Neville Lovett

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Ernest Neville Lovett CBE (16 February 1869 to 8 November 1951) served as the Bishop of Portsmouth in the Church of England from 1927 to 1936^[1] and as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1936 to 1946.^[2]

Life

Lovett was born on 16 February 1869 and educated at Sherborne School and Christ's College, Cambridge.^[3][4]

Lovett was ordained in 1892 and served as priest at Clifton, Wymynswold in Kent (now called Womenswold^[5]), Bishop's Caundle in Dorset and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. He was Rector of Farnham, Surrey from 1908 to 1912.^[6]

In 1909 Lovett produced a historical tableaux describing the history of Farnham since the Roman period which was played in the newly-built church house. This representation was developed as the "Farnham Historical Episodes" performed in the Farnham Castle ground in 1910.

In 1912 Lovett wrote another historical pageant, The passing of the Bailiff: a play of Georgian Farnham: recalling certain incidents there in the year 1793 (circa) and the people who took part therein.^[7] This was successfully performed and the text published.^[8]

His appointment as Bishop of Portsmouth was recorded in The Times on 25 May 1927^[9]. He was 58 at the time of the appointment.

In May 1936, he was appointed the Bishop of Salisbury.^[10] He announced in May 1945 that he would resign on 30 April 1946.^[11] He died on 8 September 1951. His obituary appeared in The Times on 10 September 1951.

There is a school in Fareham, Hampshire called the Neville Lovett Community School. The website says that "The new school was named after Neville Lovett who became the first bishop of Portsmouth in 1927, the same year in which the diocese was created and the new cathedral consecrated."^{[citation needed]} There is another Bishop Lovett School at Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

He married Evelyn Block. They had five daughters. She died in 1937.

Plaque at St Matry & All Saints, Droxford

In retirement he lived at Meon Lea, Droxford.^[12].

Works

The British Library lists the following publications::

• Doorstep Papers. (1916)
• Shadow Tales of Portsmouth Cathedral. [With illustrations.] (1936)
• Shadow tales of Portsmouth cathedral (1938)
• Village Faith and Village Fellowship. Six outlines for addresses, etc. (1945)

References

1. ^ First Bishop Of Portsmouth. Archdeacon Lovett Appointed, The Times, 25 May 1927; pg. 18; Issue 44590; col C
2. ^ National Archives
3. ^ The Times, 12 February 1897; pg. 8; Issue 35125; col B, University Intelligence, Cambridge, Feb. 11.
4. ^ Lovett, Ernest Neville in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
5. ^ Details of name change
6. ^ “Who was Who” 1897-2007 London, A & C Black, 2007 ISBN 9780199540877
7. ^ "The Passing of the Bailiff Farnham", Lovett, N; Farnham, E.W.; Langham, 1912
8. ^ Farnham Folk Play, The Times, 12 November 1912; pg. 13; Issue 40054; col F
9. ^ This article (ibid) gives a history of his previous appointments.
10. ^ The Times, 18 May 1936
11. ^ The Times, 26 May 1945
12. ^ Farming Festivals (Letters to the Editor) Neville Lovett, Bishop. Meon Lea, Droxford, Hampshire, The Times, 29 December 1948; pg. 7; Issue 51265; col G

Church of England titles
Preceded by Inaugural appointment	Bishop of Portsmouth 1927 – 1936	Succeeded by Frank Partridge
Preceded by St Clair Donaldson	Bishop of Salisbury 1936 – 1949	Succeeded by William Louis Anderson

Persondata
Name	Lovett, Neville
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1869
Place of birth
Date of death	1951
Place of death