In Retrospect: Hugh Frederic Woodhouse
THE VEN. Andrew Pike’s words at Professor woodhouse’s memorial service (St Anselm’s Church, Vancouver, 23 Oct. 2010) – ‘an honest and moral man who shunned arrogance or falseness’ - ring absolutely true. I first met him in December 1965 when interviewed for the Junior Lectureship in Divinity at Trinity College, Dublin; after the interview but before the result was known, with characteristic spontaneous generosity he invited me and my wife, as strangers to Dublin, to his home for dinner. From then until his retirement he was unremittingly kind and supportive, as indeed to all his students. He was not a always relaxed in debate; I heard one day fierce altercation next door, the door opened, a future senior officer of the Anglican Communion departed slamming it angrily; and an anxious-faced Regius Professor appeared, saying, ‘John, John, I think I have been a little hard on that young man.’ Eric belonged essentially to the older Church of Ireland. Born on 16 May 1912, son of the Revd Hugh Parker woodhouse, he was educated at Portora School, and at Trinity College, Dublin, where he read Classics and Mental and Moral Science (1931), English Literature (1932), ending with Modern History and Political Science; he became a Scholar and got his BA in 1934. Theological training for ordination followed, during which he won a number of prizes, and he attained his B.D. in 1937. He was ordained deacon (1937) and priest (1938) in the Diocese of Down. Curacies at St Donard’s, Belfast (1937-39), and at Bangor (1840-44) were followed by incumbencies at Aghalee (1944 - 46) and Newtownards (1946-51), where he began research for his D.D. which he attained at TCD in 1952; he was justly proud of earning it by research rather than gaining it honoris causa. He told me he would sit begowned in his study so that visiting parishioners would through the window see him studying and leave him undisturbed! He held academic posts in Canada, at wycliffe College, Toronto (1951-54), the Anglican Theological College in Vancouver (Principal, 1954-59), and the University of King’s College, Halifax (1959-63), before returning to TCD in 1963 as Regius Professor of Divinity (1963-82).
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John Bartlett
was Principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College (1989 – 2001) and previously Associate Professor of Biblical Studies in Trinity College Dublin. He is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and has been widely published.