Owning a set of Pre WW1 Henderson pipes has got me thinking about the Peter Henderson company at the time they would have been made, and also about the missing chunks in early Henderson history. Peter Henderson was born in Inverkeithing, Fife, on 14th November 1851. He doesn't seem to appear in the trade directory as a bagpipe maker until 1880, when he takes over the shop at 17 Royal Arcade. He'd have been about 29 years old.
He took over the shop from it's founder Donald MacPhee, after D McPhee died at the early age of 38. Donald MacPhee ran MacPhee Pipemakers from 17 Royal Arcade from 1876 to 1880. However, a bagpipe does exist that apparently is hallmarked 1865. Peter Henderson would have been around 14. There are a few other Henderson bagpipes prior to 1880, including Calum Piobair's prize bagpipe from 1866, and these have been attributed to Peter's father Donald Henderson, but there's no proof of this. Jeannie Campbell's research has shown that in Glasgow census records Donald Henderson is listed as an "Inspector of the Poor", no mention of pipe making at all. Who taught Peter Henderson how to make such an exquisite bagpipe? And at what age did he start to do so?

Peter Henderson died in 1902. By that time the business had moved to Renfrew Street and seem to have been run by his brother Donald until sometime between 1903 and 1905, when John MacDougall Gillies became manager.  Like myself, MacDougall Gillies was born in Aberdeen. Unlike myself, he was a champion piper, taking the gold at Inverness in 1882 and the Oban in 1884. With MacDougall Gillies as P/M, the 5th H.L.I. won the Worlds at Cowal in 1906, 1908, 1910, 1911 and 1912. So, it quite likely that MacDougall Gillies would have handled my pipes, that's quite a thrilling thought.




To the left is a portrait of MacDougall Gillies as a younger man, possibly from when he was piper to the Earl of Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle between 1886 to 1888. To the right is a photo from the era we are more familiar with as pipers, the eldery pipe major festooned with awards and prizes.

















Contributed by Adam Sanderson

2008 scottishpipingsocietyoflondon.com all rights reserved