Archibald Frederic Hood

Archibald Frederic Hood (1895-1975) was Principal of Pusey House, Priest-in-Charge of St Mary Aldermary in the City of London, and Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral.

Freddy Hood was born in Wales in 1895, and received a BA from University College Oxford in 1916, obtaining a first class in theology. He trained for ordination to the Church of England at Bishops' College Cheshunt, was ordained Deacon in 1920, and priested the following year.[1]

Hood was appointed as Vice Principal of St Stephen's House at the early age of 25, but from 1922, was involved with Pusey House, firstly becoming Priest-Librarian, and leading the House as Principal from 1934 to 1952.[2] He was an important influence in mid-20th century Oxford, and many students, including the later Poet Laureate, John Betjeman, considered him as a personal mentor.[3]

In 1954 he became Vicar of St Mary Aldermary in the City of London.[4] Hearing his telephone ring in the vestry during a service in 1955 provided the original inspiration for Barbara Pym's work A Glass of Blessings.[5]

From 1961 until his retirement in 1970, Hood was Canon and Chancellor, and Chapter Treasurer of St Paul's Cathedral, London.[1]

References
  1. Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1973-4. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1975. p. 456. ISBN 0192000071.
  2. "The Principals". Pusey House. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  3. Gourvish, Terry (2014). Dolphin Square: The History of a Unique Building. London: A&CBlack. p. 277. ISBN 9781472911117.
  4. "Clergy". St Mary Aldermary. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  5. Pym, Barbara (1985). A very private eye: an autobiography in letters and diaries. London: Grafton. pp. 271–273. ISBN 0586063951.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.