Menzies Bagpipe

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' THE "B A N N O C K B U R N " BAGPIPES OP MENZIES. 231\

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II.

N O T E O N T H E "B A M T O C K B U R N " B A G P I P E S O F M E N Z I E S .B Y D. P. M E N Z I E S , F.S.A. S C O T .

T he o f f i c e o f pipers to the chiefs o f Clan Menzies was held hereditarily

by a fa m i l y of Maclntyres, a name which means " the sons of the

carpenter." Traditionally they are said to have been the pipers to TheM e n z i e s since b e f o r e the days of Bruce, and to have headed Clan

M enzies playing the bagpipes at the battle of Bannocklmrn. The pipes

preserved in their family, and handed down f r o m father to son until

the time of the late Sir N"eil Menzies, Bart., are now known as "The

M enzies Bannockburn Bagpipes." They are re fe r re d to by Maclntyre

North.1

Three portions of them remain :—

(1) The chanter, which has the same number of f inger- h ol os as the

modern chanter, but there are two extra holes on each side. These

holes are much worn away round their edges. The chanter measures

o v e r all 13| inches, and gradually tapers for 12 inches, f inch at the

reed socket to 1 inch diameter at the point, f r o m where it is gradually

c o n v e x e d outward for If inches to f o r m the horn-shaped or trumpet end

o r mouth, which measures 2 inches diameter over all, with three turned

lines on itsbottom surface. The inside core tapers f r o m inch in

diameter at the horn end to J inch diameter at the reed end.

(2) The blowpipe, which is square, but graduates to the round at the

mouth-piece, measures 9-|- inches long o v e r all, with male socket at wide

end 1\inches deep by f of an inch diameter ; it is 1 inch square at this

end, and tapers for 5f inches to f of an inch square, then graduates on1

Book of the Club o f True Highlanders, in wliicli is a plate o f them (No. 56),as"th e remains o f t h e oldest k n o w n hagpipes." But the oldest k n o w n bagpipest h a t can be really authent i cated as to date are the set bearing the date 1409, th eproperty o f M r Robert Glen, F.S.A. Scot . , which are described an d figured in theProceedings, vol. xiv. p. 121.



232 P R O C E E D I N G S O F T H E S O C I E T Y , M A R C H 11, 1895.

to the round, having a male socket for mouth-piece 1£ inches deep by

|- of an inch diameter, tapering to of an inch diameter.(3) The drone. The

top half only of it re-

mains. It measures 9J

inches over all, and is

bored out inside for 6

inches by f of an inch

diameter bore,then o t h e r

3 inches by f of an inch

diameter bore, which

f o r m s a fem al e socket :

the out s ide at this part

is 1 inches diameter 3f

inches up, it then tapers

towards the centre f r o m

2 inches diamet er to n. diameter ;here there

is a rudely f o r m e d band, f of an

inch b r oad and 1 inch diameter,

having two small bands at its

edges;f r o m this it tapers for 3|-

i n c h e s to If inches diameter at

the end of d r o n e ; at the s o c k e t

end it is mounted with a horn

band f inches deep, which has

three small lines r o u n d it.

The bag and bag-sockets, as

shown in the reproduction (fig. 1),

are r es t o r a t ion s , and were executed

byPipe-Major DuncanMacDougal,

Aberfeldy, who, on completing

them, played a selection o f High-

land tunes. To get them to play,

Fig. 1. The Menzies Bagpipes. however, it was necessary to fill



T HE "B A N N O C K B U R N " B A G P I P E S O F M E N Z I E S . 233

up the -wormeaten holes, but after m u c h trouble an d care he \vas success-

f ul in restor ing them to a playing condition. Their tone is s o m e w h a tloud and harsh : f r o m their having o n l y one drone, the air or melody is

heard m o r e distinctly than in the modern bagpipe. He also sent me the

f o l l o w i n g i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f them by an old pupil of the Maclntyres :—

"I have interviewed Alexander Menzies, Aberfeldy, with regard to

the old relics of bagpipes, said to have belonged to the Maclntyres,

hereditary pipers to The Menz ies o f Men zies . A l e xa n d e r Men zies , no w

over eighty years of age, lived next h o u s e to the Maclntyres i n Eannoch,

1820-1840, and was a pupil lear n in g pipe-mu s ic with t h e m . He well

remembers seeing the pieces of the old bagpipes with the Macliityres,

w ho pu t great value o n them, f r o m their having been i n the ir f ami ly f o r

several hundred years."

These Menzies pipers l ived at Eannoch in later times. They seem

to have been sent by the ch ie f s of the M e n z i e s f r o m time to time to the

M a c C r i m m o n s , the well-known teachers of pipe mu sic at Dunvegan,

Isle o f Skye. T he f i rst o f them o f w h o m we have any note i s Donald

Mor Maclntyre, as having returned f r o m the Isles, as the piper to Sir

Alexander Menzies, f irst Baronet of Menzies, about 1638. His s o n ,

John Maclntyre, also completed his knowledge of pipe music under

Patrick Oig M a c C r i m m o n , p i p e r to the ch ie f s of the MacLeods. He is

k n o w n as the c o m p o s e r of the piobaireachds, "The Field of S h e r i f f m u i r "

and "The Menzies Salute,1' Failte na Me iner ic h . M a c k a y says, in his

Col l ec t ion o f Ancient Pipe Mus i c , 1838 :—" This f ine, bold piobaireachd

is the composition of John Maclntyre, son of Donald Maclntyre, in the

Brae o f Eannoch, who was, at the time o f the battle o f Sh er i f fm u i r ,

piper to Men zies of that Ilk, chief of the n a m e about 1715." His son,

Donald Bane Maclntyre, succeeded him as hereditary piper to Sir

Eobert Menzies, third Baronet of Menzies ; Sir John, f o u r t h Baronet;

Sir Eobert, f i f t h Baronet; and Sir Neil, sixth Baronet of Menzies, some

years a f te r whose succession to the ch ie fsh ip Donald Bane died, andl e f t two sons, Eobert and John. Eobert had b e c o m e piper, b e f o r e his

f a t her ' s death, to the late "W . Eobertson MacDonald, ch ie f ta in of Clan

Eanald. On the death of his fa ther , being the elder son, the "Men zies

Bannockburn Pipes " came into his possession. He, on the death of



234 P R O C E E D I N G S OF THE S O C I E T Y , M A R C H 11, 1895.

ch i e f ta i n M a c D o n a l d , went t o Amer i ca , but left the o ld pipes in Sc o t-

land with th e M a c D o n a l d s o f L o c h M o i d a r t , and they were sent t o m eb y M r s M a c D o n a l d - M a c V i c a r o f Invermoidar t , an d have no w been

identi f ied by his father 's o ld pupil, Alexander Menzies, who herded th e

piper's cattle when a boy. John Maclntyre, th e br o t h e r o f K o b e r t ,

l ived in the Menzies E a n n o c h c o u n t r y , where he died about 1834-5,

leaving a son, D o n a l d , who had a fa rm called Allaric.li , at the to p o f

L o c h R a nn o c h . K o b er t M a c l n t y r e , th e last o f the race o f Menzies

pipers, unfo r tunate ly havi ng g o n e to A m e r i c a , th e ch i e f , S ir N e i l M e n -

zies, appointed Alexander Dewar as piper t o Clan Menzies, but he went

to Mid-Lothian a b o u t 1842-3, when John M a c G r e g o r w as appointed to

the o f f i ce , which lie held under Sir Neil and Sir Eobert, the presentch i e f , u n t i l 1890, when lie died, and was succeeded by his so n , N e i l

MacGregor , who i s now piper t o S i r E o b e r t Menzies, seventh Baronet .

[The Society is indebted to Mr D. P. Menzies for the use of th e b l o c k

o f the Menzies Bagpipes f r om the Red and Whi t e Book o f Menzies.]

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Menzies Bagpipe