INDUSTRIES 



Barrett is apparent. The characteristic fault 

 of his instruments, and especially the violon- 

 cellos, is that they are often worked too thin, 

 and in consequence the tone is apt to suffer. 

 His earlier labels bear the address of the 

 ' Golden Harp,' in Piccadilly, the later of the 

 ' Harp and Hautboy,' Piccadilly. Peter Wams- 

 ley was succeeded in business by his pupil 

 Thomas Smith. In neither quality of tone 

 nor varnish can his violoncellos compare with 

 those of his master. Two apprentices of 

 Smith, John Norris and Robert Barnes, were 

 partners for a time in Windmill Street (1785) 

 and Coventry Street (1794). Henry Jay, a 

 maker of Long Acre (1746) and Windmill 

 Street (1768) may, however, be mentioned 

 as a neat and careful craftsman, who won 

 repute for the kits he made for dancing- 

 masters. Richard Duke, the elder, also 

 gained a considerable name during the last 

 half of the i8th century. At one time he 

 lived in Red Lion Street, Holborn. His work- 

 manship followed the Steiner pattern, and the 

 tone of his violins was clear and silvery. 



In 1741 the name of William Hill is first 

 met with as a maker in Poland Street, near 

 Broad Street, in Carnaby Market. He used 

 a beautiful oil varnish of a transparent yellow 

 colour. His brother, Joseph Hill, lived in 

 Dover Street, Piccadilly, then at the ' Harp 

 and Flute,' in the Haymarket, (where his house 

 was burnt out with all his stock), and after that 

 in Newington, to the south of the Thames. 

 The work of these two brothers has remark- 

 able affinities with that of Edmund Aireton, 

 who at an advanced age was living in Hog 

 Lane, Soho, as late as 1805. Aireton made 

 inferior as well as high-class instruments, and 

 his violins and tenors were built on the pattern 

 of Stradivari. 



John Edward, or old John, Belts and his 

 nephew, Ned Belts, were Lincolnshire men, 

 and both pupils of Richard Duke. The older 

 man was a betler dealer lhan maker, his 

 nephew had more original ability, but both of 

 them, as well as the Fendts, whom John 

 Belts employed, were specially skilled in 

 imitating the Italian and old English makers. 



One of the mosl famous of ihe 1 8th-cen- 

 tury makers has still to be mentioned, William 

 Forsler, 76 generally known as ' Old Forsler,' 

 to distinguish him from his son. Born in 

 Cumberland in 1739 he came to London as a 

 young man of twenty or twenly-one, and 

 after working in the City set up for himself in 

 St. Martin's Lane, from which he removed 

 to 348 Strand, probably about 1784 or 1785. 



76 See Sandys & Forster, Hist, oj the 

 296 et seq. 



By 1781 he had gained the patronage of the 

 Duke of Cumberland, and his instruments had 

 become celebrated for the ' original varnish ' lo 

 which he refers in his labels. His earlier 

 inslrumenls were after the Steiner pattern. 

 About 1772 he adopted the Amati oulline, 

 though his first work in this manner lacks 

 the elegance and delicacy which he achieved 

 later. His violas and violoncellos were ihe 

 mosl highly esteemed, though some of his violins 

 reached a high standard. Henry Hill remarks 

 of his 'amber-coloured violoncellos' that 

 ' they are renowned for mellowness, a volume 

 and power of tone, equalled by few, surpassed 

 by none.' William Forster died at his son's 

 house, York Street, Westminsler, in 1808. 



The lasl period of the London school dates 

 from 1790 to 1840, when the influence of 

 Stradivari and Joseph Guarnieri became pre- 

 dominant. Some Middlesex makers belong 

 to ihis period. John Furber, 1 8 1 0-45, worked 

 for J. Bells of ihe Royal Exchange, and 

 afterwards for himself al Brick Lane, Old 

 Slreel ; his instruments are copied from both 

 ihe Amali and ihe Slradivari patterns. 

 Samuel Gilkes, a pupil of Charles Harris of 

 RatclifF Highway, was born in 1787 and 

 died in 1827. He worked as journeyman 

 wilh William Forster the younger, and after- 

 wards was in business for himself al James 

 Street, Buckingham Gate ; his better-class 

 work was excellent. John Carter, of Wych 

 Slreel, worked chiefly for Belts, bul produced 

 some violins on his own account of good 

 quality. Henry Lockey Hill, 1774-1835, was 

 the son of a violin maker, and a pupil of his 

 father and of John Belts. He ihen became with 

 his brolhers partner in his falher's firm, and 

 by his lalenl and fine workmanship largely 

 helped to make ihe name of Hill famous. He 

 was succeeded by his even more celebraied 

 son William Ebsworlh Hill (1817-95), and 

 the latler by his four sons, William Henry, 

 Arlhur Frederick, Alfred Ebsworlh, and 

 Waller Edgar. These genllemen now con- 

 slilute ihe firm of Hill and Sons, whose repula- 

 tion is world-wide, and has been slill further 

 enhanced by ihe publicalion of several valuable 

 works, including a life of Stradivari. 



The abolition of the import duly on violins 

 from abroad and the large number of violins 

 of old makers upon the market, which were 

 more in demand than new ones, ruined the 

 English manufacture, and but few firms have 

 survived. Whether ihe trade is destined to 

 revive ihe fulure only can show. 



The Organ. As early 77 as the year 1528 



77 W. Page, Denizations and Naturalizations 

 (Huguenot Soc.), 132, and cf. Kirk, op. cit. i, 1 59, 

 413. 



189 



