William Ward was an English Roman Catholic priest born around 1560 in Thornby. After likely converting from Anglicanism, he pursued his religious studies at Douay College, where he was ordained in 1608. Following a period of imprisonment in Scotland, he returned to England to serve as a priest for three decades. Known for his intense temperament and dedication to the sacrament of confession, he remained in London despite a parliamentary decree ordering the banishment of priests under penalty of death.