Yorkshire Illustrated Magazine 1952

In November 1952 an article appeared in the Yorkshire Illustrated magazine which was written by a reporter called Charles Reynard. In this article he relates the story of the Dearlove family down two hundred years of music making.

THE DEARLOVES
One of the most remarkable musical families in England today is that of the Dearloves of Yorkshire. For two hundred years every member of it has played some form of instrument and the majority have been professional players. Their name is known in every theatre and in every orchestra in the country. They have been linked with the entertainment world in all its aspects, from cinemas to circuses, and from band waggonettes to broadcasting, and they owe it all to Mark Dearlove, a professor of music, and a maker of violins, who was born about 1771.

Yet if a family story had any proof, and were to be believed, the Dearloves owe it all to William the Conqueror! The story that has been handed down the years, and the one they regard as a joke which they love to tell in their more pontifical moments, is that when King William came over in 1066 he brought with him among his army, a number of trumpeters. One of them, so it is said, was named de Louvre, and from this, say the family, it is not a far cry to Dearlove.

It is , however, Mark Dearlove, who kept a music shop in Boar Lane, Leeds, who is regarded as the head of the family. Little is known of him except that he had four children, including two of the name Mark, one who died as a child, and the other born many years later. This Christian name Mark runs like a thread through the family, and has usually been given to the eldest son, sometimes with the additional name of William.

The son of the original Mark, is always spoken of as "Mark William", and it was he who became one of Englands noted violin makers. When the Great Exhibition of 1851 was proposed, he conceived the idea of making a quartet of miniature scale models for display there, comprising a violin, a viola, a cello and a bass fiddle, each with its respective miniature case. They were greatly admired as the work of a craftsman, and shortly afterwards they were taken to Australia by one of Mark Williams sons. Two of the tiny instruments are still in existence- the violin, modelled on a Strad, which measures no more than five inches long, and the double bass which is fourteen inches. The hair used for the violin bow is said to have been made from the hair given by Mrs Mark William and the instrument could actually be played. Even the coffin-shaped case has its own craftsmanship, for around the tiny lock, is a delicate inlay of mother of pearl. They were returned to this country for display at the Festival of Britain, through the instrumentality of Jack Dearlove, a great grandson of the maker, who had seen the Great Exhibition certificates in England, and suggested that the minitures should be traced. Eventually they were found in the possession of Walter George Dearlove in Brisbane, a member of the family unknown to the present generation, and are now in the Leeds City Museum.

Mark William married three times and had fourteen children, by the first two of his wives. It is a remarkable fact that every one of those children, except two who died in infancy, became a skilled musician, an actor, or an instrument maker. They were obviously born with a musical ear, and from early childhood appeared to have an aptitude for playing some form of musical instrument. It can well be assumed that the elder children seeing violins scattered about their fathers workshop, and hearing indiscriminate scrapings by those who were learning a difficult art should develop an urge to try their hand. No doubt they picked up an instrument and found, instinctively no serious difficulty in playing it.


One of the sons Richard made a speciality of the flute. He must have possessed a full measure of confidence in his ability to play it, for it is recorded that on one occasion at the Leeds Musical Festival he firmly declined to play second flute to the celebrated de Jong, and the contretemps was only overcome by each taking a turn at playing solo flute. Another son was John Thomas and it was through him, more than any of the others, that the family became so widely known. He too was a flautist and because of his extraordinary skill on the piccolo he was known as the "human nightingale". He was born in 1846 and from early life was interested in music. He married Harriet Bushell of Beeston, near Leeds who presented him with eight sons and three daughters, and in their time all the sons except one, who died young, became professional musicians. With such a combination of musical accomplishments the proud father felt that he ought to make the fullest use of them, and he set up in business advertising that he could supply orchestras for all kinds of functions throghout Yorkshire. The result was that the name of Dearlove became synonymous with music. He even hired a special horse drawn waggonette which carried the members of the family band to their engagements. One of his ventures was the Harrogate Promenade Family Band in which every artist was a Dearlove. He was also associated with the noted theatrical family of the Newells.


His eldest son, also names John Thomas, carried on the family tradition, and for more than thirty years was the musical director of the Harrogate Grand Opera House. He also provided the Harrogate Military Band, of which he was musical director, and which at one time comprised his brothers playing violin, cello, bass, clarinet, flute and cornet, with his wife playing the piano. In the children of the other sons and daughters of the large John Thomas senior family, there was still that remarkable urge to play, aided no doubt by much parental encouragement. With instruments of one kind or another always around, and conversations touching largely on musical matters, it was only natural that the youngsters should feel drawn to music. There was too, something in the attitude that "if Dad could play so could I" and first essays on violin or clarinet were watched with pride. They were all concious that the Dearloves had quavers and semi-quavers in their blood and it seemed impossible for them to resist the call. Practically all these great-great grand children of the original Mark play some form of musical instrument, though not all are interested in it professionally.

The eldest son of John Thomas II, likewise a John Thomas, but better known as Jack, is secretary of the Musicians Union, and another Jack, son of William Henry, has his own band and does a considerable amount of broadcasting. They are all proud of the wonderful record held by their parents, and so too is the next generation. They are, however, not concerned with music as a profession, although there is an inherent desire to be associated with it and most of them play as amateurs. They are turning to other vocations realizing that the day of the professional musician is waning.