Mr Samuel O Lovell, former Inspector of Schools in Tasmania, bequeathed funds to the University of Tasmania in 1972 for the purpose of promoting the philosophies of Dr James Martineau. The University has used the funds to enable visiting scholars from around the globe to conduct public lectures in the areas of moral philosophy and/or the philosophy of religion under the name of the James Martineau Memorial Lecture. These lectures are given in both Hobart and Launceston annually.
James Martineau (1805-1900) was an English philosopher and religious leader. Born in Norwich, he was a brother of Harriet Martineau, the novelist and economist. He attended school in Norwich and Bristol and went on to study for the ministry under the Unitarian auspices of Mancester New College at York. He accepted a call to a congregation in Dublin in 1828 and was married the same year. In 1832, he became minister to a dissenting congregation in Liverpool. He occupied this post for 25 years but for most of that period he was also teaching philosophy and other subjects at Manchester New College. The college moved to London in 1857. From 1869-1885 he served as principal. Despite the criticism aroused by his views on religious and theological matters, he was regarded as the foremost spokesman of Unitarianism in England and was revered by many in other religious groups for his impressive contributions to the literature of hymn, private prayer and sermon.