Lovedale was a mission station and educational institute in the Victoria East division of the Cape Province, South Africa (now in Eastern Cape Province). It lies 1720 feet above sea level on the banks of the Tyumhe (Chumie) tributary of the Keiskama river, some 2 miles north of Alice. The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. ... Alice, a city in South Africa, is named after Princess Alice, daughter of the British Queen Victoria. ...

The station was founded in 1824 by the Glasgow Missionary Society and was named after Dr John Love, one of the leading members of, and at the time secretary to, the society. The site first chosen was in the Ncera valley, but in 1834 the mission buildings were destroyed by natives. On rebuilding, the station was removed somewhat farther north to the banks of the Tyumhe. In 1846 the work at Lovedale was again interrupted, this time by the War of the Axe. On this occasion the buildings were converted into a fort and garrisoned by regular troops. Once more, in 1850, the natives threatened Lovedale and made an attack on the neighbouring Fort Hare, built during the previous war. 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Fort Hare University is located on the Tyhume river in a South African town known as Alice in English or as eDikeni in the local isiXhosa language. ...

Until 1841 the missionaries had devoted themselves almost entirely to evangelistic work; in that year the Lovedale Missionary Institute was founded by the Rev. W. Govan, who, save for brief intervals, continued at its head until 1870. He was then succeeded by the Rev. James Stewart (1831-1905), who had joined the mission in 1867, having previously (1861-1863), and partly in company with David Livingstone, explored the Zambezi regions. 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Four Evangelists, by Jakob Jordaens It has been suggested that Christian evangelism be merged into this article or section. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish medical missionary and explorer in central Africa. ... The Zambezi (also spelled Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean. ...

The institute, in addition to its purely church work — in which no sectarian tests were allowed — provided for the education of natives of both sexes in nearly all branches of learning (Stewart discontinued the teaching of Greek and Latin, adopting English as the classic); it also took European scholars, no racial distinction being allowed in any department of the work (indeed; until it became part of the new Union of South Africa in 1910, the laws of the Cape Colony were "colour-blind"). The institute gave technical training in many subjects and maintained various industries, including such diverse enterprises as farming and printing-works. Eventually it included a primary school, high school, technical school, a teacher training college, a theological college and a hospital. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... National motto: Ex Unitate Vires (Latin: From Unity, strength} Official languages Afrikaans, Dutch and English. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Official language English and Dutch1 Capital Cape Town Largest City Cape Town Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 1st 569,020 km² (1910) Negligible Population  - Total (1911)  - Density Ranked 1st 2,564,965 4. ...

The school buildings rivaled in accommodation and completeness those of the schools in large English cities. The educational and industrial methods initiated at Lovedale were widely adopted by other missionary bodies.

Lovedale later became a branch of the work of the United Free Church of Scotland. It was closed in the 1950s under the Bantu Education Act. Lovedale Press, in Alice, continues to publish religious and educational material in several languages. The United Free Church of Scotland (or ‘U.F. Church’) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or U.P.) and the Free Church of Scotland, which in turn united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning from the 1st of January, 1950 to the 31st December, 1959. ... Bantu Education Act of 1953 was a South African law which codified several aspects of the apartheid system. ...

Lovedale is also the name of a house on the Isle of Iona in Scotland. It is believed that a previous resident of the house had South African links, which explains the naming of the house in an area where Gaelic house names predominate.

References

• R. Young, African Wastes Reclaimed and Illustrated in the Story of the Lovedale Mission (London, 1902)
• J. Stewart, Lovedale, Past and Present (London, 1884), and Dawn in the Dark Continent (London, 1903)
• J. Wells, Stewart of Lovedale (London, 1908).