[McBrucie]

I am new here and am searching to see if anyone knows where I can find out some information on my Great Great Grandfather (John McLachlan). He was a Pianoforte Tuner in the late 1800's in Dumfries, Scotland. I know he was blind from childhood, and the family story is he was sent to London to become a Piano Forte / Tuner by the Duke of Buccleugh (as his father was a Slater for the Duke in Thornhill). Does anyone know of any registers that would confirm if this was the case, and who actually taught him. His son( John Joseph Fry McLachlan) also became a piano tuner in Dumfries too.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Regards

Bruce McLachlan

[Barrie Heaton]

Depends if he was in the system or was trained by a local shop

RNCB trained the most then St Dunstable, RNCB was in London before WWII

I would start at the RNCB they go be 180 years

He is not in my list but that only starts in 1955

Barrie
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Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page

[Bill Kibby]

If you email me, I can send you a scan of John Mclachlan's receipt for tuning a piano in 1892. It gives his address in Paisley, and his previous address, and his signature. [Courtesy Gill Green.] When someone is in business in their own name, they are often listed in local directories, and we have some of these lists. There is no direct method of tracing the hundreds of men who were trained in tuning. Even apprenticeship details are hard to find, we have very few in our Piano History Centre.
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I do not buy, sell or value pianos, but I sometimes rescue pre-1890 pianos in the UK.

My own website: http://www.pianogen.org

Piano History Centre

The World's Largest Collection of
Historical Information about British Pianos.

[McBrucie]

Hi Bill and Barry,

Thanks for your help and advice.

Regards

Bruce