Robert Benson Bowman
Robert Benson Bowman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Richmond, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | November 24, 1882 (aged 74) Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, publisher, businessman, amateur botanist |
| Known for | Bookselling and publishing; collaboration with Lowthian Bell; botanical studies |
Robert Benson Bowman (born 14 May 1808 in Richmond, Yorkshire – died 24 November 1882 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne) was a prominent bookseller and businessman based in Newcastle. In addition to his work in publishing widely read books, Bowman collaborated with ironmaster Lowthian Bell and engaged in amateur botanical studies.
Biography
The youngest child among seven siblings, Bowman was the son of Thomas Bowman, a printer and bookseller from Richmond who also retailed patent medicines and perfumes. Thomas held positions as a clerk to the Commissioners of Taxes and as a magistrates' clerk.
Bowman received his education at Richmond School under the leadership of headmaster James Tate. During his teenage years, he helped establish the Richmond Botanical Society. Throughout his life, he maintained a strong interest in botany as an amateur and was a longstanding member of the Natural History Society of Northumberland. Bowman corresponded with distinguished botanists such as William Jackson Hooker and Hewett Cottrell Watson, supplying them with plant samples and observations for their research. He also traded specimens with marine biologist George Johnston.
At age sixteen, in 1824, Bowman relocated to Newcastle to begin work as a druggist at Robert Currie's establishment. By 1834, he had formed a partnership with Currie to launch a bookselling enterprise at 32 Collingwood Street. Their shop offered works on art, natural history, theology, and general literature. The business expanded into publishing and operated as a distribution center for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
Operating from 12 Nuns' Lane, Bowman published numerous local works including the Victorian chapbook Life of Jack Sheppard, the Notorious House and Gaol Breaker, along with twenty-three titles in the "Penny Histories" series and nineteen volumes of "Penny Song Books."
Bowman married Ellen Pattinson, daughter of the industrial chemist Hugh Lee Pattinson. Ellen’s sisters married Bowman's business associates Isaac Lowthian Bell and Robert Stirling Newall. These three brothers-in-law actively participated in the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club and the Natural History Society of Northumberland. In 1850, Bowman joined forces with Pattinson and Bell to establish chemical manufacturing facilities in Washington, County Durham.
Robert Benson Bowman was laid to rest in the Pattinson family vault located in Washington.