Frances Ward, 6th Baroness Dudley (1611-1697) succeeded to the Barony of Dudley in 1643 following the death of

Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (baptised 17 September 1567 – 23 June 1643) was a major landowner, mainly in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, and briefly a Member of the House of Commons of England. Through his intemperate behaviour he won wi ...

. She had married Humble Ward, the son of a London goldsmith in 1628. Humble Ward was awarded the title of Baron Ward of Birmingham and the couple's descendants carried both titles until the middle of the eighteenth century. Frances died in 1697.

Life

On 23 July 1611, Frances Sutton was born at

Dudley Castle Dudley Castle is a ruined fortification in the town of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Originally a wooden motte and bailey castle built soon after the Norman Conquest, it was rebuilt as a stone fortification during the twelfth century but su ...

to Sir Ferdinando Sutton, the then heir to the Barony of Dudley, and Honora, daughter of Edward Seymour. Frances was baptized on 18 August 1611, also at Dudley Castle. On the death of her father in 1621, Frances became the

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the barony, then held by her grandfather Edward Sutton, the 5th Baron Dudley. During the time that he held the title, Baron Dudley had severe financial difficulties.History of Parliament Online: 1558–1603 Members – DUDLEY, alias SUTTON, Edward (Author: J.E.M.)
/ref> In 1628 Frances married Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy London goldsmith William Ward, who was also one of her grandfather's creditors. They had 3 daughters: Honor, Frances and Theodosia and 4 sons: Edward, John, Humble and William. On 24 June 1635 Frances was given the rank of baron's daughter. She inherited the title of Baroness of Dudley on 23 June 1643 on the death of her grandfather. Her husband was granted the title of Baron Ward of Birmingham by King Charles I and their descendants held both titles until the middle of the eighteenth century. Humble Ward died on 14 October 1670. Frances died in 1697 and was buried at

Himley Himley is a small village and civil parish in the English ceremonial county of Staffordshire, situated 4 miles west of Dudley and 5 miles southwest of Wolverhampton. At the time of the 2011 Census, Himley had a population of 802.It is most n ...

on August 11, 1697. She was succeeded in the title of Baron of Dudley by her son, Edward.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Frances Ward, 6th Baroness 1611 births 1697 deaths Female heirs apparent Hereditary women peers

Frances Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the F ...

17th-century English nobility 6