Edward Ward, 9th Baron Dudley and 4th Baron Ward (16 June 1704 – 6 September 1731) succeeded to the titles of Baron Dudley and Baron Ward at his birth in 1704, his father having died during the period of his mother's pregnancy. He died unmarried in 1731, when the titles were passed on to his uncle, William Ward.

Life

Edward Ward, 9th Baron Dudley and 4th Baron Ward was the only son of Edward Ward, 8th Baron Dudley and 3rd Baron Ward and his wife Diana daughter and heiress of Thomas Howard of Ashtead, Surrey. He was born posthumously, and so succeeded to his father's baronies at birth. In 1712, during his minority, one of the first

Newcomen steam engine The atmospheric engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, and is sometimes referred to as the Newcomen fire engine (see below) or Newcomen engine. The engine was operated by condensing steam being drawn into the cylinder, thereby creating ...

s was erected within his Coneygree Park, in

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It had a population of 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham and southeas ...

west of

Dudley Castle Dudley Castle is a ruins, ruined castle, fortification in the town of Dudley, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Originally, a wooden motte and bailey castle built soon after the Norman Conquest, it was rebuilt as a stone fortifica ...

, so as to drain coal mines there. This was illustrated in a contemporary engraving by

Thomas Barney Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, also showing the castle, so that the engine is sometimes referred to as the

Dudley Castle engine Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the 20 ...

. Another engine was subsequently erected for his Park colliery. Edward Ward died a bachelor in 1731. His titles were inherited by William Ward, 10th Baron Dudley, 5th Baron Ward (died 1740), on whose death the estates and titles were divided. The

entail In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust, established by deed or settlement, that restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents that property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise ali ...

ed estate and the title

Baron Ward Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of the West Midlands (though previously in the County of Stafford) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ward family. Histor ...

passed to his heir male, a cousin William Ward (later 1st Viscount Dudley and Ward), whereas the title

Baron Dudley Baron Dudley is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created circa 1440 for John Sutton, a soldier who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The title descended in the Sutton family until the 17th century when Frances Sutton, the heir appar ...

and certain estates more recently purchased (and thus not entailed) passed to

Ferdinando Dudley Lea, 11th Baron Dudley Ferdinando Dudley Lea, 11th Baron Dudley (1710-1757) succeeded his uncle, William Ward, 10th Baron Dudley William Ward, 10th Baron Dudley and 5th Baron Ward (1685-1740) succeeded his nephew, Edward Ward, 9th Baron Dudley in the Baronies of Dudley ...

, the son of a sister of the 10th Baron.''Burke's Peerage'', s.v. Dudley, Earl of and Dudley, Baron. This led to a dispute over the ownership of a steam engine standing on the entailed property, ultimately resolved in favour of Lord Dudley, who therefore removed the engine to his own property at Russell's Hall, Dudley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Edward Ward, 9th Baron 1704 births 1731 deaths

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...