The son of Hugh Reginald and Mary E. Haweis, Lionel Haweis (1870-1942) was born in Litchfield, England and educated at King William's College, Isle of Man and at Marlborough. He was on the Daily Mail newspaper editorial staff for a short time, but in his early twenties, he left for Ceylon, where he spent seven years as a tea planter. While there, he published a work of fiction. Returning to England, he married Lucy Mary De Vergette of Peterborough and in 1907 came to Canada, where he opened a photographic studio. Later he moved it to Vancouver under the name of Rossetti Studios in partnership with Jack Ranier. In 1918 he was appointed to the staff of the University of British Columbia Library, retiring in 1939. He became well known in literary life in Vancouver. He was the founder of the UBC Arts and Letters Club, a member of various academic clubs and the Little Theatre, and the first honorary secretary of the Vancouver Overseas Club. In addition to his earlier writings, he also authored, amongst other things, Tsogalem: A Weird Tale of the The Cowichan Monster (Vancouver: Citizen Printing, 1918) and a play, The Rose of Persia.