Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor (18 August 1719 – 20 May 1781), was an Irish politician and peer.

Background

He was the only surviving son of Michael Ward of Castle Ward,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, one of the justices of the Court of King's Bench, and his wife Anne Catharina Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton of Bangor and Lady Sophia Mordaunt.

Life and career

Ward entered the Irish House of Commons in 1745, representing

, the same constituency his father had represented, until 1770, when he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Bangor, of Castle Ward, in the County of Down. In 1761, he was also elected for

Killyleagh Killyleagh (; ) is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the A22 road between Belfast and Downpatrick, on the western side of Strangford Lough. It had a population of 2,483 people in the 2001 Census. It is best ...

and in 1768 for Bangor, however, chose not to sit both times. Ward was further honoured in 1781, when he was created Viscount Bangor, of Castle Ward, in the County of Down.

Family

In December 1747, he married Lady Ann Magill, daughter of

John Bligh, 1st Earl of Darnley John Bligh, 1st Earl of Darnley (28 December 1687 – 12 September 1728), was an Irish peer of the realm, peer born of an English family. Early life He was the son of Elizabeth (née Napier) Bligh and Thomas Bligh (1654–1710), Thomas Bligh (16 ...

, and his wife Theodosia Bligh, 10th Baroness Clifton (the widow of Robert Magill of Gill Hall), and had by her four sons and four daughters: * Nicholas Ward, 2nd Viscount Bangor (1750–1827) *John Ward, died young *Hon. Edward Ward (1753–1812) *Hon.

Robert Ward Robert Ward may refer to: Politicians *Robert Ward (MP for City of York) * Robert Ward (1754–1831), Irish MP for Wicklow Borough, Killyleagh and Bangor * Robert Ward (American politician) (1952–2021), American lawyer and politician * Robert War ...

(1754–1831) *Hon. Anna Catharine Ward *Hon. Sophia Ward *Hon. Amelia Ward, married Rev. Hugh Montgomery *Hon. Harriet Ward Ward died, aged 61, at his seat Castle Ward. He was succeeded in his titles by his oldest son Nicholas, later placed under disability due to

insanity Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

. Both his third son,

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

, and fourth son,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, sat in the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...

. Ward undertook the reconstruction of Castle Ward in the early 1760s, blending elements of both classical and Gothic architectural styles. This design was a reflection of a compromise between the viscount's preference for classical architecture and his wife's affinity for the Gothic style. Additionally, Ward expanded the estate by acquiring adjoining land and transformed it into a more spacious layout, incorporating features like a deer park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangor, Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount 1719 births 1781 deaths Irish MPs 1727–1760 Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Members of the Irish House of Lords Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Down constituencies Peers of Ireland created by George III Politicians from County Down Bernard Bernhard People from Bangor, County Down