Robin Woods
Encyclopedia
Robert Wilmer Woods, KCMG
, KCVO
, always called Robin Woods, (born 14 February 1914, died 20 October 1997) was an English Anglican divine, Dean of Windsor
and Bishop of Worcester
.
. His mother was Clemence Barclay (died 14 October 1952), a member of the family of Barclay of Higham.
He was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
, and Trinity College, Cambridge
.
in 1938 and a priest in 1939. He was asst Secretary of the Student Christian Movement between 1937 and 1942. His first clerical position was as curate at St Edmund the King, Lombard Street, London
, 1938–1939, and at Hoddesdon
, 1939-1942. During the Second World War, he served as a Chaplain to the Forces (1942–1946) and was mentioned in despatches in 1944.
After the war, he was given his first benefice as Vicar of South Wigston
, Leicester
, in 1946, then in 1951 went to Malaya
as Archdeacon of Singapore
and Vicar of St Andrew's Cathedral. In 1958 he returned to England to become Archdeacon of Sheffield
and Rector of Tankersley
. In 1962, he was appointed Dean of Windsor
and Domestic Chaplain to H.M. the Queen and played an influential part in the education of Charles, Prince of Wales
. It was his recommendation to send Charles to Trinity College, Cambridge
, his own old college. While at Windsor, he also served also as Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
. In 1970, he became Bishop of Worcester
and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
, an honour in the personal gift of the sovereign. He retired in 1981.
According to his obituary in The Times
, Woods was the most successful Dean of Windsor in the twentieth century.
Other positions Woods held include:
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, always called Robin Woods, (born 14 February 1914, died 20 October 1997) was an English Anglican divine, Dean of Windsor
Dean of Windsor
The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the Canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as primus inter pares.-List of Deans of Windsor:* William Mugge, 1348* Walter Almaly, 1380...
and Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
.
Background and education
Woods was the youngest son of the Right Reverend Edward Sydney Woods (died 11 January 1953), Bishop of LichfieldBishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
. His mother was Clemence Barclay (died 14 October 1952), a member of the family of Barclay of Higham.
He was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
Career
Woods was ordained a deacon of the Church of EnglandChurch 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...
in 1938 and a priest in 1939. He was asst Secretary of the Student Christian Movement between 1937 and 1942. His first clerical position was as curate at St Edmund the King, Lombard Street, London
London
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...
, 1938–1939, and at Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon is a town in the English county of Hertfordshire, situated in the Lea Valley. The town grew up as a coaching stop on the route between Cambridge and London. It is located southeast of Hertford, north of Waltham Cross and southwest of Bishop's Stortford. At its height during the 18th...
, 1939-1942. During the Second World War, he served as a Chaplain to the Forces (1942–1946) and was mentioned in despatches in 1944.
After the war, he was given his first benefice as Vicar of South Wigston
South Wigston
South Wigston is a suburb of Leicester, England. It is outside the city boundary, forming part of the Oadby and Wigston district of Leicestershire.-Geography and administration:...
, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, in 1946, then in 1951 went to Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
as Archdeacon of Singapore
Singapore
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...
and Vicar of St Andrew's Cathedral. In 1958 he returned to England to become Archdeacon of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and Rector of Tankersley
Tankersley, South Yorkshire
Tankersley is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 1,414....
. In 1962, he was appointed Dean of Windsor
Dean of Windsor
The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the Canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as primus inter pares.-List of Deans of Windsor:* William Mugge, 1348* Walter Almaly, 1380...
and Domestic Chaplain to H.M. the Queen and played an influential part in the education of Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
. It was his recommendation to send Charles to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, his own old college. While at Windsor, he also served also as Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. In 1970, he became Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, an honour in the personal gift of the sovereign. He retired in 1981.
According to his obituary in 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...
, Woods was the most successful Dean of Windsor in the twentieth century.
Other positions Woods held include:
- Prelate of the Most Noble Order of the GarterOrder of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
- Prelate of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
- Secretary of the Anglican-Methodist Commission for Unity, 1965–1974
- Member of Council of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, from 1968
- Member of the Public Schools Commission, 1968–1970
- Governor of Haileybury and Imperial Service CollegeHaileybury and Imperial Service CollegeHaileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
- Visitor of Malvern CollegeMalvern CollegeMalvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
, 1970–1981 - President and Chairman of Council of Queen's College, BirminghamQueen's College, BirminghamThe Birmingham Medical School was founded by surgeon William Sands Cox in 1828 as a residential college for medical students in central Birmingham, England. It was the first Birmingham institution to award degrees, through the University of London. Cox went on to found the Queen's Hospital in Bath...
, 1970–1985 - Chairman of the Windsor Festival Company, 1969–1971
- Chairman of the Churches Television Centre, 1969–79
- Director of Christian AidChristian AidChristian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...
, 1969
Honours
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, 1971 - Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, 1989 - A judge of the Templeton PrizeTempleton PrizeThe Templeton Prize is an annual award presented by the Templeton Foundation. Established in 1972, it is awarded to a living person who, in the estimation of the judges, "has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical...
Family
Woods married Henrietta ("Etta") Marian Wilson, in 1942, and they had two sons and three daughters. His widow died on 8 February 2005, at the age of 88. Through this marriage Woods became one of the wealthiest clergy in the Church of England.Publications
- Lord of All, Hear Our Prayer (ed.)
- Robin Woods: an autobiography (1986) ISBN 9780334024248