Catalogue description PHOTOGRAPHS RELATED TO MRS SEDDON AND FAMILY

Seddon, Winifred, b 1910, of Wilmslow, Cheshire

The donor, Winifred Laura Seddon was born in 1910, the only child of Llewelyn Feber and Annie Dunkerly. Both parents came from Oldham and were born in the same year, 1885. Her father had 2 older brothers, Harold and Fred and an older sister, Maud. Annie whose father was a publican, had numerous brothers and sisters but only she and her brother survived childhood. Llewelyn's father, Lewis Feber was a foreman in the turning department of Platt Bros. in Oldham. In his spare time he was associated with the local co-operative movement, officially opening its central premises in 1904. The donor's father left Waterloo Road school when he was 13 to become a junior clerk in the Oldham Co-operative offices. He attended evening classes to study auditing, finally qualifying as an accountant. Shortly after his marriage in 1907 he was transferred to the C.W.S. head office in Manchester. He and his wife went to live in Sedgeley Park, Prestwich where the donor was born. In 1920 her father became the managing clerk of the Stapleford and Sandiacre Co-op. Soc. Ltd., near Nottingham. Six years later he obtained the same position with the Nottingham Co-op. Soc. Ltd., at a salary of £12.18s.0d a week. The donor attended the local grammar school. At 17 she won an open exhibition to read mathematics at Girton College, Cambridge. Her mother died whilst she was at University. After gaining a 1st class Honours degree and taking a teacher-training course, she taught mathematics for 3 years at Penarth grammar school. In 1936 she married Reuben Seddon, a barrister, practising with a Manchester law firm. The donor taught at Manchester High School until she left to have her two children, Vivien and Michael. Her husband was killed in a car crash in 1960. During the last 20 years Mrs. Seddon has assembled two large collections, one of English coloured class which is now in Preston Art Gallery and the other of all types of greetings cards which is one of the largest in England.