Robin Woods
Mentioned in Dispatches |
|---|
Robert Wilmer Woods,
Early life and education
Woods was the youngest son of the Right Reverend Edward Sydney Woods (1877–1953), Bishop of Lichfield, and Clemence Barclay. He was the brother of the photographer Janet Woods, Samuel Woods, an archdeacon in New Zealand, and Frank Woods, Archbishop of Melbourne, and a nephew of Theodore Woods, who had served as Bishop of Winchester.
He was educated at
.Career
Ordained ministry
Woods was ordained a deacon of the Church of England in 1938 and a priest in 1939. He was Assistant 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.
Military service
Woods served in the
Post-war
After the war, he was given his first benefice as Vicar of
Other positions Woods held include:
- Prelate of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 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 College
- Visitor of Malvern College, 1970–1981
- President and Chairman of Council of Queen's College, Birmingham, 1970–1985
- Chairman of the Windsor Festival Company, 1969–1971
- Chairman of the Churches Television Centre, 1969–79
- Director of Christian Aid, 1969
Later life and death
His ashes are buried in the cloisters of Worcester Cathedral.
According to his obituary in The Times, Woods was the most successful Dean of Windsor in the twentieth century.
Honours
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, 1971
- Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1989
- A judge of the Templeton Prize
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 clergymen in the Church of England.
In television
Woods was portrayed by Tim McMullan in the Netflix series The Crown, although his appointment as Dean of Windsor appears to be set around the time of the first Moon landing in 1969.
Publications
- Lord of All, Hear Our Prayer (ed.)
- Robin Woods: an autobiography (1986) ISBN 978-0-334-02424-8
References
- ^ "No. 35716". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 September 1942. p. 4161.
- ^ "No. 37368". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 November 1945. pp. 5791–5817.
- ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 August 2023 – via UK Press Online archives.
Sources
- Who's Who 1993 (A. & C. Black, London, 1993) p.2063
- Robin Woods: an autobiography (SCM Press, 1986)
- Telegraph wills
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
