ABSTRACT
The Larks of Dean were an informal group of singers and instrumentalists from Rossendale in east Lancashire, who were connected with local Baptist churches and flourished between about 1740 and 1870. They were enthusiastic amateurs, and some of them, at least, seem to have achieved a high level of musical literacy. Although such groups of musicians were not uncommon, the Larks are of particular importance today because of the survival of an exceptionally large number of their sacred and secular music-books, both printed and manuscript: the latter include many of their own compositions. This chapter aims to evaluate their place in the history of music-making in northern England.
