A rectangular white marble memorial tablet for John Lovell inside Old Kirk Braddan (Church of St. Brendan) at Braddan Bridge in Braddan. The tablet in mounted on a dark wooden board on the south side of the nave of the church.
The epitaph on the memorial is as follows:
"IN MEMORY OF
JOSEPH LOVELL,
SECOND SON OF ROBERT LOVELL ESQR.
OF DOWNEND NEAR BRISTOL,
FORMERLY A RESIDENT OF BIRMINGHAM,
AND LATTERLY IN THIS ISLAND,
WHERE HE DIED THE 31ST AUGUST 1842
IN THE 65TH YEAR OF HIS AGE"
Joseph was a newspaper editor profession and was a resident of Douglas in the Parish of Braddan for a number of years prior to his death.
This memorial was carved by T.Quilliam of Castletown who, in addition to being a monumental mason, was the largest manufacturer and purveyor of Pooilvarish ‘marble’ fire surrounds.
Source: 'Old Kirk Braddan: short history and tour’ by the Friends of Old Kirk Braddan with generous assistance from the Isle of Man Bank and Mr Cecil Clutton CBE.
The obituary reproduced below appearred in the Manxman newspaper on Thursday 1 September 1842:
“DEATH
Last night, at his lodgings, at Mrs. Harrison’s, Hanover-street, Mr. Joseph Lovell, in the 63rd year of his age. He was a native of Bristol, but many years a resident of this town. He was a native of Bristol, but many years a resident of this town. The deceased the editor of the Macclesfield Courier, and for years editor of the Manx Advertiser. He was frank and friendly in his manner, and of an obliging disposition; remarkably intelligent, and very communicative. His removal from this stage of life will leave a vacant corner in our Court-House; at which he was, when well, a never -failing attendant, and his death will be a source of sorrow to all immediately connected with him. “Othello’s occupation’s gone.” Peace to his manes.”
The obituary in the Mona’s Herald on Tuesday 6 September 1842 provided some additional details about Joseph’s life:
"DEATHS
“…at his lodgings at Mrs. Harrison’s, in this town, Mr. Jospeh, in the 65th year of age. The deceased was a native of Bristol; in early life was engaged in extensive commercial pursuits, chiefly in the Iron Trade; which business he relinquished shortly after the peace of 1815. He was many years connected with the press: - first, as editor, and proprietor we believe, of the Birmingham Advertiser, afterwards editor of the Macclesfield Courier, and subsequently as a provisional reporter for the Morning Chronicle and Sun, London newspapers, and more recently for several years editor or the Manx Advertiser. He was of a frank and friendly disposition, remarkably communicative, and distinguished for mildness and urbanity. A whig of the old school in politics; but without an iota of the unseemly rancour which, it is to be regretted too often insinuates itself into party discussion, and more or less peculiar to party writers. Mr Lovell was a never-failing attendant, when in health, at our Court-house, and occasionally furnished brief reports of proceedings of our law courts to the different newspapers, besides contributing occasional paragraphs. For some years he was in infirm health, and in a great measure superannuated; but in his best days was distinguished for literary ability and general information of a high order. His kind and generous disposition, we believe, has not left him a single penny, and his death is deeply regretted by all with whom he was connected, or who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, Requiescat in pace.”