[1] His family was Methodist and John Wesley recounted on Sunday, 13 December 1767 of his father that I was desired to preach a funeral sermon for William Osgood.

Nevertheless, I believe his money was a great clog to him, and kept him in a poor, low state all his days, making no such advance as he might have done, either in holiness or happiness.

Although he mainly sought the opinions of lawyers from England, Osgoode attempted to adapt the English civil law of the time to fit the needs of a developing colony.

Osgoode came into conflict with Governor Robert Prescott over an attempt to sort out the issue of land grants in the region.

He became a member of the Royal Commission on the Courts of Law and help form what eventually led to the Uniformity of Process Act in 1832.