William Reginald Ward (1925 – 2010) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

who was President of the Ecclesiastical History Society and Secretary, President and Vice-President of the Chetham Society. He was born in Chesterfield,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

parents. He studied at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he met his future wife, Barbara. He taught at

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

whilst working on his PhD. Initially, Ward concentrated his studies on eighteenth century British history but the bulk of his work concerned

religious history The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves th ...

. He was one of the co-editors on the definitive, scholarly edition of

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

works Works may refer to: People * Caddy Works (1896–1982), American college sports coach * Samuel Works (c. 1781–1868), New York politician Albums * '' ''Works'' (Pink Floyd album)'', a Pink Floyd album from 1983 * ''Works'', a Gary Burton album ...

. 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 (1964-2010), Secretary (1964–84), President (1984–92), and Vice-President (1993-2010). He was a Fellow 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 ...

and

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

and also President of the

Ecclesiastical History Society The Ecclesiastical History Society (EHS) is a British learned historical society founded in 1961 to foster interest in, and to advance the study of, all areas of the history of the Christian Church through twice yearly conferences and publication ...

(1970–71).Past Presidents - Ecclesiastical History Society
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Works

*
Georgian Oxford: University Politics in the Eighteenth Century
' (Clarendon Press, 1958). *
Victorian Oxford
' (Routledge, 1965). *
Religion & Society in England: 1790-1850
' (HarperCollins, 1972). *
The Protestant Evangelical Awakening
' (Cambridge University Press, 1992). *
Christianity under the Ancien Régime, 1648-1789
' (Cambridge University Press, 1999). *
Early Evangelicalism: A Global Intellectual History, 1670-1789
' (Cambridge University Press, 2006).

Notes

1925 births 2010 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford English historians People from Chesterfield, Derbyshire Presidents of the Ecclesiastical History Society Chetham Society {{UK-historian-stub