The play was founded on The Serf, a story in Leitch Ritchie's Romance of History, and attained great popularity.
[1] A novel, The Trustee, appeared in 1841, and further advanced Lovell's literary fame; Love's Sacrifice, or the Rival Merchants, a five-act drama, was brought out at Covent Garden in September 1842, under Charles Kemble's management, and the comedy Look Before You Leap, at the Haymarket Theatre in October 1846.
It was originally produced at the Park Theatre, New York, in October 1846, and was brought out in London at the Haymarket in January 1848, when it ran for 36 nights,[1] with Mr and Mrs Kean in the principal roles.
A reviewer of the original London production wrote that the play "is a plain story effectively told, with the advantage that the ruling sentiment, though often treated before, is one that is sure to appeal to a large portion of an audience."
)[2] His last drama was The Trial of Love, acted at the Princess's Theatre in January 1852, with Mr and Mrs Kean in the lead roles; it ran for 23 nights.