This bagpipe came up at auction in Scotland. It was simply stamped “Glasgow” and was believed to be the work of either Robert MacKinnon or Alexander MacArthur. MacKinnon was said to have “finished” MacArthur’s instrument, making identification difficult.
Robert MacKinnon was first listed as a bagpipe maker in 1875 at 3 Brown Street, Glasgow (which was also his home address). In 1880 he is listed at 12 Royal Arcade, only a couple of doors down from Peter Henderson at 17 Royal Arcade, which, by the way, was the premises of Donald MacPhee until his death in 1880. Robert not only made bagpipes but he also published a tutor and collection of tunes.
The MacKinnon price list below was pasted to a wooden pipe box that contained this very old bagpipe. The original owner was born in 1865 and immigrated to Canada and the US in the 1880’s. The bagpipe had remained in the wooden box since 1934 until May 2019. Aspects of this bagpipe suggest that it was made by MacKinnon, although absolute proof thus far evades us.
I’m often asked what I see in a set of pipes and how I’m able to “connect” them to specific makers. The owner of this set was told they might be this or they might be that. Of course, the chanter was a pretty good clue in this instance however if you look deeper into the set you’ll see why I was able to connect it to MacArthur and therefore assure the owner that it is, in fact, likely a MacKinnon bagpipe
1. The wood under the ferrules is very thin – consistent with MacArthur
2. The proportions of ring-wood-bushing leaves very thin wood – consistent with MacArthur
3. The profile of the projecting mounts – very flat top with a wide cut-in – consistent with MacArthur
4. The profile of the “fountain” north of the cord holders – consistent with MacArthur
There are other details that aren’t consistent with MacArthur but when you add up these clues and you provide for MacKinnon “finishing” MacArthur’s bagpipes, there’s a pretty good chance that this is a Robert MacKinnon bagpipe.
