THE DUNCAN MACDOUGALL PIPING MEDAL COLLECTION
AN IMPORTANT GROUP OF VICTORIAN PIPING MEDALS
Auction: Day 2: Thursday 21 August - Lots 297 - end
Description
fifteen medals mounted on a velvet sash comprising awards from
Perth Highland Society by W.J. Taylor, London, bearing the town badge on one side and engraved to the obverse 'First Prize to D.M Dougall for reel playing July 19th 1862'
a white metal medal with thistle embossed rim 'Strathallan Highland Games 1st Prize for Marches & Reels awarded to Dn McDougall', suspended from a purple ribbon with thistle engraved pin and six additional prize bars '1st for marches & reels August, 1875', '1st prize marches & reels August 1871','1st prize marches & reels August 1870','1st prize marches & reels August 1869','1st prize marches & reels August 1868','1st prize marches & reels August 1865'.
A cast figure of St Andrew on cross to one side, engraved to the reverse 'the best piper at St Andrews Games Dn McDougall 1857'
The Argyllshire Gathering Medal, by Kirkwood & Sons Edinburgh, engraved to the obverse 'awarded to Duncan MacDougall for marches, September 1887'
A gilt metal medal with figures in Highland dress standing with a crown and crossed sword and sceptre above the motto 'An Comunn Gaelach', engraved to the obverse 'The champion medal of the Highland Society of London Awarded to Duncan McDougall Inverness the best of prize Pibroch players', with engraved pin attachment and six additional prize bars engraved '1st Pibrochs Glenfalloch Sept 3rd 1869', '1st for Pibrochs. Aberfeldy Games. August 1876', 1st for Pibrochs Blairathol. Sept 1874', '1st for Pibrochs Crieff Games August 1873, 'gained the prize bagpipes. Septr. 1870',
'Dundee Highland Association' medal engraved '1st prize for reel playing' with purple ribbon and foliate engraved pin with four additional prize bars engraved, '1st prize marches & reels July 1867', '1st prize marches & reels August 1858', '1st prize for reel playing July 1857', '1st prize marches & reels August 1856'
'Dunkeld Highland Games 1st prizes for marches and reels awarded to Duncan McDougall', on a purple ribbon with ten additional prize bars engraved as follows, '1st prize marches & reels August 1857', '1st prize for reels & marches','3rd for phiosbroch August 1872', '1st prize for reels & 1st for marches July 1869' '2nd for marches July 1867', '1st prize for reel playing 2nd for marches July 1866', '2nd prize for reel playing August 1865', '1st prize for reel playing July 1863', '1st prize for reel playing July 1860'
St Andrew to one side and engraved to the obverse, 'Awarded to Dn McDougall as the best player of Strathspeys & reels on the bagpipes at St Andrew Games 1856'
A purple velvet ribbon medal lacking with four prize bars engraved as follows, '1st for reels 2nd for Pibrochs Aug 1874', '1st prize marches & reels August 1872', '2nd prize for reels & 3rd for marches August 1871', '1st prize marches & reels August 1870'
A medal for 'Angus & Mearns Highland Games Oct 1854, held at Montrose 1st prize for marches & reels awarded to Dn McDougall'
A Victorian Volunteer Long Service Medal, named to the rim 'Pipe Major Duncan MacDougall 5th V.B.R.H’, with additional bar engraved 'pined on by the Marchioness of Breadalbane week camp 1895'
Medal engraved 'Awarded by the Edin Highland Society to Dn McDougall 31st July 1857', and engraved to the reverse 'second prize for playing of marches on the great Highland bagpipes', the blue ribbon with three additional prize bars engraved as follows,'1st prize marches & reels August 1871', '1st prize for slow marches July 1850', '1st prize for reel playing July 1860',
A Perth Highland Society medal by W.J. Taylor, London, bearing the town badge on one side and engraved to the reverse 'first prize to D McDougall for reel playing July 24th 1857’
medal engraved 'awarded to Mr Duncan McDougall for reels Perth Hd Society Sep 26th 1858',
A yellow metal medal engraved 'Best Pibroch Player Birnam 1875' and to the reverse 'presented by J. Robertson Reid esq Tomnagrew gained by Duncan McDougall'
Medal of St Andrew on his cross, with prize bars engraved, '1st prize. reel dancing Newcastle Games May 1859', '1st prize sword dance Stirling games, June 1858', '1st Prize sword dance Dundee games August 1857','1st Prize sword dance St Andrews games August 1857', '1st prize sword dance Forfar games August 1856'
Together with the loose medals, engraved 'Birnam Highland Games 1st prize for marches & reels awarded to Duncan McDougall', medal engraved with a figure of a piper to one side and to the reverse 'Breadalbane Gathering 1894 first prize for reels and Strathspeys presented by Miss Macpherson of Findnate won by John MacDougall', a medal engraved on one side 'Athol gathering 1889' and to the reverse 'first prize for reels playing won by John McDougall', a medal suspender lacking medal awarded from the Perth Highland Society by W.J. Taylor, London, bearing the town badge on one side and engraved to the reverse ' First Prize to D McDougall for reel playing 26th Aug 1865, three loose prize bars engraved '1st prize marches & reels August 1865', '1st prize marches & reels August 1866', '1st prize marches & reels August 1869, 3rd for phiobroch', a gilt metal medal engraved to one side 'Glenfalloch Highland Games first prize marches & reels presented by the directors of the Glasgow Celtic Society', and to the reverse 'awarded Duncan McDougall 19th August 1870', a gilt metal medal engraved ' Glenfalloch Games Pipee Competition 1873', and to the reverse 'to Duncan McDougal for marches & reels', a gold medal (carat mark indistinct) Edinburgh 1872 by Robert & Henry Bruce Kirkwood with crest of a boar's head to one side with motto 'Follow Me' and coronet above, the suspender formed as a sporran and dirks and basket hilted broadsword, the obverse with 'Glenfalloch Highland Games Aug 1873', and engraved to the centre 'presented by Lady Breadalbane to Duncan McDougall for best performance of pheobrochs on the Great Highland Bagpipes', a yellow metal gilt medal engraved to one side 'Northern Meeting Champion Medal 1876' and to the obverse 'Presented By The Northern meeting to Duncan McDougall as best player of pheobrochs in competition of pipers who won Highland Society of London medal at Inverness Sep 1876'.
Provenance
Duncan McDougall
By Direct family descent
The Scottish Sale Part II, Bonhams 29th – 30th August 2012, lot 504
Private Collection
Footnote
Duncan McDougall (1837-1898)
Regarded as the maker of some of the most coveted bagpipes today, it is interesting to note that Duncan McDougall was born into a family of pipe makers in Perth and his skills would have been honed through the generations. His father, also Duncan, lived in Edinburgh between 1867 and 1873 and it was during these years that he purposely changed the look of and ultimately the sound of his bagpipes. His great-grandfather Allan founded the business in 1792, which then passed to his grandfather John around 1834. Duncan Snr. inherited the business in 1857 and moved it to Edinburgh around 1861. Later he relocated the business to Aberfeldy, where he stayed for the next 14 years.
In August 1867 Duncan Jnr., age 29, married Isabella. Their residence was given as 33 Thistle Street, Edinburgh. At this point he is described as a wood turner journeyman. In 1870, while in Aberfeldy, he accepted a seasonal engagement as official piper at Taymouth Castle, in Perthshire, the home of Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane, Earl of Breadalbane. By 1873 Duncan and family had moved there. Breadalbane had himself served as a lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and therefore had a strong military link, so when Duncan Jnr resided at Taymouth Castle, he continued to make bagpipes. These were stamped ‘Breadalbane’. This relationship lasted until around 1881 when the family is found in Weem, a small village near Aberfeldy. The relationship with Breadalbane perhaps enabled a position with Queen Victoria as he also spent one season as her personal piper at Osbourne House, on the Isle of Wight. As a result, Duncan Jnr obtained the Royal Warrant as Bagpipe Makers to Her Royal Highness, Queen Victoria. During this time he made pipes for Pipe Major William Campbell, official Piper until Victoria's death, and for King Edward VII, who was a keen piper in his youth.
McDougall himself was a keen piper and was the Pipe Major of the Edinburgh Volunteers and instructor to the Black Watch volunteers. In 1870 he won the Prize for Piobaireachd at Inverness, having made the presentation pipes himself. He then won the Gold Medal at Inverness in 1873. Alongside this, in 1876 he won the Champion's Gold Medal as "Champion of Champions" or "King of Pipers." The award had been held only three times previously.