Stowe Ms 634 has a pedigree for Thomas Ballard of Wadhurst, Sussex with blazons of arms for each member of his own and his mother's pedigree. The basic substance of the pedigree is identical to the copy taken at the Visitation of Sussex in 1619 and the manuscript is endorsed "Approved and registered in the time of the Visitation of Sussex Anno Dmi 1634 - Jo: Phillipott Somersett"

This manuscript is 5 feet long by 16 inches wide and I have a full size colour photograph of it on my wall at home. It is impractical to copy it to this web site but the following information and reproductions of the arms have been taken from it.

From the blazons and Burke's General Armoury the following assumptive family connections can be made:

Hussey	Sleford, Lincoln & Scotney Castle, Kent	Or a cross vert
Digby	Drystoke, Rutland	Az. a fleur-de-lis ar.
Walsingham	Kent, Surrey and Exall co. Warwick	Paly of six ar. & sa. a fess gu.
Weston	Lichfield, co. Stafford	Erm. on a chief az. five bezant or.
Leveson	Lilleshall, co Salop and Halling, co. Kent	Az. three holly leaves or. (Could be laurel, there appears to be some confusion over which the Levesons used)
Scott		Ar. three Catherine wheels sa. A border engr. gu.
Draper	Melton Mowbray & Nottingham	Ar. on a fess between three annulets gu. a mullet of the field betw. two covered cups or.
White	Northiam & Winchelsea	Paly of six or. and az. on a chief of the second a griffin pass. of the first.
Spencer	Co. Bedford and London	Quarterly, or. and gu. In the second and third quarters a fret or, on a bend sa. three fleur-de-lis ar.
Spencer	Co. Leicester, Badby and Everton co. Northampton	Sa. on a fess or, betw. three bezants, as many lions' heads erased of the first

Stowe Manuscript 634

Letter from British Library re provenance of Stowe Ms 634.

"I have been asked to reply to your enquiry concerning Stowe MS 634. This roll is described in our catalogue as 'Genealogica Descriptio Stemmatis Ballardorum' of the Ballard family, originally of Horton, Kent. It was drawn up by John Philipott, Rouge-dragon (the visiting herald), in 1619, and was augmented by him, and registered, at the Visitation of Sussex in 1634.

It entered the collection of Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (died 1839). His collection was bought by the 4th Earl of Ashburnham in 1849, and was then purchased by parliament from the 5th Earl of Ashburnham in 1883.

The major part of this collection, including the Ballard genealogical roll, was incorporated into the library of the British Museum, now British Library, as the Stowe collection of manuscripts.

The Heralds Visitations have been published as part of the Harleian Society series, and you may be able to find some additional information there. However, although the published visitations are based on manuscript sources, the editors do not seem to have made use of Stowe 634. I hope that this information proves to be of assistance.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Justin Clegg

(Curator of Manuscripts)"

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Ballard Genealogy & Heraldry

Stowe Manuscript 634, an emblazoned pedigree

of Thomas Ballard of Wadhurst, Sussex dated 1634

Stowe Manuscript 634