He was the only surviving son of Michael Ward of Castle Ward, County Down and his wife Anne Catharina Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton. Ward entered the Irish House of Commons in 1745, representing Down, the same constituency his father had been returned, until 1770, when he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Bangor, of Castle Ward, in the County of Down.
In 1761, he was also elected for Killyleagh and in 1768 for Bangor, however chose not to sit both times.
Ward was further honoured in 1781, when he was created Viscount Bangor, of Castle Ward, in the County of Down. Nicholas Ward, 2nd Viscount Bangor (1750–1827)
John Ward, died young
Honorary Edward Ward (1753–1812)
Honorary
Robert Ward (1754–1831)
Honorary
Anna Catharine Ward
Honorary Sophia Ward
Honorary Amelia Ward, married Review
Hugh Montgomery
Honorary Harriet Ward
Ward died, aged 61, at his seat Castle Ward.
He rebuilt Castle Ward in the early 1760s in a style which represented a compromise between the Viscount"s favoured Gothic style and his wife"s favoured classical style.
He also enlarged the estate by purchasing adjacent land and remodelled it in a more open style with a deerpark.
