Julian Tenison Woods
Encyclopedia
Julian Edmund Tenison Woods (15 November 1832 – 7 October 1889) was an English Roman Catholic
priest and geologist
, active in Australia
. With Saint Mary MacKillop
, he helped to found the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
at Penola in 1866.
, the sixth son (of eleven children) of James Tenison Woods, Q.C., a sub-editor of The Times
, and his wife, Henrietta Maria Saint-Eloy née Tenison, daughter of the Rev. Joseph Tenison. James Woods was a Roman Catholic, but apparently not a very strict one. His mother belonged to the Church of England
and was of the same family as Archbishop Tenison
, well-known around the beginning of the eighteenth century. Julian Woods was baptized and confirmed in the church of his father but probably during his youth there was a period when he fell away from his church. His own manuscript memoirs, written during his last illness, represents him as leading the life of an Anglican when 16 years old, and being converted to Catholicism soon afterwards. Woods' biographer, the Rev. George O'Neill, S.J.
, discusses the question at some length and gives reasons for thinking that Woods's memory at the time of writing the memoir may be untrustworthy.
Woods was educated at SEECS, Kent House, Hammersmith, and for two years at Newington Grammar School.
with his mother whose health had failed. Woods returned to London in less than two years and resumed his position at The Times office. In 1850 Woods entered the monastery of the Passionist Order at Broadway in Worcestershire
and became a novice. His health began to fail and he studied at Marist seminaries near Toulon
, France
; where he also taught English at a Naval College. Around this time his interest in geology and natural history appears to have begun.
In 1854, in England, Woods met Bishop Robert Willson
and travelled with him to Van Diemen's Land
(now Tasmania
) arriving in Hobart
in the Bernicia on 30 January 1855. Woods disagreed with Willson and left for Adelaide
around March/April 1855. Woods worked for the Adelaide Times as a sub-editor, then entered the Jesuit college at Sevenhill near Clare
.
. Woods published his first book, Geological Observations in South Australia in 1862. With Saint Mary MacKillop
he helped to found the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
at Penola in 1866.
Woods made regular long journeys over his large parish and systematically visited every place where he would find a member of his church. The climate improved his health, he was free from anxieties and passed through 10 happy years.
Woods joined an exploring party that was starting for the interior and began a methodical study of geology and mineralogy.
After four years as director of Catholic education, Woods continued working as a scientist and missionary priest in New South Wales
, Tasmania
and Queensland
.
Woods met Adam Lindsay Gordon
of whom he afterwards wrote an interesting account which appeared in the Melbourne Review for April 1884. Early in 1867 Woods was transferred to Adelaide, was appointed director-general of Catholic education and secretary to Bishop Laurence Sheil
, with the clerical style of The Very Reverend
. Another of his duties was the administration of the newly-erected cathedral.
Woods founded a small monthly magazine called the Southern Cross in 1867. It ceased after two years, but was revived in 1870 under the name of The Chaplet and Advocate of the Children of Mary.
Woods was working long hours and under many anxieties, his health again broke down. In 1872 there was an episcopal investigation into the general conditions of the Diocese of Adelaide. The result was that Woods was deposed from his various positions and he left Adelaide. He began working in the Bathurst
diocese and in 1873 went to Brisbane
and worked as a missionary for almost a year. In January 1874 he left for Tasmania, stopping for a few days at Melbourne where, on 13 February, he gave a scientific lecture. In Tasmania he had great success as a missioner.
In 1878 Woods joined the Linnean Society of New South Wales
, he had taken up his scientific work again after leaving Adelaide. He was elected president of the society in 1880 and took much interest in its activities. He had been for many years a fellow of the Geological Society. London. Woods' Fish and Fisheries of New South Wales (Sydney, 1883), was published by the colonial government and William III of the Netherlands
awarded Woods a gold medal for it.
, Sir Frederick Weld, to undertake a scientific tour in the Straits Settlements
. Woods also travelled extensively in Java
, the adjacent islands and the Philippines
, and provided the British government with a valuable confidential report on the coal
resources of the East. Woods travelled to China
and Japan
and returned to Sydney in 1886. Shortly afterwards he was away for four months on an exploration in the Northern Territory
.
for distinguished contribution to Natural Science
and a grant of £25 by the Royal Society of New South Wales
. Early in 1889 his health began to grow steadily worse and after much patient suffering he died at St Vincent's Hospital on 7 October 1889 and was buried in the Roman Catholic section at Waverley Cemetery
, Sydney.
Woods possessed a remarkable personality. From James Bonwick
, who met Woods in 1857, to Edgeworth David
a quarter of a century later, all unite in extolling his fascination and charm. Woods had great knowledge, was a good musician, and had artistic ability. In his church his powers as a speaker made him a great missionary. An unselfish man, he loved his fellow men, was sincere, and had great piety; yet unfortunately Woods was often in disagreement with his superiors. It is impossible to apportion the blame for these troubles, but noted academic and priest, Fr. George O'Neill, discusses them in detail in his biography. As a scientist, Woods did excellent work in botany, zoology and particularly in geology. A list of his scientific writings, which included 155 items, was published as a pamphlet without imprint around 1887.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest and geologist
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, active in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. With Saint Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop
Mary Helen MacKillop , also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on...
, he helped to found the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites , were founded in Penola, South Australia in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods....
at Penola in 1866.
Early life
Woods was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the sixth son (of eleven children) of James Tenison Woods, Q.C., a sub-editor of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and his wife, Henrietta Maria Saint-Eloy née Tenison, daughter of the Rev. Joseph Tenison. James Woods was a Roman Catholic, but apparently not a very strict one. His mother belonged to the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and was of the same family as Archbishop Tenison
Thomas Tenison
Thomas Tenison was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs.-Life:...
, well-known around the beginning of the eighteenth century. Julian Woods was baptized and confirmed in the church of his father but probably during his youth there was a period when he fell away from his church. His own manuscript memoirs, written during his last illness, represents him as leading the life of an Anglican when 16 years old, and being converted to Catholicism soon afterwards. Woods' biographer, the Rev. George O'Neill, S.J.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, discusses the question at some length and gives reasons for thinking that Woods's memory at the time of writing the memoir may be untrustworthy.
Woods was educated at SEECS, Kent House, Hammersmith, and for two years at Newington Grammar School.
Early career
In 1846 Woods obtained a position in The Times office, but after a few weeks went to live at JerseyJersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
with his mother whose health had failed. Woods returned to London in less than two years and resumed his position at The Times office. In 1850 Woods entered the monastery of the Passionist Order at Broadway in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
and became a novice. His health began to fail and he studied at Marist seminaries near Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; where he also taught English at a Naval College. Around this time his interest in geology and natural history appears to have begun.
In 1854, in England, Woods met Bishop Robert Willson
Robert William Willson
Robert William Willson was an English Roman Catholic Bishop, the first Bishop of Hobart and an advocate, on behalf of, convicts in Australia.-Life:...
and travelled with him to Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
(now Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) arriving in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
in the Bernicia on 30 January 1855. Woods disagreed with Willson and left for Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
around March/April 1855. Woods worked for the Adelaide Times as a sub-editor, then entered the Jesuit college at Sevenhill near Clare
Clare, South Australia
The town of Clare is located in South Australia in the Mid North region, 136 km north of Adelaide. It gives its name to the Clare Valley wine and tourist region.-History:One of the first settlers in the area was John Horrocks, in 1839...
.
Priesthood
Woods was ordained as a diocesan priest on 4 January 1857 and took charge of the large parish of PenolaPenola, South Australia
Penola is located 388 km south east of Adelaide and is in the heart of one of South Australia's most productive wine growing areas. Coonawarra lies just to the north and is renowned for the quality of its red wines...
. Woods published his first book, Geological Observations in South Australia in 1862. With Saint Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop
Mary Helen MacKillop , also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on...
he helped to found the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites , were founded in Penola, South Australia in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods....
at Penola in 1866.
Woods made regular long journeys over his large parish and systematically visited every place where he would find a member of his church. The climate improved his health, he was free from anxieties and passed through 10 happy years.
Woods joined an exploring party that was starting for the interior and began a methodical study of geology and mineralogy.
After four years as director of Catholic education, Woods continued working as a scientist and missionary priest in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Woods met Adam Lindsay Gordon
Adam Lindsay Gordon
Adam Lindsay Gordon was an Australian poet, jockey and politician.- Early life :Gordon was born at Fayal in the Azores, son of Captain Adam Durnford Gordon who had married his first cousin, Harriet Gordon, both of whom were descended from Adam of Gordon of the ballad...
of whom he afterwards wrote an interesting account which appeared in the Melbourne Review for April 1884. Early in 1867 Woods was transferred to Adelaide, was appointed director-general of Catholic education and secretary to Bishop Laurence Sheil
Laurence Sheil
Laurence Bonaventure Sheil was an Australian clergyman and the third Bishop of Adelaide. Born in Ireland, Sheil moved to Victoria, Australia after becoming a Franciscan priest. There, he served as an educator and administrator, before poor health saw him move to Ballarat as an archdeacon. In...
, with the clerical style of The Very Reverend
Very Reverend
The Very Reverend is a style given to certain religious figures.*In the Roman Catholic Church, by custom, priests who hold positions of particular note: e.g...
. Another of his duties was the administration of the newly-erected cathedral.
Woods founded a small monthly magazine called the Southern Cross in 1867. It ceased after two years, but was revived in 1870 under the name of The Chaplet and Advocate of the Children of Mary.
Woods was working long hours and under many anxieties, his health again broke down. In 1872 there was an episcopal investigation into the general conditions of the Diocese of Adelaide. The result was that Woods was deposed from his various positions and he left Adelaide. He began working in the Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
diocese and in 1873 went to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and worked as a missionary for almost a year. In January 1874 he left for Tasmania, stopping for a few days at Melbourne where, on 13 February, he gave a scientific lecture. In Tasmania he had great success as a missioner.
Geological work
Woods was fortunate that his district contained many formations of great geological interest. He kept in touch with other scientists and built up a library of scientific books. Woods published his first book, Geological Observations in South Australia, in 1862. His History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia (London, 1865) in two volumes, and his serialized 'Australian bibliography' in the Australian Monthly Magazine, (1866–67), show Woods' broad knowledge. On his occasional visits to cities he sometimes gave scientific lectures, and wherever he went he was interested in the geology and natural history of the district.In 1878 Woods joined the Linnean Society of New South Wales
Linnean Society of New South Wales
The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. It succeeded the Entomological Society of New South Wales, founded in 1862 and folded in...
, he had taken up his scientific work again after leaving Adelaide. He was elected president of the society in 1880 and took much interest in its activities. He had been for many years a fellow of the Geological Society. London. Woods' Fish and Fisheries of New South Wales (Sydney, 1883), was published by the colonial government and William III of the Netherlands
William III of the Netherlands
William III was from 1849 King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg until his death and the Duke of Limburg until the abolition of the Duchy in 1866.-Early life:William was born in Brussels as son of William II of the Netherlands and...
awarded Woods a gold medal for it.
Exploration
In 1883 Woods was invited by his friend and governor of SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Sir Frederick Weld, to undertake a scientific tour in the Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
. Woods also travelled extensively in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, the adjacent islands and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and provided the British government with a valuable confidential report on the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
resources of the East. Woods travelled to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and returned to Sydney in 1886. Shortly afterwards he was away for four months on an exploration in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
.
Weakening health and death
On Woods' return in May 1887 he found his eyesight and general health were weakened. He found a home in Sydney in one of the charitable communities he had founded, but was told by Cardinal Moran that if he wished to remain in the diocese and exercise his priestly faculties, he was to take up his residence in a place appointed for him. Woods disregarded his instructions. He had received and given away a large amount paid to him for his scientific work for the government, and was now poor and feeble. Woods did not lack friends, however, and was well-cared for. Woods dictated his partly fanciful autobiographical memoir to his carers. One of his last works was a paper on the "Natural History of the Mollusca of Australia" for which he was awarded the 1888 Clarke MedalClarke Medal
The Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales for distinguished work in the Natural sciences.Named in honour of the Reverend William Branwhite Clarke, one of the founders of the Society...
for distinguished contribution to Natural Science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
and a grant of £25 by the Royal Society of New South Wales
Royal Society of New South Wales
The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. It was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June 1821...
. Early in 1889 his health began to grow steadily worse and after much patient suffering he died at St Vincent's Hospital on 7 October 1889 and was buried in the Roman Catholic section at Waverley Cemetery
Waverley Cemetery
The Waverley Cemetery opened in 1877 and is a cemetery located on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. It is noted for its largely intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments. The cemetery contains the graves of many significant Australians including the poet Henry Lawson and...
, Sydney.
Woods possessed a remarkable personality. From James Bonwick
James Bonwick
James Bonwick was an English-born Australian historical and educational writer.-Early life:Bonwick was born Lingfield, Surrey, England, the eldest son of James Bonwick, carpenter, and his second wife Mary Ann née Preston...
, who met Woods in 1857, to Edgeworth David
Edgeworth David
Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David KBE, DSO, FRS, was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter Valley coalfield in New South Wales and leading the first expedition to reach the...
a quarter of a century later, all unite in extolling his fascination and charm. Woods had great knowledge, was a good musician, and had artistic ability. In his church his powers as a speaker made him a great missionary. An unselfish man, he loved his fellow men, was sincere, and had great piety; yet unfortunately Woods was often in disagreement with his superiors. It is impossible to apportion the blame for these troubles, but noted academic and priest, Fr. George O'Neill, discusses them in detail in his biography. As a scientist, Woods did excellent work in botany, zoology and particularly in geology. A list of his scientific writings, which included 155 items, was published as a pamphlet without imprint around 1887.