'guardian of the realm of Scotland and leader of its army in the name of Lord John (Baliol), by the consent of the community.' But in the future of Scotland, whether prosperous or adverse, John Baliol had no longer any share. The war of independence, the careers of Wallace and Bruce, grandson of the competitor who better understood the temper of the Scottish people and became their king, lie outside of the biography of Baliol. He died early in 1315 at Castle Galliard, in Normandy, according to tradition, blind, and probably about sixty-five years of age, of which four only had been spent on the throne and fifteen in exile. By his wife Isabel, daughter of John de Warenne, earl of Surrey, he left, besides other children, a son Edward, who succeeded to his French estates, and made an attempt to recover the Scottish crown [see Baliol, Edward de]. The Scots gave to Baliol the byname of the 'Toom Tabard' ('Empty Jacket'), or 'Tyne Tabard' ('Lose Coat'), as the English gave John that of Lackland. His christian name of John was not allowed to be borne by John, earl of Carrick, who, when he succeeded, took the title of Robert III. A tradition of late origin and doubtful foundation grew up that his family name, owing to his impotent character and abandonment of his country, became so discredited that those who inherited it took the name of Baillie, a common one, while that of Baliol is an unknown name in modern Scotland. The retreat of the head of the family from Barnard Castle to Normandy, and the extinction of its principal cadet, the Baliols of Cavers, in 1368, sufficiently account for the disappearance of the name.
[The documents relative to the trial of the succession to the crown of Scotland are printed by Sir F. Palgrave in Documents and Records illustrating the History of Scotland, preserved in the treasury of her Majesty's Exchequer, 1837, but his commentary on them is to be accepted with reserve, as that of a partisan of Edward. For the other facts in the life of Baliol, reference must be made to the ordinary histories, of which the chief English chronicles are those of Rishanger, Hemingford, and John of Walsingham. The Scottish authorities, Barbour's Bruce, Wyntoun's and Fordun's Chronicles are of somewhat later date. Some important documents are contained in Documents illustrative of the History of Scotland, 1286-1306, edited by Rev. J. Stevenson, Rymer's Fœdera, ii., and Ryley's Placita. The best modern authorities are Lord Hailes's Annals and the Histories of Tytler and Burton. The anonymous Life of Edward I, the greatest of the Plantagenets, represents the English view of the origin of the war of independence in an extreme form, which should be corrected by reference to the more impartial English histories of Hallam, Pearson, and Green, and Pauli, Geschichte von England, vol. iv.]
BALL, Sir ALEXANDER JOHN (1767–1809), rear-admiral, of an old Gloucestershire family, and not improbably a lineal or collateral descendant of Andrew Ball, the friend and companion of Blake, after serving for some time in the Egmont with Captain John Elphinstone, was on 7 Aug. 1778 promoted to the Atalanta sloop as lieutenant, and served in her on the North American and Newfoundland stations till May 1780. On 17 Aug. 1780 he joined the Santa Monica, a frigate lately captured from the Spaniards and went in her to the West Indies, where in April 1781 he had the good fortune to be moved into the Sandwich, Sir George Rodney's flag-ship, and followed the admiral to the Gibraltar, for a passage to England. There he was appointed to Sir George's new flag-ship, Formidable, on 6 Dec. 1781, went out with him again to the West Indies, and served with him in his great victory of 12 April 1782. Two days afterwards he received his commander's commission and was appointed to the Germain, in which he continued on the same station until posted on 20 March 1783. Very shortly after his return to England he, like many other naval officers, went over to France on a year's leave, partly for economy whilst on half-pay, partly with a view to learning the language. Nelson, then a young captain, was one of those who did the same, and was at St. Omer whilst Ball was there. He wrote to Captain Locker on 2 Nov. 1783: 'Two noble captains are here — Ball and Shepard : they wear fine epaulettes, for which I think them great coxcombs. They have not visited me, and I shall not, be assured, court their acquaintance.' Epaulettes were not worn in our navy till 1795, but in France they marked the rank, and possibly enough were found to serve in lieu of letters of introduction. On 4 Nov. 1784 Ball, writing from Gloucester, reported himself as having returned from foreign leave. He continued, however, on half-pay, notwithstanding his repeated applications to the admiralt, till July 1790, when, on the occasion of the Spanish armament, he was appointed to the Nemesis, 28 guns, a frigate which he commanded on the home station for the next three years. He was then appointed to the Cleopatra, 32 guns, and continued for the three following years on the Newfoundland station under Vice-admiral Sir Richard King and Rear-admiral Murray. He was then transferred to the Argonaut, 64 guns, and returned to England in August
