He was, successively, Censor of St Cuthbert's Society between 1897 and 1901 succeeding Frank Byron Jevons in the role, Senior Proctor of the university from 1901, Professor in 1910 and Vice-Chancellor between 1926 and 1928.

He was awarded an OBE, as Honorary Secretary of the Preservation Fund, for his part in raising £120,000 to prevent Durham Castle from collapsing into the River Wear.

[7] Durham University awards an annual Heawood Prize to a student graduating in Mathematics whose performance is outstanding in the final year.

Writing in the Journal of the London Mathematical Society, G. A. Dirac wrote: In his appearance, manners and habits of thought, Heawood was an extravagantly unusual man.

... His transparent sincerity, piety and goodness of heart, and his eccentricity and extraordinary blend of naiveté and shrewdness secured for him not only the fascinated interest, but also the regard and respect of his colleagues.