photo query

[John Gibbons]

There is an early photo of Billy Pigg from 1924 in the Cocks Collection at

http://www3.northumberland.gov.uk/catal ... 15-038.jpg

In this year Cocks had been involved in organising a Learner's Competition,
and he had made a set of pipes which was offered as the prize.
Cocks notes - with the photo - that Billy won this, having played for 3 1/2 years.

Do any experts in identifying old pipes from grainy photos know if the photo is of Billy playing this prize set, or another set?
It would be nice if we could say definitively if this is the photo of Billy with his first competition trophy.

John

[Barry Say]

I would certainly be happy to attribute that set to Cocks. I cant be 100% certain, but it looks new and the mounts and ends have shapes which are not out of line for Cocks.

[Julia Say]

My understanding is that Billy's first set, on which he learnt, was bought for him by his father, from Bob Armstrong, Jack's father. It was an Atthey set originally intended for Jack who had shown no interest as a youngster. Whether it is the Atthey set (chanter?) that Adrian now has I don't know.

However if Cocks' notes say this was a prize, then I would agree this is likely to be it.

I have copies of the photo here. B & I have just compared them + John's link, with photos I took a few weeks ago of another Cocks set, and yes, it almost certainly is a Cocks set. Two of the distinguishing characteristics seem to be the shaping on the wooden parts of the drones, and the size and shape of the mounts on the drone standing parts.

Hope this helps

Julia

[John Gibbons]

Cocks includes a photo of the prize set, visible at
http://www3.northumberland.gov.uk/catal ... 32-058.jpg

The ferrules on the stocks are perhaps the most distinctive - I am now confident they are 2 photos of the same set.
Thanks for the reassurance,

John

[John Gibbons]

Another photo, another query - in the famous composite photo of the Cloughs and others, at

http://www3.northumberland.gov.uk/catal ... *%27%29%29

who is the man with the hat, on the far right?

John

[Julia Say]

his name escapes me for the minute (I have it somewhere), but he was the bringer of the Jenny Bell polka. A sea-captain and retired harbour master at Constantinople, depending on whose story you prefer.

See the Jenny Bell page in the Clough book for the various versions.

Julia

[John Gibbons]

Captain Nicholson of Haydon Bridge, then?

Thanks,

John