Elliot Bovill
{{Short description|British lawyer and judge}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Sir Elliot Charles Bovill
| image = Sir Elliot Bovill, Illustrated London News (6 May 1893).jpg
| caption = Bovill as Chief Justice of Cyprus and the Straits Settlements
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1848|4|23|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Clapham, Surrey, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1893|3|24|1848|4|23|df=yes}}
| death_place = Singapore
| nationality = British
| education = Westminster School; Christ Church, Oxford
| occupation = Lawyer, judge
| spouse = Anna White
| children = 3 (2 sons, 1 daughter)
| office1 = Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements
| term_start1 = 1892
| term_end1 = 1893
| predecessor1 = Edward Loughlin O'Malley
| successor1 = Edward Osborne Esquire
| office2 = Chief Justice of Cyprus
| term_start2 = 1883
| term_end2 = 1892
| predecessor2 = Office established
| successor2 = Position abolished
| awards = Knight Bachelor
}}
Sir Elliot Charles Bovill (23 April 1848England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 – 24 March 1893) was a British lawyer and judge. He served as Chief Justice of Cyprus and the Straits Settlements in the late 19th century.
Early life
Bovill was born in Clapham, at that time in Surrey, the fourth son of William Bovill, often confused with William John Bovill QC of Lincoln's Inn, and his wife, Lavinia Ann I'Anson, daughter of architect Edward I'Anson.1851 England CensusLondon, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating from the latter with honours in 1871. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1873.{{cite web | url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb18930325-1.2.3 | title=DEATH OF SIR ELLIOT C. BOVILL, KNIGHT. CHIEF JUSTICE, S.S. | publisher=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser | accessdate=3 October 2018}}{{cite book|author=Joseph Foster|title=Men-at-the-bar: A Biographical Hand-list of the Members of the Various Inns of Court, Including Her Majesty's Judges, Etc|url=https://archive.org/details/menatthebarabio00fostgoog|year=1885|publisher=Reeves and Turner|page=[https://archive.org/details/menatthebarabio00fostgoog/page/n74 45]}}{{cite book|author=University of Oxford|title=The Honours Register of the University of Oxford; a Record of University Honours and Distinctions, Complete to the End of Trinity Term 1883|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fp5ovgAACAAJ|date=26 August 2016|publisher=WENTWORTH Press|isbn=978-1-363-28945-5|page=421}}
He married Anna White, the daughter of John Tahourdin White on 27 July 1876 at Kensington.London Week News, 5 August 1876, p. 26.
Legal appointments
Bovill was appointed assistant Judicial Commissioner in Cyprus in 1875 soon after its cessation from Turkey to Britain. 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. He declined the appointment. Instead, in 1892, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements 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
File:Gravestones in Fort Canning Green, Singapore, relocated from Bukit Timah Cemetery - 20130401-01.jpg, Singapore. Bovill's gravestone is in front on the right.]]
File:Gravestone of Elliot Charles Bovill, Fort Canning Green, Singapore - 20130401-01.jpg
Bovill died at the age of 45 of cholera on 24 March 1893 at his residence in Paterson Road, Singapore, after returning from a trip to Malacca. 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.{{citation|title=Sir Elliot Charles Bovill|url=http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/ElliotCharlesBovill/2862989|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807181636/http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/ElliotCharlesBovill/2862989|archivedate=7 August 2014|publisher=BillionGraves|accessdate=7 August 2014}}.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Elliot Charles Bovill}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bovill, Elliot}}
Category:People educated at Westminster School, London
Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Category:Members of Lincoln's Inn
Category:Chief justices of the Straits Settlements
Category:Lawyers awarded knighthoods