| Description | This material comprises papers of Lovell Society [which became the English branch of what was known in Palestine as The Mission to the Blind in Bible Lands, founded upon the death of Mary Lovell in 1932] since its inception in 1946 until its winding-up in 1999. Some material pre-dates the Society's inception including an annual report for the Blind School in Jerusalem for 1904-1905; correspondence of Mary Lovell from the 1920s; and some photographs from the early 20th century.
The papers of the Lovell Society consist of minutes of the Society, 1946-1999; some annual reports, 1904-1964; correspondence, 1920-2003, including personal correspondence of Mary Lovell from the 1920s; financial records, 1963-1998, including balance sheets; printed publications and related material, including Mary Lovell's notebooks, and Lovell Society newsletters; a collection of photographs and postcards depicting scenes of life and work in the Middle East, and including some photographs of individuals related to the Society including Adele Dafesh, Christine Holmes, Swanoush Ketchejian, May Ladah and Mary Lovell; and miscellaneous material including newscuttings and a 78 RPM gramophone record. |
| Administrative History | An English missionary, Mary Jane Lovell (1849-1932), opened Palestine's first home for blind girls in the late 1890s. She later devised the Arabic Braille system that is now in use across the Middle East, and transcribed the Bible into Arabic Braille. When Mary Lovell died in 1932 Trustees and a Treasurer were appointed, and a Committee in Palestine was formed called The Mission to the Blind in Bible Lands. This is the title under which the Lovell Society was known in Palestine. The Lovell Society is viewed as their British channel of support.
After Mary Lovell's death some of her pupils continued her work: Swanoush Ketchejian opening the Lovell Home for the Blind in Jerusalem; and Adele Dafesh opening the Lovell Home for the Blind in Bethlehem. During the Second World War, a British soldier, Bob Clothier, was stationed in Jerusalem and became involved in supporting these Homes. On his return in England he founded the Lovell Society in December 1946, raising funds and awareness of Mary Lovell's work. He contacted the then Bible Lands Missions Aid Society (BLMAS, as Embrace the Middle East was then known) who, through the Lovell Society, began supporting the Homes. By the late 1940s, the BLMAS had incorporated the Lovell Society into its work. Dr Helen Keller visited the school during a trip to Israel in 1952 and was impressed with the work and agreed to her name being used. The Helen Keller centre in Jerusalem was opened by the BLMAS in 1960, and has been almost wholly funded by Embrace the Middle East ever since.
The Lovell Society viewed itself as a 'Fellowship of Christians of all denominations who are striving to bring Light into the physically darkened lives of the Blind children in Palestine'. It was established as a voluntary organisation with all incidental expenses met by members. Related organisations also working amongst the blind children in the Middle East include the two homes at Bethlehem and Ramallah. Until the Society was wound-up in the late 1990s, it was viewed as a separate registered charity to Embrace the Middle East and its funds were kept separately.
Sources: records of Embrace the Middle East (ecumenical charity) and related organisations; Jean Hatton, 'The Light Bearers', London: Monarch Books, 2003; BibleLands website (http://www.biblelands.org.uk) viewed 20 April 2010. |