Sir Albert Charles Seward FRS (9 October 1863 – 11 April 1941) was a British botanist and

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

Life

Seward was born in Lancaster. His first education was at Lancaster Grammar School and he then went on to St John's College, Cambridge, intending to fulfil parents' wish that he would dedicate his life to the Church. His boyhood interest in botany and zoology soon resurfaced, helped along by inspiring lectures from William Crawford Williamson. His aptitude soon became apparent and he was appointed lecturer in botany at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

in 1890, later becoming a tutor at

Emmanuel Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the ...

, and still later succeeding Harry Marshall Ward as

Professor of Botany, Cambridge University The chair of the Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge was founded by the university in 1724. In 2009 the chair was renamed the Regius Professor of Botany. Professors of Botany * Richard Bradley (1724) * John Martyn (1733) * Thomas ...

from 1906 to 1936. There, he became a founding member of the University of Cambridge Eugenics Society, eventually becoming its Chairman. He was joint editor (with Francis Darwin) of ''More letters of Charles Darwin'' (1903). He was elected as fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1898 and was awarded the

Murchison Medal The Murchison Medal is an academic award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. First awarded in 1873, it is normally given to people who have made a significant contribution to geology by means of a substantial body of research and ...

of the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

in 1908. In 1931 Seward dismissed the notion of a biological origin of

stromatolites Stromatolites () or stromatoliths () are layered sedimentary formations (microbialite) that are created mainly by photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and Pseudomonadota (formerly proteobacteria). Th ...

. This rejection became known as "Seward's folly". Seward's studies of

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...

palaeobotany Paleobotany, which is also spelled as palaeobotany, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeogr ...

earned him membership of the

at the youthful age of thirty-five. He devoted a great deal of time to education, both as college and departmental administrator, and as writer on educational matters. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Seward when citing a

botanical name A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the ''Internat ...

. His interest in plants went beyond the living and the fossil. In 1935 he published a study on the floral carvings in the chapter house of

Southwell Minster Southwell Minster () is a minster and cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated miles from Newark-on-Trent and from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and N ...

. Seward died in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, aged 77.

Family

His daughter married his prize pupil, John Walton son of the artist

Edward Arthur Walton Edward Arthur Walton (15 April 1860 in Glanderston House, Barrhead, Renfrewshire – 18 March 1922 in Edinburgh) was a Scottish painter of landscapes and portraits, associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Life Edward was one o ...

. John was later Professor of Botany at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

Timeline

*1885-86 First class honours at

*1886 Embarks on a career in

*1890-1906 Lecturer in botany at Cambridge *1892 Sedgwick Prize for essay ''Fossil Plants as Tests of Climate'' *1894-95 Publication of ''"The Wealden Flora"'', 2 vols *1898 Fellow of the

of London *1898-1919 Publication o
''"Fossil Plants"''
4 vols *1900-1904 Publication of ''"The Jurassic Flora"'', 2 vols *1906-36 Professor of botany at Cambridge *1908

of the

*1909 Publication o
''"Darwin and Modern Science"''
- Essays edited by A. C. Seward *1915-36 Master of

Downing College Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

, Cambridge *1922-24 President of the

*1924-26 Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge *1925 Royal Medal of the

*1930 President of the Fifth International Botanical Congress *1930

Wollaston Medal The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London. The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831. It was originally made of gold (1831–1845), ...

of the Geological Society *1931 President of the

International Union of Biological Sciences The International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) is a non-profit organization and non-governmental organization, founded in 1919, that promotes the biological sciences internationally. As a scientific umbrella organization it was a founding m ...

*1931 Publication of ''"Plant Life Through the Ages"'' *1934

Darwin Medal The Darwin Medal is one of the medals awarded by the Royal Society for "distinction in evolution, biological diversity and developmental, population and organismal biology". In 1885, International Darwin Memorial Fund was transferred to the ...

of the

*1936 Knighthood conferred *1939 President of the British Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmazon Books
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Selected publications

''Fossil Floras of Cape Colony''
(1903) * ''More Letters of Charles Darwin'
(''Volume 1''''Volume 2''
1903) Francis_Darwin.html" ;"title="ith Francis Darwin">ith Francis Darwinbr>''Darwin and Modern Science''
(1909)
Links With the Past in the Plant World
(1911)
''Science and the Nation''
(1917)
''Plant Life Through the Ages''
(1933)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seward, Albert Charles 1863 births 1941 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Botanists with author abbreviations British botanists British geologists Charles Darwin biographers Fellows of the Geological Society of London Fellows of the Royal Society Masters of Downing College, Cambridge Paleobotanists Presidents of the British Science Association Royal Medal winners Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge Wollaston Medal winners Members of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union Professors of Botany (Cambridge)