Background
Richard Woodward was the son of Francis Woodward, of Grimsbury, near Bristol.
Richard Woodward was the son of Francis Woodward, of Grimsbury, near Bristol.
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.
Between 1764 and 1781 Woodward was Dean of Clogher and between 1772 and 1778 he was Chancellor of Saint Patrick"s Cathedral, Dublin. In May 1778 he exchanged the latter position for the rectory of Louth. In 1781 he was raised to the episcopy as Bishop 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.
On 3 October 1763, Woodward married Susanna (d 11 May 1795), the daughter of Richard Blake, of Bristol. Charles Brodrick, Archbishop of Cashel.
