Info on a Jamie Allen needed

[erracht]

I recently learned that there is an old picture of a certain
Jamie Allen in a Northern English museum. This fellow is
mounted and is playing "the warpipe". I am curious, who
is this fellow, and if he lived in Scotland. Anyone know
where I could find a copy of this picture? Is he the same
James Allan who I think lived in England, I think, maybe
170-200 yrs ago and could play several kinds of pipes
including Highland pipes?

[Ian Lawther]

Is this the one:

http://travelingpiper.com/pipingjockey.jpg

If it is its called The Piping Jockey or A Cumberland Race, and doesn't mention Allan, though he is pictured playing similar pipes in other wood cuts.

Ian

[Sean B]

If this fellow is Jamie Allan, is he the same Jamie Allan of the NSP tune fame?

[Ian Lawther]

Yes.

I'll post some more about him tomorrow,

Ian

[Ian Lawther]

This is from the Northumbrian Pipers Society pages:-

Will and Jimmy Allan 1704-1779, 1734-1810

Between them, father and son ( who were both notable pipers) span the century. Will was born in 1704 at Bellingham, but lived mainly in the Coquet valley area. His wife was of tinker (Gypsy) extraction, and he associated much with these despised people. He also managed to be River Warden of the Coquet. He may have been a pipemaker - a set 'of Will Allan's' was later sold to Robert Hall of Powburn.
His son, the notorious Jimmy Allan, was the subject of 2 rather fanciful biographies, and it is now difficult to establish exactly the facts of his life. It is however known that he was at various times piper to the Duchess of Northumberland, in the army, and a refugee from justice. He is thought to have played Northumbrian smallpipes, Union pipes and Border pipes (in modern terminology), and was very highly regarded by his musical contemporaries. He died in 1810.

Ian

[erracht]

Thanks much, Ian. Yep, that would probably be the picture
or one having a common source. Sure is funny, and the
pipes seem to be of a type often appearing in old English
cartoony pix (including of Highland pipers!) but the nearest
authentic version of this seem to be some of the Germanic
pipes (see pix on <<www.prydein.com/pipes (http://www.prydein.com/pipes)>>).