Emily Ballard was the daughter of James and Elizabeth Hardiman, and was born in Badsey in 1894. Her father had come originally from Winchcombe and had settled in Badsey to become a Market Gardener. Her uncle John Hardiman was the village blacksmith and lived in “Hollywood Villa” (the remains of the old forge are still visible), and her other uncle, William Hardiman, was a baker and worked with Mr Cull. Emily Hardiman spent some of her early years in the centre cottage of the group of three which face up the High Street from Mill Lane. In 1916 she married William Ballard, himself a market gardener and the son of a Badsey grower. These facts indicate how closely she was involved in the traditional Badsey life. She remained through her life a steadfast member of her church, being a founder member of the local branch of the Mothers’ Union and a regular communicant. In later years she was confined by infirmity to her home in Badsey Fields Lane, and it distressed her to feel that she was losing touch with the village she had known so well. We remember her with gratitude and commend her soul into the hands of God. May she rest in peace.
Published in the June 1976 parish magazine.