Bartholomew Ball (died 1573) was

Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

in 1553–54. He was the son of Thomas Ball and Margaret Birmingham. The Ball family owned lands in Dublin at

Ballygall Ballygall () is a small suburban area located between Glasnevin and Finglas, on the northside of the city of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is also a townland divided between the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Finglas (ci ...

near

Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home to ...

and operated the bridge over the

River Dodder The River Dodder () is one of the three main rivers in Dublin, Ireland, the others being the River Liffey, Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the River Tolka, Tolka. Course and system The Dodder rises on the northern s ...

after which

Ballsbridge Ballsbridge () (from historic Ball's Bridge) is an affluent neighbourhood of the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The area is largely situated north and west of a three-arch stone bridge across the River Dodder, on the south side of the ...

, Dublin, is named. A merchant, Bartholomew Ball served as high

sheriff of Dublin City The Sheriff of Dublin City is a judicial and administrative role in Ireland. Initially, the Sovereign's judicial representative in Dublin, the role was later held by two individuals and concerned with a mix of judicial, political and administrat ...

for 1541–42 before becoming mayor for 1553–54. He married Margaret Bermingham in 1530 (now the Blessed

Margaret Ball Margaret Ball (1515–1584) was a prominent member of 16th-century Irish society, who, despite being the widow of a Lord Mayor of Dublin, was arrested for her adherence to the Catholic faith and died of deprivation in the dungeons of Dublin Ca ...

Blessed Margaret Ball and Blessed Francis Taylor
/ref>) and lived in

, County Dublin. They had ten children, of whom only five survived. Their sons Walter Ball and Nicholas Ball both served as

. On becoming mayor, Walter arrested his aged mother for her

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

sympathies and incarcerated her in

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

until her death. Bartholomew Ball died in 1573, and is buried in

St. Audoen's Church St. Audoen's Church, Dublin may refer to: *St. Audoen's Church, Dublin (Church of Ireland) St Audoen's Church (, ) is the church of the parish of Saint Audoen in the Church of Ireland, located south of the River Liffey at Cornmarket in Dublin, ...

, Dublin.

References

Lord mayors of Dublin 1573 deaths Year of birth missing {{Ireland-mayor-stub