Antiquary and biographer. Born into an old Cramond family, Wood was a deaf mute who benefited from Thomas Braidwood's pioneering Academy for the Deaf and Dumb in Edinburgh. He learned to speak and went on to a successful career as Auditor of Excise.
Wood went on to prepare The Ancient and Modern State of the Parish of Cramond (Edinburgh) in 1794, the first history of a parish in Scotland. He is also noted for an edition of Douglas' The Peerage of Scotland published in two volumes in 1813 and a biography of John Law of Lauriston (1671 - 1729) which appeared in 1824.