Peter Seaman

Sir Peter Seaman (1662–1715), Knight Batchelor, of the City of Norwich in Norfolk, England, was a brewer who served as Mayor of Norwich 1707–08, Colonel of the City Corps and High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1710.

Origins He was the son of Thomas Seaman of the parish of Heigham,

Mr Thomas Seaman, of St Margaret's Parish, Norwich, by will dated 10 August 1700, settled his closes lying between St. Giles's and St. Stephen's-Gates, containing nine acres, called Crabtree or Claypit closes, to pay £5 clear of all taxes, yearly, and gave £200 with which an estate in Heigham was purchased, to find £10 yearly, the former to bind out two girls, paying 50 shillings each, and the latter to bind out two boys yearly, paying £5 each, from the parishes of Heigham, St. Benedict, St. Swithin, and St. Margaret, "so that every year each parish hath a child bound out, and alternately a boy one year, and a girl the next".

Career He was a brewer by trade, as had been his father. He was knighted in 1712 by Queen Anne at St James's Palace. In pursuit of this honour he had obtained the support of the influential Norfolk gentleman Colonel Horace Walpole, MP, who in 1710 wrote on his behalf to Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (1702–1710), first minister of Queen Anne:

The Norwich people are very desirous that Colonel Seaman should be knighted and when I told them that it would be objected that he was a brewer, 'twas answered that worse than he that had not one half of his estate had been knighted ... he has actually £2,000 per annum besides his stock in trade, which is considerable. His Father and his wife’s Father have been High Sheriffs of the county and he himself within two years of the latter; he is a Justice of the Peace and a hearty honest man. He is shown dressed in gilded armour, wearing a full wig and holding a baton of office. The monument was restored in 2007 by the Norwich Historic Churches Trust.

(Sacred to the perpetual memory of Peter Seaman, Golden Knight, of whom the remains are placed near here. A man of unbroken fame without pretence without haughtiness at some time Mayor of this City, Tribune of the City Militia and not least Sheriff of the County of Norfolk. From one year's income (he left) in perpetuity for two poor boys in order to study craftmanship. He died on the 6th day of the Ides of January in the year of our Lord 1715, (in the year) of his age 53)

Bequests His will established a charity which survives today, providing funds for “apprenticing poor boys”. Now known as "Sir Peter Seaman’s Charity" (Registered Charity No 311101) it is governed by a Scheme of the Charity Commission dated 19 November 1889 as varied by Schemes of the Charity Commission dated 6 January 1931 and 15 March 1932. The formal objective is "to provide grants for the promotion of education, including social and physical training, of young persons of the City of Norwich who are under the age of 21 and who, in the opinion of the Trustees, are in need of financial assistance". The beneficiaries must reside within the City of Norwich and the contiguous parishes of Old Catton, Sprowston, Thorpe St. Andrew, Trowse with Newton, Cringleford, Colney, Costessey, Taverham, Drayton, Hellesdon and Horsham and Newton St. Faiths.

Blomefield (1806) summarises the bequest as follows:

Sir Peter Seaman, Knt. died in January this year (1715), and was buried in a vault made for him in St. Gregory's by the north chancel door; he left provision by will, to bind out two poor lads yearly for ever; the first year, out of St. Gregory's parish, and then year by year out of all the parishes in East-Wimer ward, (of which he was Alderman,) in their several turns, and then to revert again to St. Gregory's, &c.