Sir Elliot Charles Bovill (23 April 1848 – 24 March 1893) was a British lawyer and judge. He served as
Chief Justice of Cyprus and the
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...
in the late 19th century.
Early life
Bovill was born in
Clapham
Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
History
Early history
T ...
, at that time in Surrey, the fourth son of William Bovill, often confused with William John Bovill QC of
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
, and his wife, Lavinia Ann I'Anson, daughter of architect
Edward I'Anson
Edward I'Anson (25 July 1812 – 30 January 1888) was an English architect who was president of both the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Surveyors' Institution. He was a leading designer of commercial buildings in the City of Londo ...
. He was educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
and
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, graduating from the latter with honours in 1871. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1873.
He married Anna White, the daughter of
John Tahourdin White on 27 July 1876 at
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
.
Legal appointments
Bovill was appointed assistant
Judicial Commissioner in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
in 1875 soon after its cessation from
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. He was legal adviser to the government (the predecessor position to
King's Advocate) from 1877 to 1881. He was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1881 and
Chief Justice in 1883 on creation of that position. He was knighted the following year, in 1884.
[''The West Australian'', 10 February 1890, p. 3.]
In 1890, it was reported that he was to be appointed Chief Justice of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
He declined the appointment. Instead, in 1892, he was appointed
Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements
The chief justice of Singapore is the presiding member of the Supreme Court of Singapore. It is the highest post in the judicial system of Singapore, appointed by the president, chosen from the candidates recommended by the prime minister. The in ...
on the departure of
Edward Loughlin O'Malley. He first sat as Chief Justice in October 1892. His family made up of his wife and two boys and a daughter remained in Cyprus, planning to join him in Singapore later.
Death
Bovill died at the age of 45 of
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
on 24 March 1893 at his residence in
Paterson Road, Singapore, after returning from a trip to
Malacca
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...
. He was buried at the
Bukit Timah Cemetery.
His gravestone was moved to
Fort Canning Green when the Bukit Timah Cemetery was closed. There is a commemorative plaque placed by Bovill's widow in
St Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore
Saint Andrew's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Singapore. It is located near City Hall, Downtown Core, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district. It is the main cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore a ...
.
[.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bovill, Elliot
1848 births
1893 deaths
People from Clapham
People educated at Westminster School, London
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Members of Lincoln's Inn
Chief Justices of the Straits Settlements
Deaths from cholera
English barristers
Knights Bachelor
Lawyers awarded knighthoods
British Cyprus judges
19th-century English lawyers