The Washington herald., 1911-08-01
CLAIMS DUDLEY ESTATES.

tnat helpourne Dullder Dy the name
Of Ward has boldly come to the front
as claimant to the titles and estates of
the Earl Of Dudley. He is william Ward,
and he contemplates an early trip to
left London for Australia in 1888. He
asserts that he is descended in a direct
line from Thomas, the son Of the second
Baron Ward CEdward), eleventh Lord
Dudley.
OF this Thomas, who was born about
1885, a romantic story is told. While
still a young man, he married and set
tied down at place named Great Tor
rington, situated on a hill above the
River Torridge, some seven miles from
Bideford. He soon made a reputation for
himself as a smuggler, and many are
the yarns that were spun about the
bold smuggler Of Plymouth" The story
goes that in his fast lugger he ranged
the British Channel from Barnstaple to
Landsend and ran many rich cargoes
along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall.
His doings finally became so obnoxious
to the authorities that he was practically
Then. fearing that the 100 guineas offered
by the government for his capture might
lead some of his smuggling comrades to
betray him, he left his family and sailed
away to Jamaica.
There he contracted another marriage
with the daughter of a Spanish planter
and incidentally acquired considerable
property. He died at Kingston. Jamaica,
in l736, leaving sons by both marriages.
In due course one of his Jamaica de-
scendants, who had risen to the dignity
of a Judge, sailed for England to fight
for the possession of the family estates.
But he died right after landing in the
old country. whereupon his nurse q
clever woman, finding herself thrown
upon her own resources. seized his papers
and boldly set up as the judges widow,
and succeeded in that capacity in draw
ing pension from the government Of
Jamaica for a number of years.
Some years ago the Devonshire Wards,
from whom William Ward traces his de-
scent. began to put forward their claims,
but without any substantial result. The
present claimant. however. seems deter
mined to bring his case before the pub
lie, and II is with that object that he Is
contemplating an early visit to England.
He has brother living at Brixton.
The Ward family, raised to the peerage
in 1923. is of great antiquity and originated
from Edward Ward, Of Bixley, Norfolk
shire, whose sixth son, William Ward,
became wealthy goldsmith in London
He was jeweler to Queen Henrietta, con-
sort of the Inflated King Charles I. He
married the daughter of Richard Humble,
an heiress of Hornchurch, Essex Their
son. Humble Ward, in 1923 married the
only daughter and heress Of Sir Ferdi-
nand Sutton, or Dudley. Hence the con-
nection with the Dudley family, whose
peerage dates back to the year 1341, when
John Sutton was created a baron.
The aforementioned Humble Ward, when
his wife succeeded to the titles Of the
Dudley barony, was knighted and SUBJ
sequently, in 1914, elevated to the peerage
as first Lord Ward of Birmingham. The
Dudley title devolved upon their son
Edward, second Baron Ward. The sec
ond son of that Lord ward-Dudley, VIII
lam, married a daughter of Thomas
Parkes, of Willingsford. This Is the only
time that the name Thomas appears in
the records of the peerage in the Ward
Dudley family. and unless the claimant
bases his claim upon that Thomas I
fail to see how he has any chance, as no
Thomas, as a son of any OF the Ward
Dudleys, is mentioned in the records OF
the peerage. The only flaw that might
have any possible bearing on the case
is that upon the death of William the
XIV, Baron Dudley, and fift-. Baron
Ward, who left no issue. the old barony
Dudley devolved upon the wife of his
nephew, Dudley Lea, daughter of the
Lord Edward. at whose
demise it fell into abeyance and so still
continues among the representatives of
the female relations.
incidentally, the present Earl Of Dud-
ley (Sr William Humble Ward is gov
ernor general and commander-in-chief of
Australia since 1905 and his official resi-
dence Is at Melbourne. No doubt his
lordship relishes the many and spicy
items about the claimant and his history
in connection with his noble house which
1 am told the Melbourne press is pub
fishing.
The acceptance by Lord Kitchener Of a
seat in the directorate Of a British rail-
way recalls the fact that two other IA
nous generals Of modern times went into
business, but not with especially happy
results to themselves or others The first
was Gen. Grant, of American civil war
fame, whose Wall street ventures ended
so disastrously for the old warrior, whose
name and reputation had been used to
give apparent stability to the specula- |
tions of young Ward, the Napoleon of
finance in those days.
Then there was Lord Roberts. and many
'old stagers'' recollect his adventures
and experiences as London 'city" man. |
There was nothing spectacular about the
great soldiers operations. and his offices |