Not surprisingly, we may never know the origin of some bagpipes. More often than not makers did not leave identifying marks, or time and circumstances have removed the maker’s stamp. In the very early days, it was not an industry at all. It is believed that those with turning skills were guided by those who actually played the instrument. The instrument evolved slowly over time into the instrument that it is today. The first commercial “makers” appear in the mid 1700’s and it is not known where their skills were acquired.
As demand for the instrument grew, those with skill and knowledge of making bagpipes employed others to assist in the endeavor. Often these were siblings or children however just as often they were apprentices without known family connections. Some eventually struck out and established businesses of their own. Others moved from maker to maker as journeymen turners. Some entered a cottage-industry of turners making bagpipes for a small clientele or for a maker whose order book exceeded his capacity. As such they remain mostly unknown.
This section of the museum is dedicated to those instruments where the maker remains unknown. From time-to-time our patience is rewarded and we are able to piece together details and attribute an instrument to a maker. More frequently, we are not.
Without hard evidence as to a particular maker, we can only add up the various clues and draw an educated opinion. The following bagpipes are all interesting. Until I’m able to authenticate them with significant hard evidence, their identities remain “unknown”. There is no doubt that this directory will continue to grow. At the present time, I have well over 200 “unknown” bagpipes in my archives. These are some of the more interesting instruments.
