FUNERAL OF THE QUEEN'S PIPER
The remains of Mr. William Ross, first piper to the Queen
who died in his 69th year, after a short illness, at his
residence, Crathie-villas, Windsor, on the 10th inst.,
were interred in the Cemetery on Monday afternoon amidst
general signs of respect and in the presence of a large
number of spectators. Deceased, who was a native of Rosshire,
served in the 42nd Highlanders - the Black Watch - for a
long period, and was pipe-major in that famous regiment
at the beginning of the year 1854, when he entered the royal
service, in which he remained until his death. Another proof
of the constant solicitude of her Majesty for the attendants
who serve under her with so much loyalty and devotion was
afforded by the touching notice in the "Court Circular," which,
under date of June 11th, announced that the Queen had again
lost a faithful servant, which had caused her much grief. Her
Majesty sent a message of condolence to the widow. Mr. Ross
was a stalwart man, and the martial strains of his celebrated
pibroch were always heartily welcomed by every gathering of
Scotchmen in London, by whom he will be greatly missed. The
cortege left the residence of the deceased at three o'clock,
and was headed by the pipers and drummers of the Second Battalion
of the Scots Guards, who played "The Flower of the Forest" on
the way to the cemetery. The body was enclosed in a shell, which
was encased in a handsome coffin of polished oak, with brass
furniture, bearing the inscription: "William Ross, died
June 10th, 1891; aged 68 years." It was conveyed in a Washington
car, which was followed by two broughams, containing Mrs. Ross
(the widow), and Mrs. Porter and Miss Ross (daughters of the
deceased). The other mourners present were Messrs. Alfred and
William Ross (sons) and Mr. Porter (son-in-law).
Captain Walter Campbell and Major the Hon. H. C. Legge attended
on behalf of her Majesty, who requested all the servants at the
Castle who could be spared from their duties to be present.
The Royal Household was represented by Mr. Leonard Collmann,
inspector; Mr. Lloyd, clerk comptroller; Mr. J. Manning, of the
Master of the Horses department; Mr. Donald Mackay (piper to his
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales), Mr. John Farquharson (piper
to the Duke of Edinburgh), who wore their Highland costumes and
decorations; Mr. Ridgeon, Mr. Collins, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Archibald
Brown. There was also present Messrs. W. Baxter, E. Haward, and
J. Carey (deacons of the Congregational Church, of which deceased
was a member), Mr. Mackenzie, and Mr. Bryant. An impressive service
was conducted in the cemetery chapel by the Rev. T. Orr, who officiated
at the grave. The coffin was covered with beautiful floral tokens,
among which were a wreath of yellow immortelles, bearing the inscription,
"A mark of regard from Victoria, R.I.", from the Queen, and a
chaplet of white flowers and foliage from Princess Beatrice. The
remainder of the wreaths were from Mrs. Ross and family, Mr. and Mrs.
Campbell, Mr., Mrs., and Miss Ridgeon, Mr. Farquharson, Mr. A. Brown,
Mr. and Mrs. Porter, and Mr. Thomson. The funeral arrangements were
satisfactorily carried out by Mr. W. Cleave.
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We have received the following biographical sketch of the late
Mr. Ross from a contributor :-
"Last Monday afternoon were consigned to their last resting place the
mortal remains of her Majesty's piper and highly valued servant, Mr.
William Ross, whose lamented death was chronicled in our last issue.
As Mr. Ross resided in our town ever since he entered the Royal service,
and continued to do so up to the time of his death, we offer to our
readers - numbers of whom will miss the well remembered figure of
the veteran piper - a brief sketch of his life and labours in the cause
of that particular branch of music in which during the last thirty odd
years he has had no equal. Some of us - most of us - Englishmen look
with contempt and positive dislike at the bagpipes, and are apt to fancy
that the study and practice of them is unworthy of the name of musical art.
There is no doubt at all that we err from ignorance and perhaps prejudice:
from the former by misunderstanding the true purport, and the latter perhaps
on account of their historic memories.
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Before quitting this subject the
writer would like to quote a few words from the introduction to Mr. Ross's
magnificent collection of 'Pipe Music' (which will be referred to later on) by
the eminent Scottish divine, the late Dr. Norman McLeod.
He says: 'The bag-pipe
is the instrument for summoning the clans from the far off glens to rally round
the standard of their chiefs, or for leading a Highland regiment to the attack
amidst the roar of battle. The pibroch is also constructed to express a welcome
to the chief on his return to his clan, and to the old burial place in the glen,
or in the 'Sainted Isle of Graves.'
To those who understand its carefully
composed music, there is a pathos and depth of feeling suggested by it, with which
a Highlander alone can fully sympatise; associated by him, as it always is, with
the most touching memories of his home and country, recalling the forms and faces
of the departed, and reviving impressions of his early and happiest years.
And thus, if it excites the stranger to laughter, it excites the Highlander
to tears, as no other music can do in spite of the most refined culture of
his after life.' Mr. William Ross was born in the parish of Knockbain, Rosshire
on the 27th March, 1823. He had the misfortune to lose his mother when he was but
a child of seven years old, and his father emigrated to Upper Canada two years later.
At the age of sixteen he enlisted in the 42nd Regiment (Royal Highlanders), better
known as the famous 'Black Watch.' He had mastered the bagpipes before he entered
the army, having been instructed by an old Highland piper, whose daughter he
subsequently married. He soon took a leading position as a piper, and was very
quickly promoted step by step until he had in an unprecedentedly short time
attained to the highest degree of perfection. He served in Corfu, Malta, Bermuda,
and at home, and bore an exemplary character; and on the 10th May, 1854, he was
appointed piper to her Majesty, a post which he continued to occupy up till the
time of his death. The deceased gentleman, by his unswerving integrity, not only
gained the respect and esteem of his Sovereign and the other members of the Royal
Family, together with a large number of the Scottish and English nobility, but
also of all who came in contact with him. In private life he was genial and
kind-hearted, and could tell a good tale, or crack as good a joke as would
have rejoiced the heart of the famous Dean Ramsey. As a player of a 'pibroch'
or of a 'lament,' he was unapproachable; he seldom played in public, but
whenever he was required to adjudicate at Highland gatherings (which he
was often called upon to do both at home and abroad) he was lionised. Unlike
many of his compatriots, Mr. Ross had a keen appreciation of the best in music
of whatever nationality it might be; he could enjoy a sonata of the great masters,
or a fine performance of the grandest in sacred musical art, while at the same time
no one liked better than he the simple but exquisite ballads of our great grandfathers.
The work by which he will chiefly be remembered is that to which reference has already
been made, viz. the great 'Collection of Pipe Music,' the preparation and production
of which cost years of patient labour; two editions were published, the later in July, 1885.
One may gain an idea of the weight and responsibility of this undertaking by remembering
the fact that the amassing and augmenting of this collection occupied a period of over
thirty years. This valuable work comprises upwards of four hundred of the rarest and
the best of old and new music for the pipes. A large number of the tunes in this book
had never been in print before; indeed, many were taken down by the compiler from old
pipers both in Scotland and in Ireland, who played them traditionally, having been
handed down to them with zealous care and veneration from times remote. While to the
musical antiquarian this book must always be of great interest, to those who love
national melody for its own sake, because it to a large extent reflects the very
life and character of the people, this collection cannot fail to be highly prized
by its possessor. This book has been and is likely to continue to be the 'Standard
Collection of Pipe Music,' and is recognized as such all the world over. It is used
by the pipe-bands of all the Scottish regiments and even in India forms the text-book
from which soldiers of our Sepoy army and of some of the native contingents have gained
a knowledge of the pipes and pipe music."
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