James Love (poet)
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James Love (1721–1774) was the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
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 George Dance the Elder (1695 – 8 February 1768) was a British architect. He was the City of London surveyor and architect from 1735 until his death. Life Originally a mason, George Dance was appointed Clerk of the city works to the City of ...
, 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 too. However, no details have survived of his playing career. He was also likely the founder of the Theatre Royal in
Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
, which he managed from 1766 to 1773. In 1763, at Drury Lane 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's ''
Falstaff's Wedding ''Falstaff's Wedding'' (1760 and 1766) is a play by William Kenrick. It is a sequel to Shakespeare's plays '' Henry IV, Part 2'' and ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''. Most of the characters are carried over from the two Shakespeare plays. The play w ...
'', intended as a sequel to '' Henry IV, Part 2''. He performed, too, in both
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
and
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, of which he was a sometime manager. Invited to
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
, 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), ''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 – C ...
), 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 The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
''. 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 ''The Suspicious Husband'' is a 1747 comedy play by the British writer Benjamin Hoadly.Nicoll p.207 It premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in February 1747. The original cast included David Garrick as Ranger, Roger Bridgewater as Strictland, ...
''." 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, 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 George Dance the Younger RA (1 April 1741 – 14 January 1825) was an English architect and surveyor as well as a portraitist. The fifth and youngest son of the architect George Dance the Elder, he came from a family of architects, artists an ...
, 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 Garrick may refer to: * Garrick (name), for the name's origin and people with either the surname or given name, the most famous being: ** David Garrick (1717–1779), English actor * Garrick Club, a London gentlemen's club named in honour of David ...
and it is evident that there was a good deal of confusion as to the various participants."


See also

* Cricket poetry


Bibliography

* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of
English Drama Drama was introduced to Britain from Europe by the Romans, and auditoriums were constructed across the country for this purpose. But England didn't exist until hundreds of years after the Romans left. Medieval period By the medieval period, t ...
1660–1900''.
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...
, 1955. *"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