Northumbrian Pipers' Society
A Northumberland society dedicated to preserving, teaching, performing, and publishing the music of the Northumbrian smallpipes and Border pipes.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Northumbrian Pipers' Society is a United Kingdom cultural and musical society devoted to the promotion of Northumbrian bagpipe traditions, especially the Northumbrian smallpipes and the half-long pipes now more commonly called Border pipes. Based in Northumberland, the society supports the survival of regional piping through education, competitions, concerts, meetings, publishing, and the preservation of historical repertory. Its direct predecessor was the Northumbrian Small Pipes Society, established in 1893 after several nineteenth-century efforts to encourage local piping. That earlier organization organized competitions and helped give public recognition to players including Richard Mowat and Henry Clough, but it dissolved around 1899. A society with a more durable institutional structure was founded in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1928 under the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland. G. V. B. Charlton became its first president and had been particularly active in encouraging both smallpipe playing and the revival of the half-long pipes. The society's original purpose included encouraging younger pipers and beginners. In its early years, members met in private homes to exchange tunes and arrange occasional dances. It obtained a permanent base at Newcastle's Morden Tower in 1937. The organization later developed a broader program of regular meetings, annual competitions, concerts, and publications. Its present structure includes a main branch based in Morpeth and a Cleveland branch based in Sedgefield. Regular meetings and annual competitions are held at the Chantry Bagpipe Museum in Morpeth, and the society also stages an annual Morpeth concert. The society has been closely associated with important figures in Northumbrian piping. Billy Pigg, one of the most influential twentieth-century Northumbrian pipers, served as a vice-president from 1930. Tom Clough, widely known as the Prince of Pipers, accepted a vice-presidency in 1933. Their association reflects the society's role as both a community organization and an institutional center for the preservation of major performers' styles and compositions. Publishing is a central part of its cultural work. The society issues a quarterly newsletter and an annual magazine, and it has published or supported significant collections of Northumbrian and Border pipe music. These include a 1967 study of pipemaking, The Northumbrian Bagpipes, by William Alfred Cocks and Jim F. Bryan; The Border Minstrel, published in 1997 and containing Billy Pigg's known compositions together with additional tunes from his repertoire; and The Clough Family of Newsham, published in 2000 as a detailed study of Tom Clough and his family. Other publications include a new edition of John Peacock's early tunebook, a collection of James Hill's hornpipes and other tunes adapted for the smallpipes, and a tunebook and tutor for Border pipes. The society's contribution extends beyond membership services. The increased availability of well-made instruments, the survival and circulation of traditional repertory in print, and the relatively stronger position of Northumbrian piping today compared with the small numbers of players in the early twentieth century have all been linked, directly or indirectly, to its long-term work. On 1 April 2012, the society converted to charitable status. It remains an important regional institution for the teaching, performance, documentation, and continuation of Northumbrian piping.
History
Efforts to encourage Northumbrian piping predated the society by several decades. During the nineteenth century, individuals and local groups periodically promoted the region's smallpipes and their music, but these initiatives did not initially produce a lasting institution. The Northumbrian Small Pipes Society was founded in 1893 to provide a more organized framework. It held competitions in which Richard Mowat and Henry Clough were prizewinners, helping to create visibility for the instrument and its players. The organization was short-lived and had disappeared by approximately 1899. A new and more durable organization, the Northumbrian Pipers' Society, was founded in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1928. Its establishment took place under the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland. G. V. B. Charlton became the first president. Charlton had already worked to encourage smallpipe playing and was especially interested in reviving the half-long pipes, which later became generally known as Border pipes. From the beginning, the society presented itself as an institution concerned not only with established performers but also with younger players and beginners. The society's earliest activities were modest and social. Members met in one another's homes, exchanged tunes, and organized occasional dances. In 1937, it secured a permanent home in Newcastle's Morden Tower, giving the organization a more stable base for meetings and musical exchange. The society also became associated with leading figures in the tradition. Billy Pigg served as a vice-president from 1930, while Tom Clough accepted a vice-presidency in 1933. Their involvement connected the society with two highly influential strands of twentieth-century Northumbrian piping and strengthened its role in preserving important repertory. Over time, the society developed a program combining performance, competition, education, community activity, and publication. It now operates through a main branch based in Morpeth and a Cleveland branch based in Sedgefield. Regular meetings and annual competitions are held at the Chantry Bagpipe Museum in Morpeth, while an annual concert is also held in the town. These activities provide opportunities for experienced pipers, learners, and audiences to encounter the tradition in live settings. Documentation and publishing have been among the society's most significant long-term contributions. It produces a quarterly newsletter and an annual magazine, maintaining communication among members and recording developments in the piping community. It has also issued important editions and studies concerning instruments, performers, and repertory. The 1967 publication The Northumbrian Bagpipes, written by William Alfred Cocks and Jim F. Bryan, addressed pipemaking and became an important reference on the construction and history of the instruments. The Border Minstrel, published in 1997, brought together Billy Pigg's known compositions and additional pieces from his repertoire. The Clough Family of Newsham, published in 2000, documented Tom Clough and his family in detail. Further projects included a new edition of John Peacock's early tunebook, a collection of James Hill's hornpipes and other tunes adapted for the smallpipes, and a tunebook and tutor for Border pipes. The organization has therefore functioned as more than a club for performers. Its competitions have encouraged standards and participation; its meetings and concerts have created spaces for transmission; and its publications have helped make traditional repertory, historical knowledge, and instrument-making information available to a wider community. The stronger position of Northumbrian piping today, the wider availability of reliable instruments, and the greater accessibility of printed repertory have been attributed in part to work of this kind. On 1 April 2012, the society converted to charitable status, reinforcing its identity as a cultural and educational body. Its continuing branches, events, and publishing activities maintain its role in the preservation of Northumbrian smallpipe and Border pipe traditions.
- 2012
Conversion to charitable status
[1]The society became a charity on 1 April 2012.
- 2000
The Clough Family of Newsham published
[1]The society issued a detailed study of Tom Clough and his family.
- 1997
The Border Minstrel published
[1]The society published a collection containing Billy Pigg's known compositions and additional tunes from his repertoire.
- 1967
The Northumbrian Bagpipes published
[1]William Alfred Cocks and Jim F. Bryan published an important work on Northumbrian bagpipe making.
- 1937
Permanent home acquired at Morden Tower
[1]The society moved from informal home meetings to a permanent base at Morden Tower in Newcastle.
- 1933
Tom Clough accepts a vice-presidency
[1]Tom Clough, later celebrated as the Prince of Pipers, accepted a vice-presidency.
- 1930
Billy Pigg becomes a vice-president
[1]Influential Northumbrian piper Billy Pigg joined the society's leadership as a vice-president.
- 1928
Northumbrian Pipers' Society founded
[1]The society was established in Newcastle upon Tyne under the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland, with G. V. B. Charlton as its first president.
- 1893
Northumbrian Small Pipes Society founded
[1]An earlier society was established to encourage Northumbrian smallpipes and organized competitions before dissolving around 1899.
Products and positioning
A specialist heritage and performing-arts society focused on safeguarding the repertory, techniques, instruments, and community traditions of Northumbrian and Border piping.
Member publication
Quarterly newsletter
A recurring publication that keeps members informed about society activities, meetings, performances, competitions, and developments within the Northumbrian piping community.
Cultural publication
Annual magazine
The society's annual magazine provides a longer-form outlet for articles, historical material, repertory information, and community documentation related to Northumbrian and Border piping.
Instrument-making reference · 1967
The Northumbrian Bagpipes
A 1967 work by William Alfred Cocks and Jim F. Bryan dealing with Northumbrian bagpipes and their making. It is regarded as an important specialist publication on the instruments and their construction.
Music collection · 1997
The Border Minstrel
A 1997 collection assembling Billy Pigg's known compositions together with additional tunes from his repertoire, helping preserve and circulate the work of a major Northumbrian piper.
Music-history study · 2000
The Clough Family of Newsham
A 2000 publication documenting Tom Clough and his family, contributing biographical and repertory-based research on one of the most important families in Northumbrian piping.
Educational music publication
Border pipe tunebook and tutor
A combined repertory and instructional publication intended to support the learning and performance of Border pipes, the modern name generally used for the former half-long pipes.
Brand decisions
2012
Conversion to charitable statusStrategyBackground
The society had long operated as a cultural organization promoting piping, education, performance, competitions, and preservation.
Action taken
It converted to charitable status on 1 April 2012.
Aftermath
The change formalized the society's public-benefit and educational character; no further financial or organizational consequences are specified in the available reference material.
Sources1 sources
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