Edward Lovett (1852 – 1933) was born in Islington, United Kingdom. He worked as the chief cashier at the London branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland. He spent his spare time researching and collecting charms, amulets (thousands), dolls (500) and toys, in the neighborhoods of London and vicinities. After his retirement, he dedicated his life to Alpine plants, rock gardens and small alpine specimens grown in seashells, which he distributed to his friends as protective amulets.
He donated most of his collection to the Pitt-Rivers Museum. In addition, he did substantial donations to the Cuming Museum, London, V&A Museum of Childhood, the National Museum of Edinburgh. The Wellcome Trust purchased Lovett’s collection of charms for 60 British pounds in January of 1917.
In 2011, the Wellcome Collection organized an exhibition of Lovett’s collection of charms and amulets. Felicity Powell, the artist, curated the exhibition and presented over 1400 charms and amulets, along with her artworks
Sources:
Wellcome archives
Lovett Collection: WA/HMM/CM/Col/64:Box 365
E. Lovett WA/HMM/CO/Ear/532:Box 47
Lovett, Edward WA/HMM/CO/Chr/G.19:Box 124
Lovett, E R (the son): WA/HMM/CO/Chr/J.140:Box 149
Exhibition:
Charmed Life: The Solace of Objects, 6 October 2011—26 February 2012 at the Wellcome Trust.
(This exhibition is the result of artist Felicity Powell's engagement with a collection of 1400 amulets assembled by the Edwardian amateur folklorist Edward Lovett.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLwePPf5yrY
Publications:
Lovett, E. “Difficulties of a Folklore Collector” Folklore, Jun. 30, 1909, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Jun. 30, 1909), pp. 227-228
Lovett, Edward, English charms, amulets and mascots, Croydon : Printed at the Guardian offices, 1910
Lovett, Edward, The child's doll : its orign, legend and folk-lore, Evans, London, 1916(?)
Lovett, Edward, Magic in modern London, Croyden, London, 1925.
Lovett, Edward, Folk-lore & legend of the Surrey hills and of the Sussex downs forests, Caterham Valley : Printed at the Caterham printing works, 1928.
Lovett, Edward, The folk-lore of the horse. Croyden, London [date of publication not identified]
Lovett, Edward, The game of knuckle bones. Croyden, London [date of publication not identified]
Other: https://museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk/news/lovett-collection-in-mwm/
http://england.prm.ox.ac.uk/englishness-Edward-Lovett.html
https://www.horniman.ac.uk/collections/browse-our-collections/authority/agent/identifier/agent-991
Ross MacFarlane (2018) Magic in Modern London 1925 with Folklore & Legends of the Surrey Hills and of the Sussex Downs & Forests 1928, Folklore, 129:4, 429-431, DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.2018.1517960