Robin Woods

Robin Woods
Robin Woods
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1942–1946
Rank	Chaplain to the Forces
Service number	239275
Unit	Royal Army Chaplains' Department
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Mentioned in Dispatches

The Right Reverend

Robin Woods

KCMG KCVO
The Right Reverend; Robin Woods; KCMG KCVO
Bishop of Worcester
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Diocese of Worcester
In office	1971 to 1982
Orders
Ordination	1938 (deacon) ; 1939 (priest)
Consecration	c. 1971
Personal details
Born	Robert Wilmer Woods; 14 February 1914
Died	20 October 1997 (aged 83)
Nationality	English
Denomination	Anglicanism
Education	Gresham's School
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge

Robert Wilmer Woods, KCMG, KCVO (14 February 1914 – 20 October 1997), known as Robin Woods, was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Worcester from 1971 to 1982. He previously served as Archdeacon of Sheffield from 1958 to 1962, and as Dean of Windsor from 1962 to 1970.

Background and education

Woods was the youngest son of the Right Reverend Edward Sydney Woods (died 11 January 1953), Bishop of Lichfield. 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.

Career

Military service

Woods served in the British Army during World War II from 1942 to 1946. On 26 September 1942, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Chaplains' Department as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (equivalent to captain).^[1] In November 1945, he was mentioned in despatches "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Italy".^[2]

Ordained ministry

Woods was ordained a deacon of the Church of England 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.

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.

Other positions Woods held include:

Prelate of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
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

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 clergy in the Church of England.

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.

Who's Who 1993 (A. & C. Black, London, 1993) page 2063
Robin Woods: an autobiography by Robin Woods (SCM Press, 1986)
Telegraph wills.

Church of England titles
Preceded by Douglas Harrison	Archdeacon of Sheffield 1958–1962	Succeeded by Hayman Johnson
Preceded by Lewis Mervyn Charles-Edwards	Bishop of Worcester 1971–1982	Succeeded by Philip Goodrich

[LG_22_September_1942-1] "No. 35716". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 September 1942. p. 4161.

[LG_27_November_1945-2] "No. 37368". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 November 1945. pp. 5791–5817.

[1]

[2]

v t e Deans of Windsor
Late Medieval	William Mugge Walter Almaly Thomas Butler Richard Kingston John Arundel Thomas Manning John Faux William Morland William Dudley Peter Courtenay Richard Beauchamp Thomas Danett William Bealey John Morgan Christopher Urswick
Early modern	Christopher Bainbridge Thomas Hobbs Nicholas West John Vesey John Clerk Richard Sampson William Franklyn Owen Oglethorpe Hugh Weston John Boxall George Carew William Day Robert Bennet Giles Thomson Anthony Maxey Marco Antonio de Dominis Henry Beaumont Matthew Wren Christopher Wren Edward Hyde Bruno Ryves John Durell Francis Turner Gregory Hascard Thomas Manningham John Robinson The Lord Willoughby de Broke Peniston Booth Frederick Keppel John Harley John Douglas James Cornwallis Charles Manners-Sutton
Late modern	Edward Legge Henry Hobart George Neville-Grenville Gerald Wellesley George Connor Randall Davidson Philip Eliot Albert Baillie Eric Hamilton Robin Woods Launcelot Fleming Michael Mann Patrick Mitchell David Conner Christopher Cocksworth

v t e Bishops of Worcester
Early medieval	Bosel Oftfor Egwin of Evesham Wilfrith (I) Milred Waermund Tilhere Heathured Denebeorht Heahbeorht Ealhhun Werferth Æthelhun Wilfrith (II) Koenwald Dunstan Oswald Ealdwulf
High medieval	Wulfstan (I) Leofsige Beorhtheah Lyfing Ælfric Puttoc Lyfing Ealdred Wulfstan (II) Samson Theulf Simon John de Pageham Alured Roger Baldwin of Forde William of Northall Robert FitzRalph Henry de Sully John of Coutances Mauger Randulf of Evesham Walter de Gray Sylvester William de Blois Walter de Cantilupe Nicholas of Ely Godfrey Giffard
Late medieval	John St German William Gainsborough Walter Reynolds Walter Maidstone Thomas Cobham Wulstan Bransford Adam Orleton Simon Montacute Thomas Hemenhale Wulstan Bransford John of Thoresby Reginald Brian John Barnet William Whittlesey William Lenn Walter Lyghe Henry Wakefield Robert Tideman of Winchcombe Richard Clifford Thomas Peverel Philip Morgan Thomas Polton Thomas Brunce Thomas Bourchier John Carpenter ("Bishop of Worcester and Westbury") John Alcock Robert Morton Giovanni de' Gigli
Early modern	Silvestro de' Gigli Girolamo Ghinucci Hugh Latimer John Bell Nicholas Heath John Hooper, Bishop of Worcester and Gloucester Nicholas Heath Richard Pate Edwin Sandys Nicholas Bullingham John Whitgift Edmund Freke Richard Fletcher Thomas Bilson Gervase Babington Henry Parry John Thornborough John Prideaux Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) George Morley John Gauden John Earle Robert Skinner Walter Blandford James Fleetwood William Thomas Edward Stillingfleet William Lloyd John Hough Isaac Maddox James Johnson Brownlow North Richard Hurd
Late modern	Folliott Cornewall Robert Carr Henry Pepys Henry Philpott John Perowne Charles Gore Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs Ernest Pearce Arthur Perowne William Wilson Cash Mervyn Charles-Edwards Robin Woods Philip Goodrich Peter Selby John Inge

v t e Archdeacons of Sheffield and of Sheffield and Rotherham
Sheffield	John Blakeney Henry Favell John Eyre Herbert Gresford Jones Charles Lisle Carr Russell Darbyshire Alfred Jarvis Alexander Doull Alfred Jarvis William Baker Douglas Harrison Robin Woods Hayman Johnson Michael Paton Stephen Lowe
Sheffield & Rotherham	Richard Blackburn Martyn Snow Malcolm Chamberlain

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