Edward Ward was the second son of Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor. He married Lady Arabella Crosbie [d. 1813], daughter of the 1st Earl of Glandore, in 1783. He served as a Member of Parliament for county Down [Northern Ireland]. Around 1787-88, Ward commissioned George Romney to paint his wife's portrait (now in the NGA). He and Lady Ward had two sons and four daughters.