Sir Adolphus William Ward (2 December 1837 – 19 June 1924) was an English historian and
man of letters
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the world of culture, either ...
.
Life
Ward was born at
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, the son of
John Ward. He was educated in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and at
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...
.
In 1866, Ward was appointed professor of history and English literature in
Owens College, Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. A ...
, and was principal from 1890 to 1897, when he retired.
He took an active part in the foundation of
Victoria University, of which he was vice-chancellor from 1886 to 1890 and from 1894 to 1896,
He was elected to membership of the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society on 5.3.1985 and he was a founder of
Withington Girls' School
Withington Girls' School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom, providing education for girls between the ages of seven and eighteen. Withington is a member of the Girls' School ...
in 1890.
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
The ...
, serving as a member of council from 1884 and as president from 1901 until 1915.
In 1897, the freedom of the city of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
was conferred upon him, he delivered the
Ford Lectures
The Ford Lectures or the James Ford Lectures in British History, are an annual series of public lectures held at the University of Oxford on the subject of English or British history. They are usually devoted to a particular historical theme an ...
at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
in 1898, and on 29 October 1900 he was elected master of
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...
.
He was elected in 1903 a fellow of the British Academy and was the academy's president from 1911 to 1913.
[ In 1919 he delivered the British Academy's Shakespeare Lecture.
Ward served as president of the ]Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society (RHS), 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 H ...
from 1899 to 1901, and he was knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1913.
Works
Ward's major work is his standard ''History of English Dramatic Literature to the Age of Queen Anne'' (1875), re-edited after a thorough revision in three volumes in 1899. He also wrote ''The House of Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
in the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
'' (1869), ''Great Britain and Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
: Some Aspects of the Personal Union'' (1899), and ''The Electress Sophia and the Hanoverian Succession'' (1903) (2nd ed. 1909). His ''Germany, 1815–1890'' has three volumes.
Ward edited George Crabbe
George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people.
In the 177 ...
's ''Poems'' (2 vols., 1905–1906) and Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
's ''Poetical Works'' (1869); he wrote the volumes on Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
and Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
in the " English Men of Letters" series, translated Ernst Curtius
Ernst Curtius (; 2 September 181411 July 1896) was a German archaeologist, historian and museum director.
Biography
He was born in Lübeck. On completing his university studies he was chosen by Christian August Brandis, C. A. Brandis to acco ...
's ''History of Greece'' (5 vols., 1868–1873); with G. W. Prothero and Stanley Mordaunt Leathes he edited the '' Cambridge Modern History'' between 1901 and 1912, and with A. R. Waller edited the '' Cambridge History of English Literature'' (1907, etc.).
Ward's collected papers were published in 5 volumes by Cambridge University Press in 1921.
Notes
External links
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Chetham Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Adolphus William
1837 births
1924 deaths
19th-century English historians
Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Academics of the Victoria University of Manchester
Masters of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Historical Society
Chaucer scholars
Presidents of the British Academy
Presidents of the Royal Historical Society
Vice-chancellors of the Victoria University of Manchester
Vice-chancellors of the University of Cambridge
Knights Bachelor
Fellows of the British Academy
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society
Chetham Society
20th-century English historians