Great Highland Bagpipe, raw materials and product

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Ivory in cut and sectioned form ready for turning and carving into soles for bagpipe chanters. These are some of the raw materials and product in the process of making sets of Highland bagpipes in the workshop of J & R Glen, Highland Bagpipe Makers, 497 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, about 1960.

Since about 1800, most makers of Highland bagpipes imported their raw materials, for example tropical hardwoods from Africa, Ceylon and South America. Ebonies and 'blackwoods' were preferred for their hard, straight-grained character, their appearance and fine tonal qualities in the finished state. For the decorative elements of the instrument such as carved mounts and ferrules, materials such as horn, bone, walrus tusk and metals might be used but by the 19th century, elephant ivory from equatorial Africa was the most sought after material unless the bagpipe was going to be 'mounted' with silver. African ivory was a mellow colour, slightly translucent, took a polish and was good for carving. In the 20th century, substitute materials were looked for as ivory became too expensive or prohibited and various compositions of resins and synthetic materials have been tried.

J & R Glen, Highland Bagpipe Makers, was the business founded in 1827 by Thomas McBean Glen in the Cowgate in Edinburgh, dealing in and repairing musical instruments. His brother, Alexander Glen, specialized in bagpipe-making and was succeeded by his son David. Thomas' sons, John (1833-1904) and Robert (1835-1911), took over the business in 1866. In 1911, the premises moved to 497 Lawnmarket where it survived as 'J & R Glen, Highland Bagpipe Makers' until it was sold to the late Gordon Stobo about 1978.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-579-611-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: The Bagpipe Collection
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  Bagpipe Archive 4.17
• Date: c.1960 (date of manufacture)
  
• Material: The Great Highland Bagpipe, raw materials and product
  
• Dimensions:
• What: The Great Highland Bagpipe, raw materials and product
  
• Subject:
• Who: J. and R. Glen, Highland Bagpipe Makers (workshop depicted)
  
• Where: Scotland, Edinburgh, 497 Lawnmarket (location of workshop depicted)
  
• Event:
• Description: The Great Highland Bagpipe, raw materials and product.
  
• References:
  • Cheape, Hugh. The Making of Bagpipes in Scotland. In: Anne O'Coonor and David V. Clarke (eds). From the Stone Age to the 'Forty Five. Studies Presented to R.B.K. Stevenson. Edinburgh: John Donald Press, 1983, pp. 596 - 615.
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