William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley (27 March 1817 – 7 May 1885), known as The Lord Ward from 1835 to 1860, was a British landowner and benefactor.
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Ward was born on 27 March 1817 at Edwardstone Boxford, Suffolk, England, the son of William Ward, 10th Baron Ward, who had succeeded in the barony of Ward on the death of his second cousin, Foreign Secretary John Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley, in 1833 (the earldom becoming extinct). His mother was Amelia, daughter of William Cooch Pillans. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford and Trinity College, Oxford.[1] He played first-class cricket for Oxford University Cricket Club between 1838 and 1842.[2]
Ward provided financial support for the restoration of Worcester Cathedral and there is a monument to him in the cathedral. He was also a trustee of the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.[1] In 1860 the earldom held by his kinsman was revived when he was created Viscount Ednam, of Ednam in the County of Roxburgh, and Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford.[3]
Lord Dudley married firstly Selina Constance, daughter of Hubert de Burgh, on 24 April 1851. She died on 14 November of the same year, at the age of only 22. There were no children from this marriage. He married secondly Georgina Elisabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 7th Baronet, and Lady Louisa Hay-Drummond, on 21 November 1865. They had six sons and one daughter. His sister-in-law Harriet Moncreiffe, who a few years later, as Lady Mordaunt, became embroiled in a sensational divorce case, referred to him as "frizzle wig"[4] Ward died on 7 May 1885, aged 68, at Dudley House, Park Lane, Mayfair, in London, and was buried in Great Witley, Worcestershire. His remains were later reinterred in Worcester Cathedral. He was succeeded by his eldest son William, who became a prominent Conservative politician. The Countess of Dudley survived her husband by over forty years and died in 1929. Their younger sons Sir John Ward and Robert Ward also gained distinction.[1]
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Earl of Dudley 1860–1885 |
Succeeded by William Humble Ward |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by William Humble Ward |
Baron Ward 1835–1885 |
Succeeded by William Humble Ward |