COMPLETE Richard LOVETT b.1692 Chalfont St Giles Electricity Experimenter/Author

[supermoussi]

Richard LOVETT, Experimenter into the medical uses of Electricity & Lay Clerk of Worcs Cathedral was born in Chalfont St Giles in 1692:-

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Lovett,_Richard_%28DNB00%29
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/203/4/241.extract.jpg

As far as I know his father was also called Richard LOVETT and may have been a tailor (a Rd LOVETT, Tailor of Chalfont St G was named in a mortgage for £200 in 1711). Rd Jnr had the following siblings:-

Elizabeth LOVETT m.1717 John WOTTON, blacksmith. WP 1765
Mary LOVETT m.1715 Tho PARKER
Ann LOVETT b.1699 m1.1722 Charles PIERCY/PIERCE? m2. WEBB

Does anyone know more about Richard LOVETT Snr and his wife, what happened to Mary & Ann (did they leave wills?) or any other members of the family?

Thanks 

[Orpheus]

I can add a little bit of information which may help:

In his will dated 17 Jan 1749 Richard LOVETT, taylor of Chalfont St Giles, named the following individuals:

Son Richard LOVETT (executor)
Dau Ann WEBB
Dau Mary, the wife of Thomas PARKER
Dau Elizabeth WOOTEN
Gson Thomas PEIRCY
Gdau Hester PIERCY
Gdau Sarah LOVETT
Gdau Mary CLARK
Gson William CLARK
Gdau Mary PARKER
Gdau Elizabeth PARKER
Gdau Hannah PARKER
Gdau Ann PARKER
Brother Timothy LOVETT

Although brother Timothy is mentioned in the above will it would appear that he had pre-deceased his brother.  His (Timothy LOVETT, barber surgeon of Amersham) will was dated 1 March 1727 and proved 2 May 1729.  In it he named the following persons:

Brother Richard LOVETT
Sister Elizabeth, wife of William COCK
Sister Hannah HALL
Sister Hester HILL
Nephew Richard LOVETT, son of Richard LOVETT
(Great) Nephew Timothy TREGO, son of Timothy TREGO
Nephew Timothy TREGO
Neice Mary PARKER
Neice Elizabeth WOOTEN
Neice Ann PIERCE
Nephew Ralph COCK
Neice Elizabeth HORSBOROUGH
Cousin Robert TILBURY als TILBY of Penn
Cousin John NOBLE
Cousin John HILL

We now know that the elder Richard LOVETT was one of at least five children - himself, Timothy, Elizabeth, Hannah and Hester. 

Hannah LOVETT married Francis TREGO at Amersham on 14 Aug 1676 and their son is the nephew Timothy TREGO named in the above will.  He was baptised at Amersham on 13 Feb 1686/7 and had sisters Hannah (bp 1677), Frances (bp1679), Susannah (bp 1681/2) and Sarah (bp 1683).  Francis TREGO died in 1687 and I suspect that Hannah married again shortly after as she is named in the will as Hannah HALL.  Susannah TREGO, the dau of Francis and Hannah, married Robert TILBURY at Amersham on 16 Oct 1701 and he is mentioned in the will as a 'cousin' of the testator.

Hester LOVETT married Joseph HILL at Chalfont St Giles on 19 Nov 1691, and Ralph son of William COCKE was baptised there on 20 Dec 1696.

Nephew Richard LOVETT and neices Mary PARKER, Elizabeth WOOTEN, and Ann PIERCE are, of course, brother Richard's children.  Richartd also had another daughter, Mabel, baptised at Chalfont St Giles on 6 Dec 1696, but as she is not mentioned again it is probable that she has died.

[rwindsor2905]

Sounds like an interesting person. unlike my mundane ag labs 

[supermoussi]

Sounds like an interesting person. unlike my mundane ag labs 

Keep looking for long enough and you will find your share of Dr. Frankensteins!   

[supermoussi]

I can add a little bit of information which may help:

In his will dated 17 Jan 1749 Richard LOVETT, taylor of Chalfont St Giles, named the following individuals:

Dau Elizabeth WOOTEN
Gdau Sarah LOVETT
Gdau Mary CLARK
Gson William CLARK

Thanks Orpheus.  In case you don't know the relationship between 3 of those is as follows:-

Elizabeth LOVETT d. of Rd LOVETT Snr m. John WOTTON/WOOTON, blacksmith 28 Oct 1717
Mary WOTTON d. John & Elizabeth bap. 19 Oct 1719 m. William CLARKE 18 apr 1743 issue = 5 children

with all of the above bapts and marrs occurring in C St G.

3 of the 4 made wills:-

John WOTTON WP 1746
Elizabeth WOTTON WP 1765
William CLARKE WP 1799 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D330678

Regarding the granddaughter called Sarah LOVETT do you know who she is? I have a theory that Rd LOVETT Jnr b.1692 married Mary PRINCE @ Eton 8 Jan 1718 and baptised 2 children there:-
 
 Sarah LOVETT 2 Feb 1719
 Timothy LOVETT 8 Apr 1722

When Richard moved up to Worcester he seems to have remarried in the Cathedral in 1743 and a Timothy LOVETT (presumably his son) married there in 1748.

Does this sound plausible to you or do you have another theory about Sarah LOVETT and Richard's marriages?

Also, how did Richard LOVETT get to learn enough to be a Clerk, Scientist & Author? Did his relatively well travelled and connected uncle Timothy arrrange for him to get some education? Did he study or preach at Eton before moving to Worcester perhaps?

[Orpheus]

Regarding the granddaughter called Sarah LOVETT do you know who she is? I have a theory that Rd LOVETT Jnr b.1692 married Mary PRINCE @ Eton 8 Jan 1718 and baptised 2 children there:-
 
 Sarah LOVETT 2 Feb 1719
 Timothy LOVETT 8 Apr 1722

When Richard moved up to Worcester he seems to have remarried in the Cathedral in 1743 and a Timothy LOVETT (presumably his son) married there in 1748.

Does this sound plausible to you or do you have another theory about Sarah LOVETT and Richard's marriages?

Also, how did Richard LOVETT get to learn enough to be a Clerk, Scientist & Author? Did his relatively well travelled and connected uncle Timothy arrrange for him to get some education? Did he study or preach at Eton before moving to Worcester perhaps?

I think it quite probable that granddaughter Sarah LOVETT was the daughter of Richard LOVETT and Mary (nee PRINCE) who married at Eton in 1718.  The use of the name Timothy - which is not all that common - seems to suggest a link.  In addition, as a lay clerk (also known as a lay vicar, songman or vicar choral) is a professional adult singer in a cathedral or collegiate it seems very likely that Eton would be the place for him to commence his career.  In the 15thC (admittedly a bit before Richard's time!) the constitution of Eton College included a provost, ten priest-fellows, ten chaplains, ten lay clerks (of whom four were singers), 16 choristers, 70 scholars, a schoolmaster and usher.  It is very unlikely that Richard was a scholar at Eton as this was (and still is) the province of the very wealthy.

Have you looked at the Eton parish registers to see if any information is given regarding Richard occupation at his marriage or the baptism of his children?

[supermoussi]

Have you looked at the Eton parish registers to see if any information is given regarding Richard occupation at his marriage or the baptism of his children?

Not yet but I'll get around to it one day..

It is very unlikely that Richard was a scholar at Eton as this was (and still is) the province of the very wealthy.

Perhaps, but there are many possible alternatives. Other cheaper schools, private tuition, etc. Another strong contender is the Quaker community at Jordans. Many were highly educated and quit the city, etc., for the simple life at Jordans. Some of the Lovett family were amongst their congregation including George LOVETT & his wife Rebecca AYRES so perhaps this played a factor? Note that Peter PRINCE was the guy that paid for Jordans to be built and financed some of the setting up of Penn-sylvania, so the Mary PRINCE that married Richard LOVETT probably had quaker links too.

As several of the Lovetts in the S.Bucks area were Blacksmiths you can see that Richard may have been exposed to a lot of sparks as a child (note that Michael Faraday's father was also a blacksmith) and when combined with an uncle who may have performed blood letting, lancing, etc, you can see the ingredients for a later interest in experiments involving electricity and medicine. But still, he must surely have learnt to read and write pretty well from somewhere (he did write several books after all!) and to read about other scientists works.

Note that Timothy LOVETT was supposed to have travelled Europe with the Duke of Marlborough ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Churchill,_1st_Duke_of_Marlborough ) whose chaplain was Francis Hare ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Hare_%28bishop%29 ). Francis Hare was educated at Eton and was elected as one of its Fellows in 1712 and was buried in Chalfont St Giles churchyard in 1740. Hare was a psalm writer and also helped advance the careers of several men.

What is the betting that Francis also knew Timothy LOVETT through their time working for John SPENCER (Timothy could well have been Francis Hare's Barber-Surgeon also?) and helped his nephew Richard LOVETT to get some education and a "foot in the door" at Eton and Worcester Cathedaral?

[supermoussi]

In his will dated 17 Jan 1749 Richard LOVETT, taylor of Chalfont St Giles, named the following individuals:

Brother Timothy LOVETT

Although brother Timothy is mentioned in the above will it would appear that he had pre-deceased his brother.

Got around to looking at this will; it says "I leave my grandson Timothy Lovett the pewter tankard that was my brother Timothy's" so it looks like it ties in with the 2 Eton baptisms exactly, i.e., the Sarah and Timothy Lovett baptised there match the names of the 2 Lovett grandchildren mentioned in Richard's will.

Curiously the Eton registers list the father of the two children as Richard Lovett, Tailor, so it seems he started out following in the footsteps of his father, before somehow falling into Choral Singing and then later medical/electrical experimentation. Bizarre!

I wonder if the link to Chalfont St Giles is 100% accurate? Wikisource and "Worcestershire Worthies" says he was born there:-

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Lovett,_Richard_%28DNB00%29
http://www.archive.org/stream/shortbiographies00brow/shortbiographies00brow_djvu.txt

but where did they get the info from? The Worcestershire Cathedral "Chapter Records" (whatever they are) perhaps?

[rwindsor2905]

Got around to looking at this will; it says "I leave my grandson Timothy Lovett the pewter tankard that was my brother Timothy's"

Just wondering, is the pewter tankard still in the family?