Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lovel, Philip
LOVEL, PHILIP (d. 1259), treasurer and justice, was, according to Burke, second son of John Lovel of Minster Lovel, Oxfordshire, and Tichmarsh, Northamptonshire, third baron Lovel by tenure; his mother was Aliva, daughter of Alan Basset of Mursdewall, Surrey. Philip Lovel entered the service of Roger de Quency, earl of Winchester, who was lord of Galloway and constable of Scotland in right of his wife. He became the earl's steward in Galloway, and in this capacity won the friendship of Alexander II and his queen (Matt. Paris, v. 270). Afterwards he entered the royal service and was made justiciary of the Jews. In 1250, when he is styled ‘clericus et consiliarius regis,’ he took the cross, but did not go on the crusade. At Michaelmas next year Lovel was accused of taking bribes from Jews and others. He was disgraced and removed from his office, but eventually, on the payment of a fine of a thousand marks, and owing to the good services of John Mansel [q. v.] and Alexander III of Scotland, he recovered the royal favour, though not his office. On 27 Aug. 1252 Lovel was made treasurer by Mansel's advice (ib. v. 320; Madox, Exchequer, ii. 35, note c.) In 1255 he was justice itinerant at Stafford, in which capacity he acted with much harshness (cf. ‘Burton Annals’ in Ann. Mon. i. 357–9). In 1257 Henry III asked the monks of Coventry to elect Lovel as their bishop, but they refused. Lovel incurred much unpopularity as a royal officer during these years; he was nevertheless continued in his office after the parliament of Oxford in June 1258. A little later he was accused of taking undue advantage of his position in relation to the royal forests. He was consequently removed from office by the barons on 18 Oct., and was for a time imprisoned. After his release he retired to his rectory of Hameslepe or Hamestable. He also held the prebend of Cadington Major in St. Paul's Cathedral (Le Neve, Fasti, ii. 369). He died at Hamestable on 27 Dec. 1259, it was said through vexation at the king's refusal of reconciliation with him; Henry was probably not a free agent. Lovel had been sentenced to pay a heavy fine, and on his death his estates were seized. Before becoming a clerk Lovel had married the widow of Alexander de Arsic, by whom he had two sons: John, whose only daughter and heiress married Thomas de Botetourt, and Henry, a priest. The Dunstable annalist records that his convent made a settlement with Lovel and his son Henry as to certain tithes in 1254 (Ann. Mon. iii. 191). From Lovel's elder brother John were descended the Lovells, barons of Tichmarsh, and Francis, viscount Lovell [q. v.] Matthew Paris calls him ‘vafer et circumspectus.’
[Matt. Paris and Annales Monastici, in Rolls Series; Dugdale's Baronage, i. 558; Burke's Dormant and Extinct Peerages, p. 332.]