Samuel Ward (1732–1820) owned property in
Derby and
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
in England. As a boy he was
food taster to
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
and was rewarded with a diamond ring which is now in the collection of
Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...
along with his 1781 portrait by
Joseph Wright.
Biography
Ward lived in
Derby. When
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
was staying at
Exeter House
Exeter House was an early 17th-century brick-built mansion, which stood in Full Street, Derby until demolished in 1854. Named for the Earls of Exeter, whose family owned the property until 1757, the house was notable for the stay of Charles ...
in Derby on 4 December 1745, his mother allowed Samuel to be the young pretender's food taster. Ward was then the son of an Alderman who was being brought up by his widowed mother. During his short stay Bonnie Prince Charlie made his decision to give up on his march on London to seize the crown of England. He gave Ward's mother a diamond ring in thanks for their service before he left. The gold ring consists of one larger diamond surrounded by ten smaller diamonds.
The decision to retreat to Scotland meant that the Young Pretender would not take
George II's crown and his army retreated to Scotland, where they were finally defeated in 1746 at the
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...
.
Ward went on to be a businessman in Derby and was painted by Joseph Wright of Derby around 1781. The ring remained with his descendants and the ring and the painting are now in the collection of Derby Museum and Art Gallery in England.
[ Notes that came with the painting describe Ward as being "of Derby but later from Richmond". His wife was from Richmond and he owned property there and in Derby.
]
History
The painting is first referred to in Joseph Wright's accounts, where he records its price as twelve guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
s in 1781.Exeter House
Exeter House was an early 17th-century brick-built mansion, which stood in Full Street, Derby until demolished in 1854. Named for the Earls of Exeter, whose family owned the property until 1757, the house was notable for the stay of Charles ...
File:Bonnie-Prince-Charlie's-Ring.jpg, The ring given to 13-year-old Samuel
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Samuel
1732 births
1820 deaths
People from Derby
People associated with Derby Museum and Art Gallery