Mary (King) Ward (1827 - 1869)

Born 27 Apr 1827 in Ballylin, County Offaly, Ireland

Ancestors

Wife of Henry William Crosbie Ward — married 6 Dec 1854 in St. Peter, Dublin, Ireland

Descendants

Died 31 Aug 1869 at age 42 in Parsonstown, County Offaly, Ireland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Feargal Hennigan [send private message]

Biography

Mary (King) Ward was born in Ireland.

Mary was a member of the Church of Ireland.

Mary (King) Ward is Notable.

Mary was an Irish Scientist - Irish Notables Team.

Mary Ward (née King; 27th April 1827 – 31st August 1869) was an Irish naturalist, astronomer, microscopist, author, artist, and the first person to die in an automobile accident.

Early Life

Mary, the youngest of four the children of Rev. Henry and Harriett (née Lloyd) King, was born on the 27th April 1827 in Ballylin, King's County (County Offaly).^[1][2]

King and her two sisters were educated at home by a governess, and from an early age she showed an interest in the fields of astronomy, microscopy and natural history, as well as drawing and painting.^[1][2]

King’s maternal first cousin, William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse was a noted astronomer and she frequently visited him at Birr Castle, only a few miles away.^[1][2]

When King was aged 18, her father bought her first microscope, made by Andrew Ross, one of the three leading instrument makers of London. She taught herself the techniques required to use it and presented microscopical shows to family, friends, and the estate workers.^[1][2]

Marriage and Literary Career

Mary King (aged 27) of Ballylin, Ferbane, King's County married Hon. Capt. Henry William Crosbie Ward (aged 26; later 5th Viscount Bangor) of Castle Ward, County Down, a captain in the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot, on the 6th December 1854 in St Peter's, Dublin; in the presence of J. Morgan and A. Nugent.^[3] They had eight children, including:

• Henry Somerset Andrew Ward (b. 30 Aug 1857; dvp. 10 Jul 1860)
• Lieut Hon Edward William Henry Ward (b. Jan 1863; dvp. 10 Jul 1887)
• Hon. Maxwell Richard Crosbie Ward (later 6th Viscount Bangor).
• Hon Harriette Mary Ward (d. 6 Nov 1941), mar. 22 Nov 1881 Major Gen John Edmund Waller, of Aughnacloy, Killiney, co. Dublin (d. 4 Dec 1934)
• Hon Kathleen Annette Norah Ward (d. 28 Sep 1945)
• Hon Bertha Jane Ward DGStJ (d. 21 Aug 1936), mar. 9 Aug 1883 Sir Robert John Kennedy KCMG DL, of Cultrea, co. Down (d. 11 Nov 1936), and had issue
• Mary Henrietta Ward (dvp. 9 Dec 1861)
• Hon Emily Georgiana Ward (d, 26 Feb 1935

Han. Capt. Henry Ward resigned his army commission shortly after their marriage and from then had no regular employment. Mary's considerable dowry, in shares, did not maintain its value and that they were unable to live on that income alone. They spent long periods with no permanent home and were in constant financial difficulties.^[2]

In 1857 Mary Ward published her first book, ‘’Entomology in Sport’’, which was written jointly with her sister Lady Mahon.^[1] She wrote under the name the Hon. Mrs Ward (a title to which she had no right).^[2] Ward went on to publish ‘’The World of the Microscope’’ and ‘’The World of Wonders as Revealed by the Microscope’’ in 1858.^[1]

Death

Mary Ward died (aged 42) on the 31st August 1869 in Parsonstown (Birr), King's County.^[4][5] She was thrown from her cousin's invention, a steam-powered automobile. She was crushed beneath a wheel and instantly killed. Mary Ward was the first person to die in an automobile accident.^[5]

Legacy

Mary Ward was the great-grandmother of English actress, Lalla Ward.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} DIB: Bryan, Deirdre (2009). Ward, Mary. Dictionary of Irish Biography.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} ODNB: Turner, G. L'E. (2004). Ward (née King), Mary (pseud. the Hon. Mrs Ward) (1827–1869)]. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
3. ↑ Marriage: "Civil Records of Irish Births, Deaths and Marriages," database
   General Register Office, Ireland; Group Registration ID: 3243346; SR District/Reg Area: Dublin South
   IrishGenealogy.ie Image - (IrishGenealogy.ie Record : accessed 28 February 2024)
   Henry Ward marriage to Mary King on 6 Dec 1854 in the Parish of St Peter, Dublin.
4. ↑ Death: "Civil Records of Irish Births, Deaths and Marriages," database
   General Register Office, Ireland; SR District/Reg Area: Parsonstown
   (IrishGenealogy.ie Record : accessed 28 February 2024)
   Mary Ward death 1869 (age 40) in the Parsonstown Superintendent Registrar's District.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} The World’s First Fatal Car Accident – 31 August 1869. The British Newspaper Archive, 30 August 2013.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q546140, en:Wikipedia
• Bangor, Viscount (I, 1781). Cracroft's Peerage: A Complete Guide to the British Peerage.
• Newmann, Kate. Mary Ward (1827 - 1869). Dictionary of Ulster Biography.
• Mary Ward. Ireland Reaching Out.
• Mary Ward 1827-1869 September 2, 2007 by Offaly History
• Memorial: "Find a Grave," database with images
  (Find A Grave: Memorial #31054332 : accessed 28 February 2024)
  Memorial page for Mary King Ward (27 Apr 1827-31 Aug 1869); Maintained by Laurie (contributor 2811407). No Grave Photo, Burial Details Unknown.