Many years ago the pictures above came to me. I had long since lost the sender’s contact information however kept the images in my archives and hoped for more information. The bagpipe was said to have been made by Donald MacKay in 1843. The writing on the one tag reads: This silver sole chanter and the pipes were made by Donald Mackay, brother of Angus MacKay and piper to the Duke of Essex in 1843. The other tag attributes a chanter (perhaps the other chanter in the picture) to John Ban MacKenzie.
Donald was brother to Angus MacKay, Queen Victoria’s first piper. Donald was also an accomplished piper and was awarded many prizes throughout the 1820’s. In 1834 became piper to His Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex and Earl of Inverness. He made the Prize Pipe for the Northern Meeting competitions from 1842 to 1845.
I learned later, in Jeannie Campbell’s 2nd book, that Thomas MacKay, piper to Sir James Matheson, Lewis, was the first owner of this bagpipe. Thomas died in 1891 and the instrument passed to his grandson, John Morrison of Assynt House. Letters document its history and travels and remain with the instrument today.
In 2018 good friend Andreas Hartmann-Virnich visited the present owner of this fabulous bagpipe and provided me with the pictures below.
In 2017 I came across a bagpipe on Facebook that was said to be the work of John MacDougall. Something wasn’t right about this and then I remembered the Donald MacKay bagpipe above. The images were not the best so I contacted the owner and asked for better pictures. Some of these are seen directly below. The silver was hallmarked in the London Assay Office in 1843 and is identical to the Donald MacKay bagpipe that originally belonged to Thomas MacKay (above). As you can imagine, the silver was worn and the hallmarks were difficult to determine, however with certainty we are able to say the the metal was tested in the London Assay Office in 1843 and found to be 92.5% pure silver. We have not been able to positively identify the silversmith. The initials “WF” appear on the silver however there were several silversmiths with those initials in London around that time period.
Angus MacKay, Donald’s brother, was appointed piper to Queen Victoria on July 25, 1843. Angus later suffered mental illness and his tenure came to an end in 1854. He was awarded a royal pension and was institutionalized in Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries. He was 43 years old. Three years later he escaped and drowned in the River Nith. There is reason to speculate that the bagpipe directly above belonged to Angus MacKay. If so, it would be a spectacular historical discovery. If not, it is certainly exquisite and one of only two MacKay bagpipes that we know of. 
So here’s the story – The first set belongs to Tabby Angier in Scotland. There are documents (letters) reaching back to the original and subsequent owners stating that the maker was Donald MacKay. There is other speculation that the instrument may have actually been made by John Ban MacKenzie, by virtue of a stamped chanter that is associated with the set. Although I am far removed from the instrument, the hallmarks on the silver (London Assay office) along with the letters, present a strong argument that favours Donald MacKay as the maker. John Ban resided at Taymouth Castle with London, England being about 500 miles to the south, a substantial journey in 1843.
Then we come to the next set, also in Scotland. This appeared on Facebook as a “MacDougall” bagpipe however closer examination pointed toward Tabby’s bagpipe and Donald MacKay, if indeed Tabby’s bagpipe was made by MacKay. Again, we’re looking at hallmarks from the London Assay office and a date letter indicating 1843. The profiles and details firmly align this bagpipe with Tabby’s.
Next we come to a bagpipe (immediately below) that recently surfaced in Glasgow. I was contacted for my opinion and immediately saw both similarities and differences with the bagpipes above. The metal looks very similar to the sets above, which immediately placed my attention there. The metal is not hallmarked however it did test as being 92.5% pure or Sterling. The silver was secured to the wood by means of pins, some of which have been lost over the years. There have been repairs made to the silver, to bind cracks, as can be seen within the one bell cap. The engraving under the repairs is visible on some pieces. The wood is ebony and certain profiles take us in different directions. The tenor bottoms are dramatically tapered without any contour, which is similar to the pipes above. The beading is more rounded than the other sets.
I’ll leave all conclusions to the reader. Pictures alone don’t always tell the full story. My eyes look to profiles, proportions, and details. Sometimes things are complicated by damage, repairs, or replacements. Also, it must be remembered that the 1840’s was a time prior to hydraulic tracers or other means with which to completely standardize profiles. Counting beads or placement of combs and scribe lines is helpful but not 100% reliable. It would be helpful to find a maker’s stamp however even these must be approached with some caution. For the time being I’m leaving this here. If anyone has any thoughts or insight, please write me.
