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Is the tent new? new canvas needs to be soaked before using for the 1st time.If a old tent it may need re-proofing.

A lot of people recommend Fabsil but Thompson water seal is cheaper.

Search posts for re-proofing there is load of advice to be found.

do you know how old the tent is?

with a new cotton tent you should weather the canvas before use this allows the fibres to swell and make a tighter weave

if it is an older tent then it may benifit from re proofing and seam sealing

if the tent is dirty then it is a good idea to clean it with a tent cleaner like grangers tent and awning cleaner leave the tent to dry and then apply grangers fabsil as per insructions and leave to dry re apply if required and then check for to see if your tent is now water tight, if required use seam sealer on any seems or stiching that may leak a bit of water 

steve they do say when it is raining not to touch the tent fabric as it can cause seepage

now the poles touching the canvas is unavoidable and it sound like you were getting seepage

make sure you get the correct type of  cleaner either the grangers one the nikwax one that rex reccomended or there is one that is advertised on this board oggie tent cleaner

whatever you do dont use any type of soap to clean it 

Hi rexgrant,can you remember the stuff you got for reproofing white duck canvas tents,it was a tub of stuff like wax that you put in fairly warm water stirring like hell to melt it and then brushed it on the tent while it was up. this was back in the late 1950s

Hi Pete 1946

Is the waterproofer you are talking about called Mesowax? Dont know if you can still buy it.

Tina