Wood was the son of Charles Wood (d.1866) of Northen House, Northen,
Cheshire, a former officer in the
Napoleonic Wars, and later solicitor in Brazenose Street,
Manchester, and his wife Catherine (née Rose). In his youth, he was an amateur jockey and hunting sportsman. However, he was for a while a
stockbroker before he married and entered business with his brother-in-law as an iron
merchant. His interests in literature, arts and antiquarian matters led to his involvement in several learned societies. He was a member of the
Archaeological Institute,
Cambrian Archaeological Association,
Devonshire Association from 1898, the
Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society,
Index Society,
Pipe-Roll Society,
Camden Society, Cheshire Antiquarian Society, Warwickshire Field Club, the archaeological societies of Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Shropshire, Yorkshire and Warwickshire, and also a Member of the Club of the Royal Society, the Unionist Club of Manchester, and the Rugby, Sidmouth and Warrington Clubs. Wood was a Member of the
Chetham Society and was elected as its Secretary in 1868, serving as such until 1882. Through his Chetham Society connections, he was a close friend of the novelist
William Harrison Ainsworth, who dedicated his novel
Beau Nash to Wood. He was elected President of the
Cambrian Archaeological Association in 1903. Wood served as a
magistrate and as
Deputy Lieutenant for both
Warwickshire and
Merionethshire as well as a Commissioner of Income Tax for Warwickshire from 1882. He was also
High Sheriff of Merionethshire in 1889, during which term he had the honour of receiving
Queen Victoria and
Princess Beatrice. He lived at Penrhos (or Penrose) House, Little Church Street, Rugby from 1874 to 1884, then at Pantglas,
Trawsfynydd, until the mid-1890s when he moved to Belmont,
Sidmouth for his remaining years. He was also
Lord of the Manor of Rivers Hall,
Essex. == Collections and philanthropy ==