Michael Ward (Irish politician)

[2] His father was killed in a duel in 1690, when serving as High Sheriff of Down, by Jocelyn Hamilton of Clanbrassil, who was fatally wounded in return.

[1] In 1715 and 1727, he stood also for Bangor, (both constituencies had long been controlled by his wife's family, the Hamiltons), but chose to sit for Down both times.

[1] In the latter year Ward was appointed a Justice of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland), an office he held until 1758, although increasing ill-health made it impossible for him to sit on the Bench in his last years.

[2] He transformed Killough into a port and built a road to Castle Ward, the family's residence, to enable the lead mined on the estate to be carried to the ships.

[4] An obituary praised him for his thirty years service on the Bench, during which he had displayed "probity and assiduity".