Henry George Woods (16 June 1842 – 19 July 1915) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

clergyman and academic. He was President of Trinity College, Oxford, from 1887 to 1897 and

Master of the Temple The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Je ...

from 1904 to 1915.

Early life

Woods was born on 16 June 1842 in Woodend, Northamptonshire. He was educated at Lancing College, an

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

in Lancing, West Sussex. As an exhibitioner and later a scholar, he studied

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He gained a

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

in '' Mods'' in 1863 and a first in '' Greats'' in 1865.

Academic career

In 1865, Woods was elected a fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. In 1866, he was appointed a tutor. He served as bursar from 1867 to 1887. In 1887, he was elected President of Trinity College, Oxford. He resigned the post in 1897; his wife's health was deteriorating at the time and this was given as the reason for his resignation. He was elected an honorary fellow of Trinity College in 1898.

Religious life

On 23 December 1866, Woods was ordained a deacon in the Church of England by Samuel Wilberforce, the then Bishop of Oxford, at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. He was ordained a priest the following year. From 1900 to 1904, he was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Little Gaddesden,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. In 1904, he was appointed

, the lead cleric of the Temple Church, London. The Temple Church was the headquarters of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

before they were disbanded in the 14th century. He died on 19 July 1915 at the Master's House, his home in London as Master of the Temple. He was buried at

Holywell Cemetery Holywell Cemetery is next to St Cross Church in Oxford, England. The cemetery is behind the church in St Cross Road, south of Holywell Manor on Manor Road and north of Longwall Street, in the parish of Holywell. History In the mid 19th centu ...

in Oxford.

Personal life

In 1879, Woods married Margaret Louisa Bradley, a novelist and poet. She was the daughter of

George Bradley George Washington Bradley (July 13, 1852 – October 2, 1931), nicknamed "Grin", was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He played for multiple teams in the early years of the National League, the oldest lea ...

, an academic and senior priest, who served as Dean of Westminster from 1881 to 1902. Woods and his wife had three sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Henry George 1842 births 1915 deaths 20th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Anglican priests Presidents of Trinity College, Oxford People educated at Lancing College Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford People from West Northamptonshire District Burials at Holywell Cemetery Masters of the Temple