James Love (1721–1774) was the
pseudonym of British poet, playwright and actor James Dance. He is best known for his poem ''Cricket: An Heroic Poem'' (1744).
Life and work
Son of
George Dance the Elder, who worked as an architect and city surveyor, Love was himself a cricketer, being a member of
Richmond Cricket Club. Richmond was a leading club in the 1740s and Love may have represented
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
too. However, no details have survived of his playing career.
He was also likely the founder of the Theatre Royal in
Richmond upon Thames, which he managed from 1766 to 1773. In 1763, at
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster.
Notable landmarks ...
in London, he played the role of
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
, for which he became best known as an actor, his authorial pseudonym serving also as his stage name. In 1766 he played his signature role in a new play,
William Kenrick William Kenrick may refer to:
*William Kenrick (Member of Barebone's Parliament), MP for Kent (UK Parliament constituency)
*William Kenrick (writer) (1725–1779), English novelist, playwright and satirist
*William Kenrick (nurseryman) (1795&nda ...
's ''
Falstaff's Wedding'', intended as a sequel to ''
Henry IV, Part 2''. He performed, too, in both
Dublin and
Edinburgh, of which he was a sometime manager. Invited to
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in 1762, he retained a connection to it for the rest of his life.
As a writer, Love met success with such Rome-inspired Pantomimes as ''The Witches; or, Harlequin Cherokee'' (
1762
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Britain enters the Seven Years' War against Spain and Naples.
* January 5 – Empress Elisabeth of Russia dies, and is succeeded by her nephew Peter III. Peter, an admirer of Frederick t ...
), ''The Rites of Hecate; or, Harlequin from the Moon'' (
1763
Events
January–March
* January 27 – The seat of colonial administration in the Viceroyalty of Brazil is moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro.
* February 1 – The Royal Colony of North Carolina officially creates Meck ...
) and ''The Hermit; or, Harlequin at Rhodes'' (
1766
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") becomes the new Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain, as King Charles III, and figurehead for Jacobitism.
* January 14 – Chr ...
), in addition to ''Cricket''. His earliest work was ''Pamela'' (
1742
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Robert Walpole is made Earl of Orford, and resigns as First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, effectively ending his period as Prime Minister of Great Britain. On his for ...
).
He is famous within sporting circles for his ''Cricket: An Heroic Poem'' (1744), whose line "The strokes re-echo o'er the spacious ground" has been quoted in the ''
Oxford English Dictionary''. Its subtitle reads thus: "Illustrated with the Critical Observations of Scriblerus Maximus. To which is Added an Epilogue, call'd 'Bucks Have at Ye All'. Spoken by Mr. King, at the
Theatre Royal in Dublin, in the Character of Ranger, in ''
The Suspicious Husband''."
On 4 July 1745, the ''Daily Advertiser'' advertised it at 1/-. A footnote to the publication adds that it was "
inted for W Bickerton at the Gazette in the Temple Exchange near the Inner Temple Gate, Fleet Street."
According to the cricket historian
H.S. Altham
Harry Surtees Altham (30 November 1888 – 11 March 1965) was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His ''Wisden'' obituary described him as "among the best known personalities ...
, the poem "should be in every cricket lover's library" and "his description of the game goes with a rare swing"
Family
Love was also the brother of
George Dance the Younger, who took on the same occupation as his father. It is probable that both the Younger and the Elder helped to construct the Richmond Theatre. According to Dorothy Stroud, "references to the building are vague and two of them, while agreeing as to sponsors, differ as to the name of the designer. A third gives it to
avid Garrick and it is evident that there was a good deal of confusion as to the various participants."
See also
*
Cricket poetry
The game of cricket has inspired much poetry, most of which romanticises the sport and its culture.
Poems Cricket: An Heroic Poem
:Hail, cricket, Glorious, manly, British Game!
::First of all Sports! be first alike in Fame.
The poem by James L ...
Bibliography
*
Nicoll, Allardyce
John Ramsay Allardyce Nicoll (28 June 1894 – 17 April 1976) was a British literary scholar and teacher.
Allardyce Nicoll was born in Partick, Glasgow, and educated at Stirling High School and the University of Glasgow, where he was the G. A. Cl ...
. ''A History of
English Drama 1660–1900''.
Cambridge University Press,
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
.
*"Performances at Richmond's Theatre Royale: 15 June 1765." ''London Borough of Richmond upon Thames''. 10 October 2008.
(accessed 22 October 2008).
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, James
1721 births
1774 deaths
Romantic poets
English dramatists and playwrights
Cricket historians and writers
Cricket culture
English cricketers of 1701 to 1786
English male dramatists and playwrights
English male poets