5th Earl of Dudley (1947-2026)

[Paul Theroff]

✝ WARD CÁRCANO, William Humble David Jeremy, conde de Dudley, q.e.p.d., murió en España, el 7-2-2026. - Su hija lady Bethany Ward; sus nietos Brynlee Rose, Noah Thomas, Joshua Robert; sus hermanas y cuñados, lady Anne Marie Ward y Fernando González Florenciano, lady Rosemary Ward y Castor Cañedo y demás familiares ruegan una oración en su memoria y comunican que sus restos descansan en paz en Velez Rubio, Almería.

Google Translation:
✝ WARD CÁRCANO, William Humble David Jeremy, Earl of Dudley, may he rest in peace, died in Spain on 7-2-2026. - His daughter Lady Bethany Ward; his grandchildren Brynlee Rose, Noah Thomas, Joshua Robert; his sisters and brothers-in-law, Lady Anne Marie Ward and Fernando González Florenciano, Lady Rosemary Ward and Castor Cañedo and other relatives request a prayer in his memory and announce that his remains rest in peace in Velez Rubio, Almería.

Source: La Nación [Argentina], 15 February 2026

[sven_me...@web.de]

He never sat in the Lords, has he ever tried to be elected in a by-election?

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Using the  information I was able to find on thepeerage.com, the new (6th) Earl is the half brother of the late Earl  He is Leander Grenville Dudley WARD (b. Oct. 30, 1971).  He is married with 3 daughters.

The heir presumptive appears to be ALEXANDER EVELYN GILES WARD (b. July 1, 1961), oldest son of the Hon. Peter Alistair WARD (1926-2008), the youngest son of the 3rd Earl.  He is married with a son and a daughter.

The line of succession appears to be as follows:

1. ALEXANDER EVELYN GILES WARD (b. 1961), heir presumptive, grandson of the 3rd Earl.

2. Archibald Rupert William WARD (b. 1993), only son of #1.

3. Jeremy Christopher WARD (b. 1975), older half brother of #1.

4. Hector Geordie WARD (b. 2009), son of #3.

5. Benjamin Robin WARD (b. 1978),  younger half brother of #1.

It should also be noted that Alexander, the hp, is the younger brother of actress Rachel WARD, and Tracy Ward, the former wife of the 12th Duke of Beaufort. Her son, Henry, Marquess of Worcester, is the heir to his father's dukedom.

I no longer have a subscription to DPB, so if anyone has any additonal or different information, please make the necessary changes.

Thanks.

Brooke

[colinp]

The new Earl's website --    ABOUT — Leander Ward

[marquess]

Wikipedia says that the 5th Earl died last year, also in the line of succession there is another son shown to have been born in 2007.

[Paul Theroff]

Anything is possible. but at the moment I think that the family announcement may be more reliable than the Wikipedia entry.

Here is the link for the Argentinian announcement:

https://www.lanacion.com.ar/avisos/funebres/sepelios-y-participaciones/ward-carcano-william-humble-david-jeremy-nid15022026/

[bx...@yahoo.com]

marquess, you're right. 

 I checked the last print edition of DPB and  Jeremy (#3) has an older son, Harry Peter (b. 2007) , who is now 4th in line, moving his younger brother Hector and uncle Benjamin down one notch.

Thanks for the information!

Brooke

[Henry W]

He succeeded to the peerage in 2013, so after the House of Lords Act 1999.  He has tried in a handful of by-elections in 2022, but got only a small number of votes in a Whole House by-election.  Given that he seems to have been resident abroad, I was surprised to discover he even ran.

[marquess]

The new earl is the first to succeed to the earldom who isn't named William. 

[BREMENMURRAY]

Apart from the first he is the only one not to have Humble as a name.He is also the youngest of ten children surely a record amongst the present day peerage 

[Paul Theroff]

"Apart from the first he is the only one not to have Humble as a name."

And yet the annlouncement says:

"WARD CÁRCANO, William Humble David Jeremy, conde de Dudley"

[Paul Theroff]

sorry.. I thought you referred to the deceased... I see now you meant Leander.

[BREMENMURRAY]

Ironic really.Until the mid twentieth century the Ward family were a mini royal family in the greater Dudley era therefore probably far from humble 

[marquess]

I wonder what became of the 30,000 acres that they owned at the start of 20th century?  They have been listed as seat-less since the 30s even though succession has been from father to son, until the present earl.

[Paul Theroff]

Google AI says:

"The vast fortune of the Earls of Dudley, built largely on 19th-century industrial wealth (coal and iron in the Black Country) and plantations, was heavily dissipated by the mid-20th century. High taxes, luxurious lifestyles, and the sale of major estates—including Witley Court and Himley Hall between the 1920s and 1940s—significantly reduced the family's holdings. 

• 19th Century Peak: Following the death of the 1st Earl of Dudley (John William Ward) in 1833, his successor, William Ward (1st Earl of the 1860 creation), inherited a massive fortune, including £80,000 a year, and expanded the estate.
• The Decline: The 2nd and 3rd Earls of Dudley maintained high-profile, expensive lifestyles, with the 2nd Earl serving as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland and Governor-General of Australia.
• Asset Liquidation: Between the 1920s and 1940s, the family sold off the majority of their English property, including the core Staffordshire estates, as they moved away from direct ownership of industrial assets."
• 
  

[Paul Theroff]

There is some information about the decline of the family in this page about Witley Court:

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/witley-court-and-gardens/history/#:~:text=Between%20the%201920s%20and%201940s,and%20Himley%20Hall%20in%20Staffordshire.

[bx...@yahoo.com]

BREMENMURRAY, you would think 10 kids would be the modern day record for the peerage, but the present (6th) Earl of Stradbroke has 15 children-- 7 from his first marriage and 8 from his second (  8 sons and 7 daughters).

He turns 89 on March 6th.

Brooke