I am aware of two bagpipes stamped “R. MacLeod”. One is in Ottawa and appears in Jeannie Campbell’s book. The other set is in Hanover, Ontario and I have a bit of its history. The current owner encountered the bagpipe quite by accident. He was attending some business and mentioned that he was learning to play bagpipes. The proprietor went to the cupboard and returned with a set of bagpipes that had belonged to her grandfather. Mr. Nathanial Fitzsimmons was born in Armagh, Northern Ireland in 1859 and came to Canada in 1866 at the age of seven. The family settled near Lucknow in an area known as Ripley. Nathanial died in 1949 and the pipes had been in the family since that time. It was said that Nathanial owned and played this bagpipe.
It is believed that there was a pipe band in Lucknow sometime during the 1800s and that angle is still being pursued. If so, there may be a connection and there may be other sets to discover and research.
Roderick MacLeod made bagpipes in Glasgow from 1887-1891. It is not known where he learned to make bagpipes. The industry was well established in Glasgow at that time and he might have worked for any number of makers to learn his trade. In 1887 he appears as a bagpipe and reed maker at 157 Renfield Street, Glasgow. In 1891 the census lists four of his five children (still living at home) as bagpipe makers.
The maker’s stamp is visible on each drone bottom section. This bagpipe is currently in for restoration at Dunbar Bagpipes in St. Catharines. I will have better pictures following their work.
