the plan of Walbrook and Dowgate wards in Northouck's ‘History of London’ (p. 612).
On completing his apprenticeship he became a freeman of the Merchant Taylors' Company, but was unable or unwilling to take up his livery, and it appears from an extract from the court minute-book of 3 June 1663 that he had been admonished by the company on many previous occasions. They now threatened him with a summons before the court of aldermen, but the matter was apparently compromised by his paying a fine of 50l. He became master of the company in 1671 (Clode, Memorials of the Merchant Taylors' Company, p. 558; Early History, ii. 348).
He was elected sheriff on midsummer day 1670, and on 18 Oct. in the same year became alderman for the ward of Farringdon Within (Repertory 75, fol. 301). At the mayoralty banquet on 29 Oct. 1675, which the king honoured with his presence, Ward, with other aldermen, was knighted (Le Neve, Pedigrees of Knights, p. 301). He was elected lord mayor on Michaelmas day 1680, and entered into office on 29 Oct. following. In his election speech (London, 1680, fol.) he strongly maintained protestant principles. The pageant was of great magnificence, and was provided at the cost of the Merchant Taylors' Company, by Thomas Jordan [q. v.], the city poet. It is of special interest, and is fully described in Hone's ‘Every Day Book’ (i. 1446–53); a copy of the original is in the Guildhall Library.
On 28 March 1681 the king dissolved his third short parliament, and on 13 May the common council, by a narrow majority of fourteen, agreed to address the king, praying him to cause a parliament to meet, and continue to sit until due provision were made for the security of his majesty's person and his people. Ward, who sided with the opposition, had the unthankful task of presenting this address, and the first attempt to do so failed, the deputation being told to meet the king at Hampton Court on 19 May. When that day arrived the civic deputation were summarily dismissed. Ward, however, received a vote of thanks from the grand jury at the Old Bailey for the part he had taken in presenting the address (Guildhall Library, London Pamphlets, vol. xii. No. 12; Luttrell, Relation of State Affairs, i. 84, 87, 88). He received further thanks from the common hall on 24 June, and was desired to present another address to the king, assuring his majesty that the late address truly reflected the feeling of that assembly. This address, presented on 7 July, was received with no less disfavour, Ward and his colleagues being again told to mind their own business (Luttrell, i. 107).
The ultra-protestantism of the city, probably directed by Ward, had early in his mayoralty led to an additional inscription being engraved on the Monument, stating that the fire of London had been caused by the papists; and an inscription to the same effect was ordered to be placed on the house in Pudding Lane where the fire began. Sir Patience incurred much odium through his connection with these inscriptions. Thomas Ward (1652–1708) [q. v.] in his ‘England's Reformation’ (1710, canto iv. p. 100), speaking of Titus Oates and his discoveries, wrote:
That sniffling whig-mayor, Patience Ward,
To this damn'd lie had such regard,
That he his godly masons sent
T' engrave it round the Monument.
They did so; but let such things pass,
His men were fools, and he an ass
(Welch, History of the Monument, 1893, pp. 38–40).
The court party succeeded this year in turning their opponents out of the city lieutenancy, whereby the lord mayor lost his commission as a colonel of a regiment of the trained bands. At the close of his mayoralty Ward was succeeded by Sir John Moore (1620–1702) [q. v.], a determined partisan of the court, whose election was not, however, secured without the unusual circumstance of a poll. One of the last incidents in Ward's mayoralty was the resolution of the corporation to undertake the business of fire insurance on behalf of the citizens (ib. p. 135). On 19 May 1683 Ward was tried for perjury in connection with the action brought by the Duke of York against Sir Thomas Pilkington for scandalum magnatum. He was accused of having sworn that to the best of his remembrance he did not hear the words spoken which were said to be criminal. After much conflicting evidence he was found guilty (Maitland, History of London, 1756, i. 476), and fled to Holland (Luttrell, i. 259). During his exile abroad he was in constant communication with Thomas Papillon [q. v.], the sheriff-elect of 1682, who had also been driven into exile. A portion of their correspondence is printed by Mr. A. F. W. Papillon in his ‘Memoirs of Thomas Papillon’ (1887, pp. 336–347). On 10 Feb. 1687–8 he pleaded his majesty's pardon by attorney for his conviction of perjury (Luttrell, i. 431).
The accession of William III restored him to full favour and honour. He was elected one of the four city members to serve in the convention summoned to meet
