John Wood (civil servant, born 1870)

Sir John Barry Wood KCIE KCVO CSI (27 April 1870 – 10 February 1933) was an English first-class cricketer and a civil servant in the Indian Civil Service.

The son of The Reverend Joseph Wood, he was born at Cheltenham in September 1866.[1] He was educated at Marlborough College,[2] before going up to Balliol College, Oxford.[1] While studying at Oxford, he played first-class cricket for Oxford University, making his debut in a trial match against H. Philipson's XI at Oxford in 1891. Securing his place in the Oxford side for 1892 and 1893, he made a further fifteen appearances,[3] gaining a blue in 1892.[4] As a right-handed batsman, he scored 384 runs at an average of 14.22 and a high score of 55.[5] With his underarm bowling, he took 53 wickets at a bowling average of 26.39. He took a five wicket haul on three occasions and recorded best innings bowling figures of 6 for 68.[6] His best season was in 1892, with his bowling average becoming more expensive in 1893. During his studies he also played minor cricket for Warwickshire, then considered a second-class county.[4]

After graduating from Oxford, Wood joined the Indian Civil Service in as an assistant collector in Bengal in 1893 and by 1899 he was an under-secretary to the Indian Government. He was an administrator to the Baluchistan Agency in 1903, before becoming deputy-secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department in 1908.[1] He was appointed a Companion to the Order of the Indian Empire in the 1911 New Year Honours.[7] Wood was residing in Lahore in 1913,[1] and by 1916 he was a member of the Council of the Governor-General, assigned to create new laws and regulations. In the 1916 Birthday Honours, he was appointed a companion of the Order of the Star of India.[8] In the 1918 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire.[9] Just over five years later in June 1922, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.[10] Later returning to England, he died in February 1933 at Virginia Water, Surrey.