John Ward (academic)
Encyclopedia
John Ward was an English teacher, supporter of learned societies, and biographer, remembered for his work on the Gresham College
professors, of which he was one.
and afterwards in St. John's Square, Clerkenwell
. He left the navy office in 1710, and opened a school in Tenter Alley, Moorfields
, which he kept for many years.
In 1712 he became one of the earliest members of a society composed principally of divines and lawyers, who met periodically in order to read discourses upon the civil law or upon the law of nature and nations. On 1 September 1720 he was chosen Gresham Professor of Rhetoric
.
Ward was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 30 November 1723. He was often elected a member of the council, and in 1752 he was appointed one of the vice-presidents. In August 1733 he made a journey through Holland and Flanders to Paris. He was elected on 5 February 1736 a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, of which he became director on 15 January 1747. In April 1753 he was appointed vice-president of that society.
He also joined another society formed by a number of noblemen and gentlemen for the encouragement of learning. Among the works printed at their expense were John Davies's edition of the Dissertations of Maximus of Tyre
, issued under the supervision of Ward, and the De Natura Animalium of Claudius Aelianus
, edited by Abraham Gronovius, who acknowledges the assistance he received from Ward. On 20 May 1751 the University of Edinburgh
conferred on Ward the degree of LL.D. He afterwards became a member of the Gentlemen's Society at Spalding. On the establishment of the British Museum
he was elected one of the trustees.
He died in his apartments in Gresham College on 17 October 1758, and his remains were interred in the dissenters' burial-ground, Bunhill Fields
.
Several manuscript compilations by him are preserved in the British Museum. He also rendered assistance in the publication of Jacques Auguste de Thou
's ‘History,’ 1728; Robert Ainsworth
's ‘Latin Dictionary,’ 1736, and also the editions of 1746 and 1752; the works of George Benson
; and the second edition of Martin Folkes
's ‘Table of English Gold Coins.’ He translated into Latin the eighth edition of Richard Mead
's ‘Discourse of the Plague’ (1723), edited William Lily's ‘Latin Grammar’ in 1732, and contributed numerous papers to the Philosophical Transactions.
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
professors, of which he was one.
Life
Son of John Ward, a Baptist minister, by his wife, Constancy Rayner, he was born in London about 1679. For some years he was a clerk in the navy office, studying in spare time with the assistance of John Ker, who kept an academy, first in HighgateHighgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
and afterwards in St. John's Square, Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
. He left the navy office in 1710, and opened a school in Tenter Alley, Moorfields
Moorfields
In London, the Moorfields were one of the last pieces of open land in the City of London, near the Moorgate. The fields were divided into three areas, the Moorfields proper, just north of Bethlem Hospital, and inside the City boundaries, and Middle and Upper Moorfields to the north.After the Great...
, which he kept for many years.
In 1712 he became one of the earliest members of a society composed principally of divines and lawyers, who met periodically in order to read discourses upon the civil law or upon the law of nature and nations. On 1 September 1720 he was chosen Gresham Professor of Rhetoric
Gresham Professor of Rhetoric
The Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596 / 7, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to eight and in addition the college now has visiting professors.The...
.
Ward was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 30 November 1723. He was often elected a member of the council, and in 1752 he was appointed one of the vice-presidents. In August 1733 he made a journey through Holland and Flanders to Paris. He was elected on 5 February 1736 a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, of which he became director on 15 January 1747. In April 1753 he was appointed vice-president of that society.
He also joined another society formed by a number of noblemen and gentlemen for the encouragement of learning. Among the works printed at their expense were John Davies's edition of the Dissertations of Maximus of Tyre
Maximus of Tyre
Cassius Maximus Tyrius Cassius Maximus Tyrius Cassius Maximus Tyrius (Maximus of Tyre; was a Greek rhetorician and philosopher who flourished in the time of the Antonines and Commodus. His writings contain many allusions to the history of Greece, while there is little reference to Rome; hence it...
, issued under the supervision of Ward, and the De Natura Animalium of Claudius Aelianus
Claudius Aelianus
Claudius Aelianus , often seen as just Aelian, born at Praeneste, was a Roman author and teacher of rhetoric who flourished under Septimius Severus and probably outlived Elagabalus, who died in 222...
, edited by Abraham Gronovius, who acknowledges the assistance he received from Ward. On 20 May 1751 the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
conferred on Ward the degree of LL.D. He afterwards became a member of the Gentlemen's Society at Spalding. On the establishment of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
he was elected one of the trustees.
He died in his apartments in Gresham College on 17 October 1758, and his remains were interred in the dissenters' burial-ground, Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a cemetery in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares in extent, although historically was much larger....
.
Works
His works include:- ‘De ordine, sive de venusta et eleganti tum vocabulorum, tum membrorum sententiæ collocatione,’ London, 1712.
- ‘De Asse et partibus ejus commentarius,’ London, 1719 (anon.); reprinted in ‘Monumenta vetustatis Kempiana,’ 1720.
- ‘Ad Con. Middletoni de medicorum apud veteres Romanos degentium conditione dissertationem, quæ servilem atque ignobilem eam fuisse contendit, responsio,’ London [February 1726–7]. Conyers MiddletonConyers MiddletonConyers Middleton was an English clergyman.Middleton was born at Richmond in Yorkshire, and was educated at school in York and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated from the University of Cambridge, took holy orders, and in 1706 obtained a fellowship, which he resigned upon entering into an...
published a defence of his dissertation in 1727, and to this Ward replied in ‘Dissertationis … de medicorum Romæ degentium conditione ignobili et servili defensio examinata,’ London, 1728. - ‘The Lives of the Professors of Gresham College, to which is prefixed the Life of the Founder, Sir Thomas Gresham,’ London, 1740.
- ‘Four Essays upon the English Language,’ London, 1758.
- ‘A System of Oratory, delivered in a course of lectures publickly read at Gresham College, London,’ London, 1759, 2 vols.
- ‘Dissertations upon several Passages of the Sacred Scriptures,’ London, 1761.
Several manuscript compilations by him are preserved in the British Museum. He also rendered assistance in the publication of Jacques Auguste de Thou
Jacques Auguste de Thou
Jacques Auguste de Thou was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parlement de Paris.-Life:...
's ‘History,’ 1728; Robert Ainsworth
Robert Ainsworth (lexicographer)
Robert Ainsworth was an English Latin lexicographer, and author of the well-known compendious Dictionary of the Latin Tongue. He was born at Eccles, near Salford, Lancashire in September 1660...
's ‘Latin Dictionary,’ 1736, and also the editions of 1746 and 1752; the works of George Benson
George Benson (theologian)
George Benson was an English Presbyterian minister and theologian. According to Alexander Balloch Grosart, writing in the Dictionary of National Biography, his views were "Socinian" though at this period the term is often confused with Arian....
; and the second edition of Martin Folkes
Martin Folkes
Martin Folkes FRS , English antiquary, was born in London.He was educated at Saumur University and Clare College, Cambridge, where he so distinguished himself in mathematics that when only twenty-three years of age he was chosen a fellow of the Royal Society...
's ‘Table of English Gold Coins.’ He translated into Latin the eighth edition of Richard Mead
Richard Mead
Richard Mead was an English physician. His work, A Short Discourse concerning Pestilential Contagion, and the Method to be used to prevent it , was of historic importance in the understanding of transmissible diseases.-Life:The eleventh child of Matthew Mead , Independent divine, Richard was born...
's ‘Discourse of the Plague’ (1723), edited William Lily's ‘Latin Grammar’ in 1732, and contributed numerous papers to the Philosophical Transactions.