Sir Adolphus William Ward (2 December 1837 – 19 June 1924) was an English historian and
man of letters
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...
.
Life
Ward was born at
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, the son of
John Ward. He was educated in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and at
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...
.
In 1866, Ward was appointed professor of history and English literature in
Owens College, Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...
, and was principal from 1890 to 1897, when he retired. He took an active part in the foundation of
Victoria University, of which he was vice-chancellor from 1886 to 1890 and from 1894 to 1896,
and he was a founder of
Withington Girls' School
Withington Girls' School is an independent day school in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom, providing education for girls between the ages of seven and eighteen. Withington is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and the Headmasters ...
in 1890.
He was a Member of the
Chetham Society
The Chetham Society "for the publication of remains historic and literary connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester" is a text publication society and registered charity (No. 700047) established on 23 March 1843.
History
Th ...
, serving as a member of council from 1884 and as president from 1901 until 1915.
In 1897, the freedom of the city of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
was conferred upon him, he delivered the
Ford Lectures
The Ford Lectures, technically the James Ford Lectures in British History, are an annual series of public lectures held at the University of Oxford on the subject of English or British history. They are usually devoted to a particular historical ...
at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
in 1898, and on 29 October 1900 he was elected master of
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...
.
He was elected in 1903 a fellow of the British Academy and was the academy's president from 1911 to 1913.
[ In 1919 he delivered the British Academy's Shakespeare Lecture.
Ward served as president of the ]Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history.
Origins
The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...
from 1899 to 1901, and he was knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
in 1913.
Works
Ward's major work is his standard ''History of English Dramatic Literature to the Age of Queen Anne'' (1875), re-edited after a thorough revision in three volumes in 1899. He also wrote ''The House of Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
'' (1869), ''Great Britain and Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
: Some Aspects of the Personal Union'' (1899), and ''The Electress Sophia
Sophia of Hanover (born Princess Sophia of the Palatinate; 14 October 1630 – 8 June 1714) was the Electress of Hanover by marriage to Elector Ernest Augustus and later the heiress presumptive to the thrones of England and Scotland (later Grea ...
and the Hanoverian Succession'' (1903) (2nd ed. 1909). His ''Germany, 1815–1890'' has three volumes.
Ward edited George Crabbe
George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people.
In the 177 ...
's ''Poems'' (2 vols., 1905–1906) and Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...
's ''Poetical Works'' (1869); he wrote the volumes on Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...
and Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
in the "English Men of Letters English Men of Letters was a series of literary biographies written by leading literary figures of the day and published by Macmillan, under the general editorship of John Morley. The original series was launched in 1878, with Leslie Stephen's bio ...
" series, translated Ernst Curtius
Ernst Curtius (; 2 September 181411 July 1896) was a German archaeologist, historian and museum director.
Biography
He was born in Lübeck. On completing his university studies he was chosen by C. A. Brandis to accompany him on a journey to ...
's ''History of Greece'' (5 vols., 1868–1873); with G. W. Prothero and Stanley Mordaunt Leathes he edited the ''Cambridge Modern History
''The Cambridge Modern History'' is a comprehensive modern history of the world, beginning with the 15th century Age of Discovery, published by the Cambridge University Press in England and also in the United States.
The first series, planned by ...
'' between 1901 and 1912, and with A. R. Waller edited the '' Cambridge History of English Literature'' (1907, etc.).
Ward's collected papers were published in 5 volumes by Cambridge University Press in 1921.
Notes
External links
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Chetham Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Adolphus William
1837 births
1924 deaths
19th-century English historians
Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Academics of the Victoria University of Manchester
Masters of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Historical Society
Chaucer scholars
Presidents of the British Academy
Presidents of the Royal Historical Society
Vice-Chancellors of the Victoria University of Manchester
Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge
Knights Bachelor
Fellows of the British Academy
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society
Chetham Society
20th-century English historians