Francis Elrington Ball, known as F. Elrington Ball (1863–1928), was an Irish author and legal historian, best known for his work The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921 (1926). He was born on July 18, 1863, at Portmarnock, Co. Dublin, to John Thomas Ball, later lord chancellor of Ireland, and Catherine Ball (née Elrington). Due to poor health, he received private education. Ball was unsuccessful in seeking election as a Unionist to Parliament at the 1900 general election in South Dublin. He is best known for his scholarship, particularly for his work on Swift, the local history of Dublin, and on the history of the judiciary in Ireland from 1221 to 1921.