WANDERING ROCKS
Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford, is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, in 1827 then in 1860, both times for members of the Ward family. This family descends from Sir Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy goldsmith and jeweller to Charles I.
This is a CDV of William Ward (1817 - 1885), first Earl of Dudley in its second creation (1860). He provided financial support for the restoration of Worcester Cathedral and there is a monument to him in the cathedral. William Ward married Selina Constance de Burgh (1851); she died the same year at the age of 22, they had no children. He then married Georgina Elisabeth Moncreiffe (1865), a famous 'professional beauty'. Their eldest son was William Humble Ward, who became 2nd Earl of Dudley in 1885; he was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland in 1904. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Humble Eric Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley in 1932. The title is currently held by William Humble Davis Ward (b. 1920), 4th Earl of Dudley since 1969.
