1735. His father, a man of some reputation both in the church and in literature, was the Revd. Ferdinando Warner who claimed to be of the same family with bishop Warner of Rochester but is said to have been educated at a "dissenting academy" at Findern, near Derby, which for many years was directed with great reputation by Ebenezer Latham, M.D. He held the vicarage of Ronde in Wiltshire from 1730 to 1747, became the rector of the London parish of St. Michael, Queenhythe, in February 1746-7, and, through the gift of the dean and chapter of St. Paul's cathedral, held with it from 1758 the rectory of Barnes. He died on the 3rd of October 1768 aged 64, leaving behind him a reputation for preaching and for ability but nothing more substantial. Many years previously he had published the "scheme of a fund for the better maintenance of the widows and children of the clergy, 1752" which had more than once been submitted to the Archbishop of Canterbury and had received some alterations from him. He illustrated in his own case the necessity for such a scheme of assistance, for he left his family without any resource save that which they might receive from his son.
The chief works of Ferdinando Warner in literature related to Ireland. In 1763 he published the first volume, bringing the narrative down to the year 1171, of a history of that country. His preface sets out the assistance which he had received, especially the generous hospitality of Trinity College, when examining the foundation-libraries and the private collections at Dublin. But he was disappointed in his expectations of a grant from the Irish Parliament towards its continuance, and it went no farther. In 1767 he brought out the narrative "of the rebellion and the civil war" which devastated that land. Lecky speaks of this work as "very valuable" and praises him as "a very honest, moderate and painstaking writer." His pen was often in request by the
