a greater probability that Richard Ball was born at either Oundle or Earls Barton than at the other places I name. He was a demy of Magdalen 1588-90 B.A. 20 Jan.. 1590/91; Fellow 1590-1608 M.A. 4 July, 1594; B.D. 20 July, 1602 licensed to preach 5 March, 1602/3. Of the rest of his life I add a few particulars. 1596. Upon the founding of Gresham College Ball was appointed first Professor of Rhetoric, which post he resigned 1613 (J. Ward's ' Lives of the Gresham Pro- fessors '):— "January 14th, 1613. " I Richard Ball of the universitie of Oxon, master of arts, reader of the rhetorique lecture in Gresham howse London, do fullie and absolutelie residue all ray right, title, clayme, and interest, which I have in or to the place and office of rheto- rique lecturer in the same howse; absolutelie resigninge and givinge over the same place into the hands of the right worshipfull the oommittees, electors of the same place and office. In witness whereof 1 have to these presents set my hand, the day and year above written. " Richard Ball." 1603. He succeeded the Rev. Lewis Hughes as parson at St. Helen's, Bishopsgate:— " Item for our bot [boat] hire to Fulham from thence to Braynford and back again for the procuring Mr. Ball to be our minister, 12»." Richard Ball held the living until 1613, when he was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Downing. 1608. Cicely Cyoll (of the parish of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate) in her will wishes her body "to be buried in my late father's vault in St. Michael's Bassishaw, and at my buriall I wish a sermon to be preached by my loving friend Mr. Ball, preacher at St. Hellen's, unto whom I leave as a legacy £6 13a. id." Cicely Cyoll died 10 Jan., 1609. 1616/17, 6 Jan. Baptisms: " Rebecca daughter of Richard Ball, parson of St. Helen's, and Elizabeth." It is puzzling to read the above, because Thomas Downing succeeded Ball in the living in 1613. As late as 1631 there is an entry in the Churchwardens' Accounts of St. Helen's as follows :— "Paid for y* remainder of yeares of our Parsonage (being 4J yeares) unto Mr. Ball £160. The charges of a journey thither is £4 10*. 9<i., the drawing of wrighting £1 3». Od., and the charges paid for the whole yeare £30 2s. Od. is the somme of £195 15s. 9d." What was the journey which cost as much as 41. 10s. 9d. ? Did Ball keep on both the livings of St. Helen's and Chalton, where he died in 1632 ? The monument in the church at Chalton shows a figure kneeling at a desk in the gown of a Bachelor of Divinity of Oxford beneath a cornice carried by Corinthian columns.
