Ned Ward facts for kids

Ned Ward, 1731

Ned Ward (born 1667 – died 1731), also known as Edward Ward, was a writer who used humor to make fun of society (called a satirist) and a pub owner in London during the late 1600s and early 1700s. His most famous book, The London Spy, came out in 18 parts every month starting in November 1698. Ward himself called it a "complete survey" of London life. It was later published as a full book in 1703.

About Ned Ward's Life

His Early Years

Ned Ward was born in 1667 in Oxfordshire, a county in England. A writer named Theophilus Cibber said that Ward came "from a humble background" and "never received any formal schooling." However, it's likely he went to one of the local grammar schools in Oxfordshire.

By 1691, Ward had moved to London. His first published work, The Poet's Ramble After Riches, was a funny poem. It described his poverty and how disappointed he was not to get an inheritance. After this, he wrote funny stories in prose, like Female Policy Detected, or, The Arts of Designing Woman Laid Open (1695). Another one was A Trip to Jamaica (1698). This book talked about Ward's trip to Port Royal, Jamaica, in 1687. It made fun of how people were encouraged to move to America. Because this book was popular, he published A Trip to New England in 1699.

Becoming a Successful Writer

Ward used the same style from A Trip to Jamaica and A Trip to New England for his experiences in London. This became The London Spy, which was published monthly from November 1698. The story is told by a wise person who leaves his studies to experience real life. The London Spy made Ward famous and helped create his unique writing style. It was so successful that the series was reprinted in 1703. For more than ten years, his other writings were often labeled "by the Author of The London Spy."

After The London Spy, Ward wrote over 100 more funny stories and poems. He made fun of pub owners, religious leaders, lawyers, and booksellers. He even turned some of these works into regular magazines, like The Weekly Comedy, as it is Dayly Acted at most Coffee-Houses in London in 1699.

His Political Writings

Ward started getting involved in political arguments as early as 1698. He was a strong supporter of the Church of England and a political group called the Tories. He often criticized people who wanted the church to be less strict. His first attack was Ecclesia et factio (Church and faction, 1698).

Ward's most famous political writing was Hudibras Redivivus. This was published in 24 monthly parts between 1705 and 1707. It used current political events as its topic. Ward was arrested twice, in February and June 1706. He was accused of writing things that criticized Queen Anne and the government too much. He was punished by having to stand in the pillory. This was a public punishment where someone was locked in a wooden frame.

Running Taverns

From 1699, Ward was the owner of the King's Head Tavern, which was next to Gray's Inn in London. In 1712, he opened another pub near Clerkenwell Green. He wrote a bit less when King George I became king. After 1712, his writings focused more on local and personal experiences, like The Merry Travellers (1712), which talked about his own customers.

From 1717 to about 1730, Ward ran the Bacchus Tavern in Moorfields. During this time, his writings were still popular and even spread to America. A famous religious leader named Cotton Mather warned against writers like Ward in 1726, saying their works were harmful. Moorfields was close to Grub Street, an area known for writers. This allowed Ward to be near his readers. He also became a target for other writers, like Alexander Pope. Between late 1729 and late 1730, Ward left the Bacchus and moved to the British Coffee House near Gray's Inn.

His Final Years

Ned Ward passed away on June 20, 1731. He was buried in the churchyard of the parish of Old St Pancras in north London on June 27. His grave is now lost and is not listed on the Burdett-Coutts Memorial among other important graves there. His obituary in Applebee's Original Weekly Journal on September 28, 1731, mentioned his wife and children, but there is no record of his marriage.

Ned Ward's Works

The "Trip" Style

Ward used his own experiences in Port Royal to create a new writing style called the "trip format." He continued to use this style during his early years of fame. He had traveled to Jamaica hoping to escape poverty in London, but he found things no better there than in England. This led him to write a strong attack, not just on the New World, but also on other writers who had described it in glowing terms. Ward first used this kind of funny story for Jamaica. He then used it for New England (which he didn't visit), Islington, Sadler's Wells, Bath, and Stourbridge.

Funny Prose Stories

In The London Spy, Ward showed the less pleasant parts of life through vivid descriptions, lively stories, and character sketches. Some of these funny stories were made longer and turned into regular magazines. This allowed him to write more about specific human flaws and personal habits that Ward saw, especially in London and in his own pubs.

The Prisoner's Opera

In 1730, after John Gay's The Beggar's Opera became very popular, Ward wrote the words (called the libretto) for a similar musical play. It was a ballad opera called The Prisoner's Opera, and it was performed at Sadler's Wells.

List of Ned Ward's Books

Ward's popularity decreased after his death. However, The London Spy was still published in parts by several London newspapers in the 1730s. The title The New London Spy was even used by Hunter Davies for a book in 1966.

See also

• List of 18th-century British working-class writers

Further Reading

• Fritz-Wilhelm Neumann: Ned Wards London. Säkularisation, Kultur und Kapitalismus um 1700, Wilhelm Fink Verlag, München, Germany 2012, ISBN: 978-3-7705-4992-4
• Howard William Troyer: Ned Ward of Grubstreet; a Study of Sub-literary London in the Eighteenth Century. London 1946
• Ned Ward, The London Spy (1703). Edited by Kenneth Fenwick (1955). The Folio Society: London