county of Chester, and secondly to Charles Brereton, Esq.; Honour, wife to William Dilke, of Maxstock-castle, in the county of Warwick, Esq. She died July 18th, 1699, aged sixtythree, and is buried at Shustock, in Warwickshire, where a monument is erected to her memory; and Frances, married to Sir William Noel, of Kirkby-Mallory, in Leicestershire, Bart. being his second wife, as narrated in the pedigree of Viscount Wentworth.

EDWARD, SECOND LORD WARD, and FIRST Lord Dudley of this family, eldest son and heir of Humble, Lord Ward, took his place in the house of Peers, on January 18th, 1697; and, at the death of Frances, his mother, in 1701, succeeded to the BARONY OF DUDLEY; soon after which he died, and was buried at Himpley, on August 8th, 1701. He married Frances, daughter of Sir William Brereton, of Handford, in Cheshire, Bart. and sister, and at length sole heir to Sir Thomas Brereton; by whom he had three sons (of whom afterwards) and three daughters, viz. Catharine, married to the Hon. John Grey, of Endfield (or Envil) hall, in com. Staff. and by him mother of Harry Grey, third Earl of Stamford; and Humbletta, to Thomas Porter, Esq. Lettice the second daughter dying young.

John, the eldest son, and Ferdinando Dudley, the youngest, died unmarried.

William, the second son, died in the lifetime of his father, and was buried at Himpley, on May 16th, 1692. He married Frances, daughter of Thomas Dilke, of Maxstock-castle, in com. Warwick, Esq. by Honour his wife before-mentioned: and by her had three sons,

First, Edward, Lord Dudley and Ward.

Second, John, who died an infant.

Third, William, who became Lord Dudley and Ward.
And also a daughter, Frances, hereafter mentioned.

EDWARD, SECOND LORD DUDLEY, and THIRD LORD WARD, succeeded his grandfather in 1701; and having taken to wife Diana, daughter of Thomas Howard, of Ashsted, in com. Surry, Esq. departed this life on March 28th, 1704, in his minority; leaving his Lady (who died on March 17th, 1709) in the twentythird year of her age, and was buried at Ashsted, where a monument is erected to her memory, big with child of

EDWARD, THIRD LORD DUDLEY, and FOURTH LORD WARD; who deceasing on September 6th, 1731, unmarried, was buried at Ashsted, and his honours and estate devolved on his uncle,

WILLIAM, FOURTH LORD DUDLEY, and FIFTH LORD WARD, who died a bachelor, at his seat at Himpley, in Staffordshire, in May 1740.

The Baronies of DUDLEY and WARD thereby became separated, and the former devolved on FERDINANDO-DUDLEY, Son of William LEA, of Hales-Owen-Grange, in Shropshire, Esq. by Frances, his wife, only sister of Edward and William, Lords Dudley and Ward, before-mentioned.

The said William LEA was descended from the family of Lea, seated at Lea-Green, in the parish of Kingsnorton, in the county of Worcester: and by Frances, his wife, aforesaid, (who died at the Grange, on January 24th, 1737, and was buried at Himpley,) had issue two sons and five daughters, viz.

First, Ferdinando-Dudley Lea, above-mentioned.

Second, William Lea, who died a bachelor.

Third, Anne, married to William Smith, of Ridgeacre, in the county of Salop, Gent.

Fourth, Frances, wedded to Mr. Walter Woodcock.
Fifth, Mary, who was wife to

Stourbridge, com. Wigorn.

.... Hervey, M. D. of

......

Sixth, Catharine, espoused to Mr. Thomas Jardon, of Birmingham.

Seventh, Elizabeth, the wife of the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Briscoe. FERDINANDO DUDLEY LEA, the eldest son, succeeded his cousin, William Lord Dudley and Ward, as FIFTH BARON DUDLEY, & in 1740, as above recited; but died unmarried, on October 21st, 1757, and the Barony of Dudley is now in abey

The dignity of BARON WARD, of Birmingham, being limited to heirs male, fell, by the death of William, last Lord Dudley and Ward, to JOHN Ward, of Sedgley-park, in the county of Stafford, Esq. grandson of WILLIAM Ward, of Willingworth; Esq. third son of Humble, first Lord Ward, before-mentioned.

The said William Ward, Esq. died in January, 1713-14; and by Anne, his wife, daughter and sole heir to Thomas Parkes, of Willingsworth, Esq. by Rebecca, his wife, who was heir to the Bodleys, he left issue one son, William, his heir, and three daughters; first, Frances, married to Robert Pigot, of Chetwynd,

See mention of him in Shenstone's Letters to Lady Luxborough.
See Banks's Extinct Peerage, vol. ii. p. 174.

in Shropshire, Esq.; second, Jane, who weddel to Daniel Jevon, Esq.; and, third, Rebecca, who died unmarried.

WILLIAM, the only son, served for Staffordshire, in the last parliament but one of Queen Anne, and in the first of George I. and departed this life on October 25th, 1720. He wedded Mary, daughter of the Hon. John Grey, of Enfield-hall (beforementioned) by Mary, his first wife, daughter of Sir Frances Wolryche, of Dudmaston, in Shropshire, Bart. and by her was father of two sons.

First, John, first Viscount Dudley and Ward.

Second, the Rev. William Ward, rector of King's Swinford and Himpley, in Staffordshire (who married Elizabeth, daughter of John Hawkes, by whom he had a son Humble, and a daughter Frances; he died on July 21st, 1758, and was buried at Himley.)

By the same Lady, he had also two daughters; first, Frances, i married to George Rooke, of St. Lawrence, near Canterbury, in Kent, Esq. (son and heir to Sir George Rooke, Knight, who made so eminent a figure in the naval department in the reign of Queen Anne ;) she died the 14th of October, 1770; and, second, Anna, who died at St. Lawrence, April, 1770.

k

JOHN, the eldest son, FIRST VISCOUNT DUDLEY AND WARD, was one of the members for the borough of Newcastle-underLine, Staffordshire, in the first parliament of Geo. II.

In May, 1740, he succeeded to the title of LORD WARD,1 being the SIXTH who enjoyed that honour and his present Majesty was pleased, in consideration of his Lordship's great merits and noble descent, to grant to him, and his heirs male, the dignity of a Viscount of Great Britain, by the title of VISCOUNT DUDLEY AND WARD, of Dudley, in the county of Worcester, by letters patent, dated April 23d, 1763, 3 Geo. III. His Lordship was also recorder of the city of Worcester.

On December 26th, 1723, his Lordship first married AnnaMaria, daughter of Charles Bourchier, of the city of Dublin, Esq.

iShe was an early friend of the celebrated Mrs. Elizabeth Carter. See Mrs. Carter's Letters.

* Mrs. Rooke left the mansion of St. Lawrence, and ail her estates, (which she derived from her husband) to her nephew, John, late Viscount, who sold them. The mansion of St. Lawrence now belongs, by purchase, to Richard Milles, Esq. father of Lady Sondes.

! He published, I think, a book on the Office of Justice of the Peace--but Quere?

by Barbara his wife, daughter of Richard Harrison, of Balls, in Hertfordshire, Esq. and by her had a son,

JOHN, the late Viscount.

That Lady departing this life on December 12th, 1725, was buried at Wednesbury, in Staffordshire.

m

His, Lordship, on January 4th, 1744-5, wedded, secondly, Mary, daughter and heir of John Carver," of St. George, Hanover-square, Westminster, Esq. By her Ladyship he had two sons, viz.

First, the Hon. Humble Ward, who died an infant.
Second, William, present Viscount.

His Lordship died May 6th, 1774, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN, SECOND VISCOUNT DUDLEY AND WARD, born February 22d, 1724. In 1754, he was elected to parliament for the town of Marlborough, in Wiltshire; at the general election in 1761, was returned one of the knights of the shire for the county of Worcester, and was re-elected to the next parliament.

His Lordship was LL. D. and married, July 12th, 1788, Mrs. Baker, and dying October 8th following, left no male issue by her, who re-married, August 14th, 1790, Benjamin Jennings, Esq. on whose death, 1791, she again married Capt. J. Smith, of the royal-navy.

His Lordship was succeeded by his half brother, WILLIAM, THIRD VISCOUNT DUDLEY AND WARD, who was born January 21st, 1750.

His Lordship married, August 1, 1780, Julia, second daughter of Godfrey Bosville, of Gunthwaite, in Yorkshire, Esq. by whom he has issue a son,

John-William, born August 9th, 1781, M. P. for Wareham, late M. P. for Worcestershire.

Titles. William Ward, Viscount Dudley and Ward, of Dudley, in the county of Worcester; and Lord Ward, of Birmingham, in the county of Warwick.

Creations. Baron Ward, of Birmingham, March 23, 1643-4,

m

square.

Her Ladyship died May 31, 1782, at her house in Park-lane, Grosvenor

He left a son by a French Lady, who was father of the late Rev. John Carver, Rector of King's Swinford, and Archdeacon of Surrey; whose daughter is widow of the late Dr. Layard, Dean of Bristol.

19 Car. I. and Viscount Dudley and Ward, of Dudley, April 23d, 1763, 3 Geo. III.

Arms. Checkey, Or and Azure, a bend ermine.

Crest. In a ducal coronet Or, a lion's head, Azure.

Supporters. Two angels, haired and winged, Or, their under robes sanguine, and their uppermost Azure.

Motto. COMME JE FUS.

Chief Seats. At Himpley-hall, Dudley-castle, and Sedgleypark, all in Staffordshire; the first being his Lordship's principal place of residence. See a full account of these seats in Shaw's Staffordshire.