Robert Bewick

Thomas Bewick had wished to encourage the Northumbrian smallpipes, and to support the piper John Peacock; in his autobiographical Memoir, written in the 1820s, he wrote [1] Some time before the American War broke out, there had been a lack of musical performers upon our streets, and in this interval, I used to engage John Peacock, our inimitable performer, to play on the Northumberland or Small-pipes; and with his old tunes, his lilts, his pauses, and his variations, I was always excessively pleased.

[2] A major project which Robert began with his father, to conclude Thomas's series of natural histories, was a 'History of British Fishes'.

Although this was never completed, drawings for this, and many others on various subjects, are in the British Museum:[3] Although, as a boy, Robert had learned the Northumbrian smallpipes from arguably the best piper of his age, there is no evidence he was himself a virtuoso performer.

Three of these, signed by him, and dated between 1832 and 1843, give a very detailed picture of the broad repertoire of a Northumbrian piper at this early stage in the instrument's development, only a few decades after the earliest keyed chanters appeared.

After Robert's death, his sisters gave his pipes and tunebooks to the artist and tune collector Joseph Crawhall, who did much to encourage the Northumbrian smallpipes.

Portrait of Robert Bewick, by John Bell
Woodcut by Robert Elliot Bewick of Bewick's swan , named after his father by William Yarrell .
This ball ticket was engraved by Robert Bewick, from a drawing by his father. The seated piper is Robert himself.
These Northumbrian smallpipes were made by John Dunn, and belonged to Robert Bewick. They have an inscription on the dronestock ferrule stating their provenance. It is likely that this simple chanter is not the original, which was probably keyed.