He then returned to Offord Road, and later moved to Cavendish Street, Manchester, but resigned his charge in 1880 after political differences with his congregation: he was a strong liberal.

[6] He married secondly 3 Feb 1853 at St. Stephen's Church, Hammersmith,[7] Elizabeth Atkin (died 14 May 1855),[8] daughter of Samuel Bishop Barnby of Hull, Yorkshire, jeweller.

[citation needed] Hood took much interest in the Royal Hospital for Incurables, for which he raised £2,000 by a pamphlet entitled The Palace of Pain, London, 1885.

After his death a further sum of £525 was raised by public subscription, and given by his widow to the hospital, one of the wards of which was named after Hood.

He was throughout life a prolific writer of popular books, among them biographies of the nonconformists Thomas Binney, Christmas Evans, and Robert Hall.