Studio photograph of Town Piper and Drummer

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Town Piper, James Livingstone, and Town Drummer, Andrew Simpson, of Haddington, late 18th century. These Town Officers daily paraded the streets at dawn and dusk and played for proclamations. The last Town Piper of Haddington on the old succession was appointed in 1824.

The Lowland pipes, or Border bagpipe, was a distinctive instrument by the 18th century. It has a chanter and three drones - two tenors and a bass - and sounded and tuned as the Great Highland bagpipe but would generally not have produced such a strident and carrying sound. A distinguishing characteristic was the mounting of the three drones in a common stock, and the use of bellows strapped under the arm to provide a supply of air. Such a bagpipe would sometimes be described as a 'cauld wind pipe', in contrast to the mouth-blown bagpipe in which the player's breath was hot and lurid. The lowland pipes were the instrument favoured by the Town or Burgh Piper of Lowland Scotland.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-579-618-C
• Image Rights Holder: East Lothian District Council
• Project: The Bagpipe Collection
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  Bagpipe Archive 4.4
• Date: Late 18th century (date of photograph)
  
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• Who: Andrew Simpson (depicted)
  James Livingstone (depicted)
  
• Where: Scotland, East Lothian, Haddington (depicted)
  
• Event:
• Description: Studio photograph of Town Piper and Drummer.
  
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