Ledward was born in
Burslem, Staffordshire, in 1857; he was a son of Richard Perry Ledward, of the firm Pinder, Bourne & Co. of Burslem. Ledward was employed as modeller by that firm, and studied in the
Burslem School of Art; on obtaining a national scholarship he continued his studies at the
South Kensington School of Art. There he obtained a gold medal for modelling from the life, and was appointed a master of modelling. Subsequently he became modelling master at the
Westminster School of Art and
Blackheath School of Art. He exhibited at the
Royal Academy in 1882 and the following years. One work of his, "A Young Mother", attracted favourable notice. He made several well-regarded busts, including those of
Henry Broadhurst,
William Ewart Gladstone, Sir
Philip Cunliffe-Owen, and others. Ledward lived in
Chelsea, and died of rheumatism on 28 October 1890. He was buried at
Perivale Church, near Ealing. ==Family==