Paul Seaver, Leading Historian of Early Modern England, Dies at 88

Paul Seaver, a distinguished historian of early modern England and dedicated university citizen, died Aug. 1. He was 88.

Seaver, professor emeritus of history in Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences, focused on two major areas in his research: religion and radicalism in the period from 1558 to 1649, and the growth of London and the development of urban culture and society.

“Those who knew Paul will be aware of his quiet and unassuming brilliance. He was a scholar who combined deep expertise in the history of religion with an abiding commitment to the methods of social and urban history that came to prominence in the second half of the 20th century,” said David Como, professor of early modern British history.

“His early, pioneering work reshaped our understanding of English Puritanism, even as it illuminated the wider religious and civic culture of Tudor-Stuart Britain,” Como added. “His interests in religious, urban, labor and family history were woven together in his renowned study Wallington’s World: A Puritan Artisan in Seventeenth-Century London, which stands as one of the great micro-histories of its day.”