Lincolnshire bagpipes
Encyclopedia
The Lincolnshire bagpipes are a type of bagpipe native to Lincolnshire
in eastern England. The instrument was extinct in the modern era, with a 1901 commentator noting that it had become defunct by 1850. Later researchers identified the last traditional piper as John Hunsley
, a 19th century farmer in Manton, near Gainsborough. Around 2000, a reproduction of the pipes was created by a pipemaker in South Somercotes
.
The pipes were often noted in period literature as a simile for unpleasant noise, and an 1875 commentator noted that in his time the term "Lincolnshire bagpipes" was a local colloquialism
for the croaking of frogs. A 1933 publication also describes them as "a particularly clumsy instrument emitting a doleful and monotonous sound."
The instrument was not always described negatively, and several commentators note the enthusiasm of the Lincolnshire people for the pipes. The 1817 A Complete collection of English proverbs, predating the believed extinction of the pipes, notes of the "Lincolnshire bagpipes" that they are so named because
in William Shakespeare
's play Henry IV, Part 1
(c. 1597) in which he likens his melancholy to their sound: "Sblood, I am as melancholy
as a gib cat or a lugged bear...Yea, or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe."
to re-create a set of Lincolnshire pipes based on local church carvings. The instrument was described as very large and difficult to play, and though it was used in a 2002 performance, it was then consigned to a storage box at the Trust's offices.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in eastern England. The instrument was extinct in the modern era, with a 1901 commentator noting that it had become defunct by 1850. Later researchers identified the last traditional piper as John Hunsley
John Hunsley
John Hunsley was a bagpiper from Manton, Linolnshire and last known player of the Lincolnshire bagpipes, which he played until shortly before his death at around 1850...
, a 19th century farmer in Manton, near Gainsborough. Around 2000, a reproduction of the pipes was created by a pipemaker in South Somercotes
South Somercotes
South Somercotes is a village and civil parish 8 miles north-east of Louth and around 2 miles south of North Somercotes, Lincolnshire, England...
.
Description
Descriptions as early as 1885 refer to these pipes as having only one drone, and the modern reproduction maintains this attribute. The two carvings which the reproduction were based on strongly physically resemble the Spanish gaita.The pipes were often noted in period literature as a simile for unpleasant noise, and an 1875 commentator noted that in his time the term "Lincolnshire bagpipes" was a local colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
for the croaking of frogs. A 1933 publication also describes them as "a particularly clumsy instrument emitting a doleful and monotonous sound."
The instrument was not always described negatively, and several commentators note the enthusiasm of the Lincolnshire people for the pipes. The 1817 A Complete collection of English proverbs, predating the believed extinction of the pipes, notes of the "Lincolnshire bagpipes" that they are so named because
Literature
The pipes are famously mentioned by the character FalstaffFalstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
(c. 1597) in which he likens his melancholy to their sound: "Sblood, I am as melancholy
as a gib cat or a lugged bear...Yea, or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe."
Revival
Around the start of the 21st century, the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire commissioned pipemaker John Addison of South SomercotesSouth Somercotes
South Somercotes is a village and civil parish 8 miles north-east of Louth and around 2 miles south of North Somercotes, Lincolnshire, England...
to re-create a set of Lincolnshire pipes based on local church carvings. The instrument was described as very large and difficult to play, and though it was used in a 2002 performance, it was then consigned to a storage box at the Trust's offices.
Further reading
- The Bagpipe in Northern England. R. D. Cannon. Folk Music Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2 (1971), pp. 127-147
- James Merryweather Regional Bagipes: History or Bunk?