Basil Woodd
Basil Woodd (1760–1831) was an English evangelical cleric and hymn-writer. He was born on 5 August 1760 in Richmond, Surrey, the only son of Basil Woodd and Hannah Price. He was educated by Rev. Thomas Clarke and studied at Trinity College, Oxford, earning a BA in 1782 and an MA in 1785. He was ordained deacon in 1783 and priest in 1784. He served as lecturer at St Peter’s, Cornhill from 1784 to 1808, and in 1785 he became morning preacher at Bentinck Chapel in Marylebone, later adding evening preaching, which faced some initial opposition. He bought the lease of Bentinck Chapel in 1793. In 1808 he became rector of Drayton Beauchamp, Buckinghamshire. Woodd helped establish schools, and he supported religious groups such as the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the Church Missionary Society, and the British and Foreign Bible Society. He died at Paddington Green, near London, on 12 April 1831.
Woodd was a prolific writer of hymns; one of his best-known pieces is "Hail, Thou Source of every Blessing." He married twice: first, Ann (died 1791), daughter of Colonel Wood, in 1785; and second, Sophia Sarah (died 1829), daughter of William Jupp, in 1792. By his first wife he had a son, Basil Owen (died 1811), and two daughters, Anne Louisa (died 1824), who married John Mortlock, and Anna Sophia (died 1817), who married Thomas Cahusac; by his second wife he had two sons and a daughter.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:19 (CET).