Richard Woodward
Encyclopedia
Richard Woodward was Bishop
of Cloyne
in the Church of Ireland
and the author of a vigorous defence of the Protestant Ascendancy
in Ireland
.
. He was educated by Josiah Tucker
, the Dean of Gloucester, before attending Wadham College, Oxford
, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law
in 1749 and Doctor of Civil Law
in 1759.
and between 1772 and 1778 he was Chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
. In May 1778 he exchanged the latter position for the rectory of Louth. In 1781 he was advanced to the see of Cloyne
, being consecrated on 4 February 1781 at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
, by the Archbishop of Dublin
and the Bishops of Ossory and Clonfert
. He continued to serve as Bishop of Cloyne until his death on 12 May 1794.
Richard Woodward could not, however, be easily dismissed as a bigot. As his memorial in his cathedral church records, “He was an eloquent and distinguished Advocate in the House of Peers for the Repeal of the Roman Catholic Penal Statutes
in 1782”.
Woodward also took a keen interest in the plight of the Irish poor and, while Dean of Clogher, wrote both An Argument in support of the Right of the Poor in Ireland to a national Provision (Dublin, 1772) and An Address to the Public on the Expediency of a regular Plan for the Maintenance and Government of the Poor (Dublin, 1775). His memorial records that he planned and was in 1773 the principal Institutor of the House of Industry in Dublin.
He also published a Charge delivered to the Clergy at the Visitation in July, 1793 (Cork, 1793).
According to John Wesley
, who attended a service in the church at Clogher in 1771, where “the congregation was not only large, but remarkably well-behaved”, Woodward was one of the best readers he had heard and “one of the most easy, natural preachers”.
of Inniscarra in 1798, and Mary (1767–1799) married the Hon. Charles Brodrick
, Archbishop of Cashel
.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Cloyne
Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, also referred to as the United Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross is a diocese in the Church of Ireland. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin...
in the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
and the author of a vigorous defence of the Protestant Ascendancy
Protestant Ascendancy
The Protestant Ascendancy, usually known in Ireland simply as the Ascendancy, is a phrase used when referring to the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland by a minority of great landowners, Protestant clergy, and professionals, all members of the Established Church during the 17th...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Origins and education
Richard Woodward was the son of Francis Woodward, of Grimsbury, near BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. He was educated by Josiah Tucker
Josiah Tucker
Josiah Tucker , also known as Dean Tucker, was a Welsh churchman, known as an economist and political writer. He was concerned in his works with free trade, Jewish emancipation and American independence...
, the Dean of Gloucester, before attending Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. Historically, it originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but many universities now offer the BCL as an undergraduate degree...
in 1749 and Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
in 1759.
Career
Between 1764 and 1781 Woodward was Dean of ClogherDiocese of Clogher
The Diocese of Clogher is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction recognized by the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Church:*Diocese of Clogher *Diocese of Clogher See also...
and between 1772 and 1778 he was Chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
Saint Patrick's Cathedral , or more formally, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Patrick is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland which was founded in 1191. The Church has designated it as The National Cathedral of Ireland...
. In May 1778 he exchanged the latter position for the rectory of Louth. In 1781 he was advanced to the see of Cloyne
Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, also referred to as the United Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross is a diocese in the Church of Ireland. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin...
, being consecrated on 4 February 1781 at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland...
, by the Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Church of Ireland)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough in the Church of Ireland...
and the Bishops of Ossory and Clonfert
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...
. He continued to serve as Bishop of Cloyne until his death on 12 May 1794.
Works and writings
Richard Woodward’s best known work was The Present State of the Church of Ireland, Containing a Description of it’s [sic] Precarious Situation; and the Consequent Danger to the Public, Recommended to the Serious consideration of the Friends of the Protestant Interest, to which are Subjoined, Some Reflections on the Impracticability of a Proper Commutation of Tithes; and a General Account of the Origin and Progress of the Insurrection in Munster (Dublin: W. Sleater 1787), the subject matter of which is sufficiently delineated in its title. It proved a controversial and successful tract, running rapidly through seven editions and “evinced the force of the author’s arguments, by the violent enmity which it excited against him in all the enemies of the Church”. Both the controversy and the success may be explained in part by such sentences as: “I need not tell the Protestant proprietor of land, that the security of his title depends very much (if not entirely) on the Protestant ascendancy; or that the preservation of that ascendancy depends entirely on an indissoluble connection between the Sister Kingdoms.”Richard Woodward could not, however, be easily dismissed as a bigot. As his memorial in his cathedral church records, “He was an eloquent and distinguished Advocate in the House of Peers for the Repeal of the Roman Catholic Penal Statutes
Penal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
in 1782”.
Woodward also took a keen interest in the plight of the Irish poor and, while Dean of Clogher, wrote both An Argument in support of the Right of the Poor in Ireland to a national Provision (Dublin, 1772) and An Address to the Public on the Expediency of a regular Plan for the Maintenance and Government of the Poor (Dublin, 1775). His memorial records that he planned and was in 1773 the principal Institutor of the House of Industry in Dublin.
He also published a Charge delivered to the Clergy at the Visitation in July, 1793 (Cork, 1793).
According to John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, who attended a service in the church at Clogher in 1771, where “the congregation was not only large, but remarkably well-behaved”, Woodward was one of the best readers he had heard and “one of the most easy, natural preachers”.
Family
On 3 October 1763, Woodward married Susanna (d. 11 May 1795), the daughter of Richard Blake, of Bristol. Among their children, Richard (d. 1828) also entered the Church, becoming prebendaryPrebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Inniscarra in 1798, and Mary (1767–1799) married the Hon. Charles Brodrick
Charles Brodrick
The Right Reverend Charles Brodrick was a reforming Irish clergyman and Archbishop of Cashel in the Church of Ireland.-Origins and education:...
, Archbishop of Cashel
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....
.