The Society's Bagpipe Collections  commenced by William Alfred Cocks (1892 - 1971), a clockmaker from Ryton, are normally housed in the Morpeth Chantry Museum at Morpeth, Northumberland, now under the auspices of the Woodhorn Trust. Click here for  opening hours. The Cocks Collection catalogue has now been digitised, and photographs of the instruments and some of the music will soon be available on the Woodhorn website. FARNE, the Folk Archive Resource North East, features scanned images of tunes and songs from many of the manuscripts.

History of the Collections

William Alfred Cocks (1892-1971), a master clock maker, was elected to the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne on 25th August 1920, and remained a member until his death in 1971. References in the Transactions of the Society show that he manifested a consistent interest in prehistoric artefacts and in later antiquities, publishing a number of articles on these subjects as well as showing exhibits at monthly meetings of the Society. He was a shy, reclusive man, and his essays were almost always read out at Society meetings by someone else. The first Honorary Curator of the Bagpipe Museum, in which the Cocks Collection was exhibited, was Mr RAS Cowper, who converted a floor in the Society of Antiquaries' accommodation in the Black Gate in Newcastle upon Tyne for its display. The collection housed at the Black Gate consisted of about 100 complete sets of bagpipes; a library of 300 books, including some hand-written manuscripts; photographs; personal correspondence; and numerous items of ephemera.  The exhibition was on display at the Black Gate for 15 years, during which time Colin Ross became Honorary Curator.

By the mid 1980s, however, the Society was becoming increasingly concerned about the upkeep of the collection, whose contents, storage and display needed major refurbishment and conservation.

At the same time, Castle Morpeth Borough Council had acquired and restored the medieval Chantry in the centre of Morpeth, Northumberland. It was agreed to marry the collection to the building: Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum was formally opened in 1987 by HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. The first Curator was Gillian Crawley.  For more information about the history, look at the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum Souvenir Guide (from which this summary is taken), jointly published by the Newcastle Antiquaries and Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum, available at the Chantry for £4.95.  Enquiries to 01670 500717 or 500700.