Frank Woods (bishop)

Australian Anglican bishop

Not to be confused with Frank Theodore Woods.

For other people with the same name, see Frank Woods (disambiguation).

The Most Reverend Sir

Frank Woods

KBE ChStJ

Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne
Church| Anglican Church of Australia
Province| Victoria
Diocese| Melbourne
In office| 1958 to 1977
Predecessor| Joseph Booth
Successor| Robert Dann
Other post(s)| Anglican Primate of Australia (1971–1977)
Orders
Ordination| 1932 (priest)
Consecration| 1952
by Cyril Garbett
Personal details
Born| (1907-04-06)6 April 1907

Davos, Switzerland

Died| 29 November 1992(1992-11-29) (aged 85)
Denomination| Anglicanism
Spouse| Jean Sprules

(m. 1936)​

Education| Marlborough College
Alma mater| Trinity College, Cambridge

Sir Frank Woods KBE ChStJ (6 April 1907 – 29 November 1992) was an Australian Anglican bishop. From 1957 to 1977, he was Archbishop of Melbourne. He was also the Primate of Australia from 1971 to 1977.

## Life and career

[edit]

### Early life

[edit]

Woods was born in 1907 in Davos, Switzerland. He was the son of the Right Reverend Edward Sydney Woods (1877-1953), Bishop of Lichfield in the Church of England, and Rachel Clemence Barclay. In 1914, the family moved back to England where his father became an army chaplain and vicar before his consecration as the suffragan Bishop of Croydon in 1930, later becoming Bishop of Lichfield in 1937.[1]

Woods' siblings included the photographer Janet Woods, Samuel Woods, an archdeacon in New Zealand, and Robin Woods, Bishop of Worcester. His uncle Theodore Woods was Bishop of Winchester.[citation needed]

### Education

[edit]

Woods was educated at Marlborough College from 1920. In 1929 he was elected president of the Student Christian Movement (SCM) at Cambridge.

In 1930, Woods attended Trinity College, Cambridge, which lead to his master's degree in 1933.[1][2]

### Later years

[edit]

On 9 June 1936, Woods married Jean Margaret Sprules. His father was the officiant of the wedding service which was held at St Alban's Abbey.[1]

## Ordained ministry

[edit]

Woods was ordained as a priest in 1932.[3] After a curacy at St Mary's Church, Portsea, in the Diocese of Portsmouth he became chaplain of his Cambridge alma mater, Trinity College.[4] He then became vice-principal of Wells Theological College. During the Second World War, he served as a chaplain in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and then, successively, a vicar in Huddersfield (1945–52); Suffragan Bishop of Middleton (1952–57);[5] and, in 1957, Archbishop of Melbourne for over 20 years.[6] From 1971 he was also the Anglican Primate of Australia.[citation needed]

## Honours

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Woods was appointed, on 3 June 1972, a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).[7] He used the title of "Sir", as is the established protocol in Australia for knighted clergy.[8][9] He was also a Chaplain of the Order of St John (ChStJ).[citation needed]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Porter, Brian, "Woods, Frank (1907–1992)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 16 August 2023
2. ^ "Archbishop Sir Frank Woods (1907-1992) | East Melbourne Historical Society". emhs.org.au. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
3. ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory 1975–76 London: Oxford University Press, 1976 ISBN 0-19-200008-X
4. ^ "Who was Who 1897–1990", London, A & C Black, 1991, ISBN 0-7136-3457-X
5. ^ The Times, 19 November 1951; p. 6; "New Bishop Suffragan of Middleton: Right Rev. F. Woods"
6. ^ The Times, 23 August 1957, p. 8; "New Archbishop of Melbourne: Most Rev. F. Woods"
7. ^ "It's an Honour: KBE"
8. ^ East Melbourne Historical Society, "Archbishop Frank Woods (1907–1992)"
9. ^ Archbishop Frank Woods 1907–92 : a tribute compiled by Anglican Media

Church of England titles

Preceded by

Edward Mowll

|  Bishop of Middleton
1952 to 1958  | Succeeded by

Robert Nelson

Anglican Communion titles
Preceded by

Joseph Booth

|  Archbishop of Melbourne
1957 to 1977  | Succeeded by

Bob Dann

Preceded by

Philip Strong

|  Primate of Australia
1971 to 1977  | Succeeded by

Marcus Loane

* v
* t
* e

Bishops of Middleton

* Richard Parsons
* Cecil Wilson
* Arthur Alston
* Edward Mowll
* Frank Woods
* Robert Nelson
* Ted Wickham
* Donald Tytler
* Stephen Venner
* Michael Lewis
* Mark Davies

* v
* t
* e

Bishops and archbishops of Melbourne

Bishops|

* Charles Perry
* James Moorhouse
* Field Flowers Goe
* Lowther Clarke

Archbishops|

* Lowther Clarke
* Harrington Lees
* Frederick Head
* Joseph Booth
* Frank Woods
* Robert Dann
* David Penman
* Keith Rayner
* Peter Watson
* Philip Freier

* v
* t
* e

Primates of Australia

* William Broughton
* Frederic Barker
* Alfred Barry
* Saumarez Smith
* John Wright
* Henry Le Fanu
* Howard Mowll
* Hugh Gough
* Philip Strong
* Frank Woods
* Marcus Loane
* John Grindrod
* Keith Rayner
* Peter Carnley
* Phillip Aspinall
* Philip Freier
* Geoffrey Smith

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

People|

* Trove
* Australia

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