As early as 1879 R.G. Lawrie was listed as a wood and ivory turner. In the 1890-1891 directory he was listed as an Ivory Turner Employer. It was not until 1900 that he would appear as a bagpipe maker.
There is speculation that he worked for Peter Henderson prior starting his own business. Some refer to their old Lawrie bagpipes as “pre-1900” or “1890”. I think this is speculation and distorts that which we know as fact. Early Lawrie drones are very difficult to distinguish from Henderson drones of the same era. This lends credence to the thought that he did some work for Peter Henderson.
Silver hallmarks are helpful in establishing the date of manufacture. The earliest hallmark that I have been able to find for a Lawrie bagpipe is 1901, which is pictured below. Other images on this page are believed to be Lawrie’s earliest work, perhaps unchanged up to his date of death, December 30, 1904.
These words and pictures from a friend.
“Just a part of the history of the pipes, I bought them online in an auction in Edinburgh against stiff opposition from bidders in the room. I had been on a family break in Edinburgh several weeks prior to the auction and had the chance to examine them closely. No cracks etc although all the silver was off the pipe with the exception of the three rings caps in which were was no movement in and pinned on. They were covered in some sort of grease and were filthy. The was a new Hardie chanter with ivory sole in the box with three practice chanters, two Peter Henderson and one unknown maker. The Henderson chanters are stamped under the bulb. One is very usable (which I’ve cleaned up and am playing) the other has a rough-ish top on it. Three posters from Local Games in 1936, one of which I have framed up, two photographs of the owner, James Gowans, also now framed up. One photo shows him wearing a prize waistcoat when he was a young man in early 1900’s and one of him playing the same instrument as an old man. He died in 1974. Also, music books, alot of them where he has hand written tunes out in beautiful script, both light music and piobaireachd. He had date several pages I presume on the day he wrote the tune out, one 23 June ’99 (1899) and further on in the same book, 6th January 1900. I spoke to the vendor of the pipe, James Gowan’s late granddaughter’s husband who lives in Hamshire England. He stated that the pipes have not been played prior to James’ death in 1974. Bearing this in mind, I am playing them in very gently, only a few minutes a day. I hope you will enjoy this insight to them.
Best regards
The wood mount Lawrie below is believed to have been made sometime around 1912. We know that the straight-sided nickel ferrules were replaced by tapered ferrules around this time. The scribe lines disappeared too. The profiles began to change as Lawrie pipes took on a slightly more slender look. Lawrie stayed with the flat area under the cord holders with scribe lines where Henderson eventually eliminated this. Note the bottoms to the stocks. Lawrie stocks were very rounded where Henderson’s were cut more square.
This is another ca 1910-1912 wood mount Lawrie. You can see some similarities and some differences from the bagpipe above.
More early Lawrie bagpipes below. We’re able to place them pre-1912 by virtue of the profiles and the straight-sided ferrules. I believe that the one set has Henderson stocks for reasons unknown. Lastly, a very rare RG Lawrie stamp on the last example.
The silver and ivory set below has a very interesting story, related to me when the pictures were sent.
The instrument was acquired around about 1902 by George Murray, a resident of St. Peter’s, Nova Scotia. Mr. Murray apparently played the set in Buffalo Bill’s Rodeo show. After Mr. Murray’s death his belongings, including the pipes, were sent back to St. Peter’s. The owner’s great- grandfather (John J. MacDonald) bought the instrument for his son Jack (the current owner’s great-uncle) by riding horse back from Soldier’s Cove to St. Peter’s a distance of 20 miles return. (ca. 1904-05). Jack MacDonald, known as “Black Jack”, played the instrument at the Battle of Vimy Ridge (ca. 9 April 2017) during World War I. After (or during?) the First World War “Black Jack” took the instrument to Peter Henderson’s shop in Glasgow to have sterling silver and ivory added.
“Black Jack” played the bagpipe during World War II as a Pipe-Major with the Cape Breton Highlanders stationed in Italy. ca. 1952-53 “Black Jack” sold the instrument to Peter Morrison of the Sydney Police Department. In 1955 the current owner’s father bought them back for $500.00 and played them for nearly 60 years as a member of the Cape Breton Highlanders and the Nova Scotia Highlanders 2nd Battalion. Upon his father’s death the instrument came into the current owner’s possession.
“Black Jack” MacDonald’s, widow, who is still living but in her nineties, claims that the instrument played at Vimy Ridge was the one mounted with sterling silver … which is this bagpipe.
November 17, 2021 – To add to this story, today I received the following from Matthew ‘Arn’ Prince. “I am immensely enjoying your website, and especially the museum portion, with your extremely well done research on the makers and their wares. I was especially moved by the Black Jack MacDonald Lawrie pipes indicated as having been played at the 1919 Battle of Vimy Ridge during WWI. My grandfather, Bennett J. Swinyard, was a Sergeant in the 116 Canadians during that battle. He was an artillery specialist. He ran away from home in 1914, at the age of 15, lied about his age, and joined the Army. All during my childhood, there was a book about that battle on his bedside table. He did not speak much of his wartime experiences, but he did tell of the horror of life in the trenches, and he told of Vimy Ridge being one of the most harrowing experiences in his life. When I was 14, I began playing the pipes. One day we were discussing the role of pipes in the service, and I do remember him recalling that there was a piper “walking back and forth on the ridge” during that fateful battle of Vimy Ridge. It sent chills up my spine to think that those may just be the very same pipes that spurred on my Grandfather and his comrades during that fearsome day over 100 years ago!”
The bagpipe below came to me in 2014, shortly after I returned to Canada. They were in very difficult condition. I was pleased to preserve them as a family artifact. With additional work, I’m confident that they could return to sing once again. Here is their story.
David Bowman Forrester 1893-1974 – David was born in September 1893 in Kilmarnock, Scotland. At age 16, in July, 1910 David immigrated to Canada where he worked as a farm labourer in Drinkwater, Saskatchewan. Private David B. Forrester joined the 46th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916 and fought in France until the end of World War One. David may have brought his bagpipes with him to Canada in 1910. Over a period of 4 years from 1910 to 1914, the rest of David’s immediate family members immigrated to Canada. These bagpipes could have been brought to Canada by his father, also David Bowman Forrester, in 1913 when he came. Another possibility is that he could have returned to Canada with them after WW1 in 1918.
Another early Lawrie. Things to note… The bottoms of the stocks are rounded and the threads cut into the tie-in groove are quite large. Both of these features are a departure from Henderson stocks. Also note that there are no hemp-stops. It could be that the slides were installed later in life, however I’ve encountered several early Lawrie and Henderson bagpipes without hemp-stops. I’m inclined to conclude that it wasn’t part of their normal manufacturing. The last picture shows a nasty post-restoration crack, something we hate to see. There are no hallmarks on the metal however it has the “look” of silver. It might be German Silver (nickel), or Sheffield Plate, or electroplate.
The following sub-directories have been created to provide an idea of the evolution of RG Lawrie bagpipes.
- MacColl era Lawrie bagpipes (WWI to WWII)
- 1940 to 1970 (coming soon)
