Jowitt, Robert Lionel Palgrave

26 March 1899 – 22 July 1983

& Jowitt, Dorothy Mary Helene St Albans Laurence (née Weigall)

1903 – 1988

R L P Jowitt was one of Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society’s most devoted servants. He was an indefatigable organiser of field excursions and associated events and had a particular interest in church architecture and archaeology which saw him lead many Field Club visits both within and outside the county. He served as Honorary Secretary from 1956-68, before taking the role of President from 1968-71.

Jowitt was a Yorkshireman by birth but had connections with Hampshire from World War I onwards. He married Dorothy Mary Laurence in Winchester Cathedral on 25 September 1924. They initially made their home in the city, but from 1946 lived at Gore Grange, New Milton, where they assembled an impressive array of ‘Victoriana’. Their time there is marked by the street name ‘Jowitt Drive’.

Both individually and together with his wife, R L P Jowitt authored several books and guides, not just for Hampshire, but covering much of the south of England. The couple were also popular lecturers, who contributed enormously to the Workers’ Education Association (WEA) programmes in the region.

Sources

Hicks, Michael HFC Newsletter 1983

Portrait

Cover of book on Wessex Walks

In lieu of a portrait – the cover of one of their joint guide books.

Contribution to county’s history

‘…one of the most formative influences on the Field Club in its more prosperous years’, R L P Jowitt, and his wife Dorothy, did much to bring the archaeology and history of the county and surrounding area to a wider public.’

Relevant published works

Jowitt R L P (1949) Wall Paintings at 73 High Street, Winchester, Proc Hants Field Club17, p73
Jowitt R L P (1953) Displays of the Royal Arms in the Churches of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Proc Hants Field Club18, p 47-58
Jowitt R L P & D M (1951) Isle of Wight Batsford
Jowitt R L P & D M (1974) Walks in Wessex Towns Shire Publications
Jowitt R L P & D M (1975) Discovering Hampshire and the New Forest, Shire Publications