Michael Ward 1683-1759
Michael WARD, 1683-1759
Biographical Note
Michael Ward was born to Bernard Ward (1654-1690) and Anne, the daughter of Richard Ward of Newcastle under Lyme and sister of Michael Ward, Bishop of Derry. As a child, Ward lost his father in a duel at Downpatrick. He attended school in Dublin under one Mr Jones, before matriculating at Trinity College, Dublin in 1699. In 1700 he was entered as a student at the Inner Temple; he was called to the Irish bar in 1705.
In 1709/10 Ward married Anne Hamilton (1690/1-1760) daughter and coheir of James Hamilton of Bangor (d.1707) of County Down. Ward served as the M.P. for County Down in 1715 and 1727. He was named a Judge of the Irish King's Bench in 1727. His primary residence was Castle Ward in County Down where his management of the estate gained him a reputation as an innovator and agriculturalist. He was active in promoting the linen trade and was a founder member of the Royal Dublin Society.
Books
There remain approximately 40 books in the library at Castle Ward with provenance markings that link them to Ward. The larger part of these are legal works, followed by works on history and religion. Examples: many at Castle Ward.
Characteristic Markings
In some cases, Ward signed his books on the title page but in others he used a small stylised cipher, ‘MW’, on the endpapers. It has been suggested that Ward inscribed his books as a young man before turning to the cipher, as the sole method of indicating ownership, in his later years.
Sources
- Osborough, W.N. "Ward, Michael (1683–1759)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
- Purcell, Mark, The Big House Library in Ireland, Swindon, 2011, 28-39.