Found these in an auction house catalogue in Bath.
http://gardinerhoulgate.co.uk/Catalogues/mi220713/lot0024.html
18th century, all ivory pastoral pipes. Regulator keywork is pretty spectacular.
Would love a play on them but theres a fairly hefty estimate on the set.
Amazing. And to think somebody probably had that lying around in his basement or something. 
10,000-15,000 quid + VAT. Not ridiculous, depending on who made it and if it played really nicely.
It’s a very unique instrument indeed.
Well preserved too.
The key work looks familiar though. Looks like work from an early English or French flute maker.
Florio? Can’t think of a pipes maker from that era that would do such work.
Maybe Dublin Egan or McGregor? Scott?
I just thought of another culprit.
Hugh Robertson. He was a predecessor of Robert Reid.
In the late 80’s or maybe later there was an article on him in An Piobaire.
He made some fancy Pastoral pipes and early Northumbrian pipes.
Just a guess though.
Tommy
I just thought of another culprit.
Hugh Robertson. He was a predecessor of Robert Reid.
In the late 80’s or maybe later there was an article on him in An Piobaire.
He made some fancy Pastoral pipes and early Northumbrian pipes.
Just a guess though.
Tommy
10,000-15,000 quid + VAT. Not ridiculous, depending on who made it and if it played really nicely.[/quote]
It probably just needs the bore and fingerholes opening out a bit to fetch it up to pitch?
(joking…)
Some 18th/early 19th century Pastoral pipe makers were
J Massie, Aberdeen
James Sharp, Aberdeen
John Davidson, Aberdeen
Adam Barclay
John Naughton, Aberdeen
Hugh Roberston, Edinburgh
Some Union Pipe makers who may also have made Pastoral Pipes
Malcolm MacGregor, London
John Dunn, Michael Dunn, Newcastle
Robert Reid, James Reid, North Shields
Bannon
Robert Scott, London
Weldon
Nicholas Kerr, Edinburgh
Donald MacDonald, Edinburgh
There are two Pastoral sets in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford. One is shown in Baines but unfortunately he does not show the one in Ivory which chased silver keys very much this set, maybe its twin. In common with a lot of Pastoral pipes there was no makers name
There is an all ivory set with similar key-work in So. Calif. It is near Eb in pitch.
Unusual how the ivory of the chanter, drones and regulators is a different colour compared with the ivory of the mounts and caps.
Would the dark metal on the chanter top and mainstock be unpolished sterling silver?
I his description of Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s pipes(in Ceol, 1983) Seán Donnelly wrote that the ivory chanter of that set sounded 'shrill and unpleassant’ as opposed to the wooden chanter with the same set.
Anyone with experience of ivory chanters who can say if that’s a common feature of those chanters?
It does look as if the set has had some repairs performed on it relatively recently. The End Cap of the Regulator looks very white and the Bag looks to be recent and tied in with the type of synthetic/waxed thread that is sold by NPU and sail makers (ships chandlers) suppliers.
The dark metal would be Silver, a normal material for the job at that period, and not really that unusual today.
I made a solid Ivory set of Northumbrian pipes many years ago and the chanter sound was noticably harder (and louder) than wooden ones. It is generally true to say that the denser the material the harder the tone will be.
The one time I met Tom Standeven he had Paddy Fitzpatrick’s 4 regulator Taylor set and an ivory Taylor chanter, with flute keys added to the front to cover the toneholes - Wally Charm wrote about that in the Pipers’ Review. Tom told me he didn’t care for the tone of the ivory chanter - harsher than usual. He had a pipe cleaner or two in the bore as I recall. That set had all-metal G and D bass regulators and I remember them being surprisingly peaceful, too. John Pedersen had another Taylor set with metal D bass and his was reportedly loud enough to ward off ships, but then as we all know John just doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing, am I right John? 
Geoff - I remember seeing the picture of you with an ivory set of Northumbrian or Scottish smallpipes in that book “Australian Made - Australian Played.” Showing off your goods there. No pictures of the Harrington in that book I think? Or the super-fancy set you sold to Mark Walstrom, or Ted’s pipes, to cite two very flash pieces of work you did back then. I remember leafing through that book about 16 years ago, finding a copy at Powell’s Books, which is one of the world’s biggest booksellers.
Don’t know if I remember that book Kevin… perhaps I have it in my Library… but I think not.. however the Ivory NSP was in an exhibition to comemorate 200 years of European settlement of Australia (or perhaps it was the opening of the new concert hall in Melbourne) in 1988… Mark Walstrom’s set was also exhibited along with Baroque flute and Oboe… and I do have a copy of the catalogue for that event.
It’s a nice tome, still available used for about $25. Lots of variety as I recall, and full color glossy pics throughout of all the ironwood etc. In 1996 there was that and the book about Irish crafts with Eugene Lambe. Whatever that was called. “Ireland: Its _____ Heritage” or something. Bagpipes, tatch, coracles, etc.
Sounds like the book I have in front of me now
Ireland’s Traditional Crafts
by David Shaw-Smith
Thames and Hudson LTD London 1984
http://www.amazon.com/Irelands-Traditional-Crafts-David-Shaw-Smith/dp/0500013217
It’s very interesting with sections on textiles, stonework, woodwork, leather, metalwork, pottery, glassware, candlemaking, fly-tying, and “rural life”.
The uilleann pipes portion is four pages long, two of those pages entirely covered with photographs, the other two pages half covered with photographs (it’s what we call a “coffeetable book”).
You can see Eugene turning at the lathe, fitting a key to a reg, and sticking a reed in a chanter. One page has six photos showing various stages of making a chanter reed.
The most odd thing is the full-page colour photo captioned “Drones, regulators, and chanters awaiting completion. On the lower shelf are two stocks into which the drones and regulators fit.”
Actually the photo appears to show Eugene’s collection of odds & sods, twelve random chanters including eight old uilleann chanters in a wide variety of sizes, makers, and materials (three look like old Matt Kiernan chanters) and three Highland bagpipe chanters. The 12th chanter looks like a new Lambe chanter. All but the new Lambe chanter and one of the Kiernans are missing their tops.
On the lower shelf is a set of drones in their mainstock and the inside end of a 2nd mainstock.
Another photo is captioned “A line of completed bellows” but in fact the bellows are missing their intake valves.
It’s very interesting to me because I bought a full set from Eugene at that very time (a full set, with upgrades such as handwoven tweed covering the bag and bellows, and extra keys on the chanter, being $1,000 US).
That’s the one. Forget if I have a copy…every now and then I have a tune or two with Eugene’s partner Jody’s whistle/flute playing sister, too. They grew up in the San Juan Islands, in the US’s far NW corner. Jody sewed up the bag covers - a friend has one in heavy fabric, with the stripes of the Republic. There was a doc about him made in the 80s: Eugene Lambe - Patterns Pt 1.mpg - YouTube.
Jody sewed up the bag covers
And, probably more importantly, she wove the tweed used for them.
She would be ‘The American Companion. . .’
The documentary has a great bit with the Postman and his bicycle delivering to Eugene. He is ‘candleing’ the letter by holding it up to the sun to see if there is a check in it. ‘Aye, this would be the one from America. . .!’. 
Bob