Richard James Neville was born in Newport, Shropshire and studied at Adams Grammar School where he gained A Levels in Classical and Modern Languages. His father was a general practitioner in the same town. After deciding to study medicine, he completed pre-medical studies at the University of St. Andrew. After working in the junior house, he trained in general practice in Brough and then took up his first major post as a GP in Cockermouth. He recalls being on call alone for the first time on the day England won the 1966 World Cup and being called out for numerous heart attacks. In 1967 he was appointed a partner in the practice of Railway View in Clitheroe, where he remained until his retirement in 1996. For many years he was a physician at Stonyhurst College. He operated the Gisburn branches from the front room of the White Bull on market days and at Hurst Green.