Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football, Golf & Sporting Memorabilia
To be held on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
4th, 5th & 6th July 2025
Lot 81
Estimate: £50/70
William Ward. Surrey, Hampshire & M.C.C. 1810-1845. Signed free-front envelope to ‘Mifs Chapman of Cowes’ stamped with date 27th January 1830. Signed ‘W. Ward’ in black ink to the lower left corner. A rare early signature of Ward, a right handed batsman and occasional lob-bowler who played 130 first class matches and was considered for many years one of the leading batsman in England. Some wear to corners otherwise in good condition
William Ward was born in 1787 and educated at Winchester where he first played cricket. His first recorded match was in 1810 when he played for England against Surrey at Lord’s. His greatest achievement was when playing for M.C.C. v Norfolk at Lord’s in 1820 he scored 279, a record that remained unbroken until W.G. Grace made 344 in 1876. He made eighteen appearances for the Gentlemen v Players between 1819-1838. In 1825 he bought from Thomas Lord, the lease of Lord’s cricket ground for five thousand pounds, when Lord was considering selling the ground for building. In 1836 J.H. Dark purchased the remainder of the lease from Ward. Ward was M.P. for the City of London between 1826-1831. He died in 1849