William Woodley (1845 – 1923) was a pioneer in ‘Modern Beekeeping’, a champion at the show-bench, the owner and operator of Britain’s largest bee-farm, was presented to Queen Victoria, an owner of the world’s first mass-produced car, and a prolific writer. His commentary of the Isle of Wight disease, a disease which wiped-out ninety per cent of the honeybee population in the British Isles, is his most significant contribution to the world of beekeeping. Woodley’s story charts the rise and fall of British beekeeping.