Of mythical origins, even soon after his death, Edward Hughes Ball was said to have inherited an enormous fortune of forty thousand pounds per annum from his uncle, Admiral Sir Alexander Ball. In honor of his uncle, he took on the surname Ball and thus was later nicknamed “The Golden Ball” for his name and large fortune.
However, some say Admiral Ball was in fact Edward’s stepfather, and there being no issue from the marriage between the Admiral and Edward’s mother, left Edward as heir apparent.
Edward was educated at Eton and then joined the army in the 7th Hussars, but soon enough abandoned following the drum for a life devoted to being a dandy. Said to have a handsome face and figure, as well as remarkable fashion sense and a mammoth income, the Golden Ball was often said to follow the dictates set by Brummel.
He was said to be a severe coxcomb, “screwing up” his mouth with a lisp or drawl, walking as if he was on stilts or had “swallowed the kitchen poker” and frequently finding himself rejected by a myriad of fashionable ladies (Melville).
He married, in 1823, a fifteen year old Spanish dancer named Maria Mercandotti. They would divorce by 1839 after separation.
The Golden Ball lived extravagantly, gambling great sums so that he was forced in 1829 to flee to France to avoid his creditors. His financial advisors secured his money so that he still had considerable wealth.
In France, he had several relationships, one with actress Eliza Breugnot Monborne that produced three children and many years later another with Anne Henriette de Dauvet that would produce two children. He died in France at age 64 in 1863.
Melville, L. (1908). The Beaux of the Regency; Volume 1. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC.
