Sir Owen Seaman papers
Creator: Seaman, Owen, 1861-1936
Call Number: D.95
Dates: 1897-1933
Physical Description: 1 box
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Table of Contents:

Biographical/Historical Note
Scope and Content
Subject(s)
Access
Use
Citation
Content List
Series I: Correspondence, 1897-1933
Collection Overview
Title: Sir Owen Seaman papers
Creator: Seaman, Owen, 1861-1936
Call Number: D.95
Dates: 1897-1933
Physical Description: 1 box
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Biographical/Historical Note
Sir Owen Seaman was born on September 18, 1861 and died, unmarried, on February 2, 1936. He was the only son of William Mantle Seaman and Sarah Ann Balls. Throughout his life, he was known as a poet, satirist and parodist. Seaman had a distinguished academic career both at Shrewsbury and Clare College, Cambridge. Upon graduation, he became a schoolmaster at Rossall (1884), professor of literature at Durham College of Science, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1890-1903) and a barrister of the Inner Temple (1897). In 1897, Seaman was asked to join the staff of Punch because his work up to this point had shown such a remarkable gift for the composition of light verse. He climbed to the position of assistant editor in 1902 and editor from 1906 to 1932. One of his many attributes was his talent for writing parodies with a political tune. His aptitude for ridicule within the severest forms of rhymed parody was unfailing. He was knighted in 1914. This seemed to be more of an acknowledgement of his gift for satire than of a government commending him for his patriotism. Sir Owen Seaman was elected honorary fellow of his college (1909), received honorary degrees from Durham (1906), Edinburgh (1924), and Oxford (1933) Universities, and was an enthusiastic volunteer. He was created a baronet in 1933.

Scope and Content
The Sir Owen Seaman Papers are comprised of one box containing correspondence concerning the editing of Punch. Many letters are between Sir Owen Seaman and Ralph Wotherspoon, a contributor to Punch. A large part of these letters are rejections of his written verse with explanation for their rejections. Other correspondents include Charles Kay Ogden, Oscar Lloyd, Ann Estella Sarah Penfold, Viscountess Cave, and Eric Oliver Dilworth Keown.

Subject(s):
England
Correspondence
Seaman, Owen, 1861-1936
Poets, English
Editors
Punch (London, England)
Access
The Sir Owen Seaman papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.Use
Reproductions are made upon request but can be subject to restrictions. Permission to publish materials from the collection must currently be requested. Please note that some materials may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information contact rarebks@library.rochester.eduCitation
[Item title, item date], Sir Owen Seaman papers, D.95, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Administrative Information
Author: Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Publisher: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Address:
Rush Rhees Library
Second Floor, Room 225
Rochester, NY 14627-0055
rarebks@library.rochester.edu
URL:


Content List