William Robert Woodman
William Robert Woodman (1828–1891), also named William George Robert Woodman in SRIA records, was an English physician, Freemason and Rosicrucian. He was the second Supreme Magus of the SRIA and one of the three founders of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.[1]
Medicine and horticulture
Woodman qualified in medicine in 1851, practised at Stoke Newington and worked as a police surgeon. He also pursued horticulture. The SRIA's history dates his admission to St George's Lodge in Exeter to 1852; he became Grand Sword Bearer in the United Grand Lodge of England in 1875.[1]
Sandra Tabatha Cicero's account describes Woodman as a flower exhibitor who retired to inherited property at Exeter in 1871 before returning to London in 1887. His interests in gardening continued alongside his work in esoteric societies.[2]
Rosicrucian administration
He joined the London Rosicrucian society in 1867 and undertook secretarial work during its early development. He succeeded Robert Wentworth Little as Supreme Magus in 1878 and held that office until 1891. His period of leadership saw colleges established beyond London and connections developed overseas.[1][3]
Woodman's administrative work preceded his leadership. The SRIA's biography records his appointment as college Secretary in 1868 and Secretary General in 1874. A letter from Little dated 18 March 1878 named him as Little's intended successor. These records distinguish his long involvement in the society from his much shorter association with the Golden Dawn.[1][4]
The society's list of colleges records York in 1879, Demiurgus in 1886, Zaphnath Paaneath in 1888 and Newcastle in 1890 during his period as Supreme Magus. This supplies specific examples of the institutional expansion associated with his leadership.[3]
The Golden Dawn and succession
In 1888 he founded the Golden Dawn with William Wynn Westcott and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers. His death in 1891 limited his involvement in its later development. Westcott succeeded him as Supreme Magus of the SRIA.[2][3]
Woodman died on 20 December 1891. Cicero's biography records that he left a letter naming Westcott as his SRIA successor and bequeathed part of his library to the society. It also notes the lack of surviving Golden Dawn addresses attributable to him. His status as a founder is therefore better documented than the detail of his contribution to that order's teaching.[2][5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 SRIA Province of Greater London, ‘William George Robert Woodman’, biographical account.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sandra Tabatha Cicero, “William Robert Woodman”, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, biographical account with bibliography.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, ‘History of the Rosicrucian Society of England 1867’, including the list of Supreme Magi.
- ↑ SRIA Province of Greater London, “Metropolitan College”, account of the letter dated 18 March 1878.
- ↑ Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, “Dr. William Robert Woodman”, death date and biographical summary.
| Rosicrucian history and related societies | |
|---|---|
| Overview | Rosicrucians · Christian Rosencreutz · SRIA · Golden Dawn |
| Early texts | Fama · Confessio · Chymical Wedding |
| People | William Wynn Westcott · Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers · William Robert Woodman · Arthur Edward Waite · Pamela Colman Smith |
| Related reading | Comparing the traditions · All articles in this section |