Richard Inskip and the Northern Brass Bands

Brass bands have a noble tradition in the North of England with roots in the industrial revolution. They formed in the small villages surrounding industrial cities where a factory employed most local labour. Bands were the answer to the daily grind and a dearth of entertainment, and started with the aid of people versed in eighteenth century folk music.

Everyone in a small village could join the band, and amateur status was a strong feature. The bands were financed by subscription or the factory owners. Once proficient, bands played in concerts and contests. The best bands could attract an audience outside their own locality, and brass band contests had up to 80,000 people in the audience. Factory bands were the most successful; they had the money to poach players and pay musically trained band leaders .

The first band is said to be the Stalybridge Old Band started in 1814 – they played their first event the Saturday after the battle of Waterloo, June 1815. But, other contenders include Besses o’th’ Barn from Greater Manchester – formed by cotton mill owners the Clegg brothers who provided instruments, uniforms and music. The famous Black Dyke Mills Band started in Queensbury, Yorkshire in 1816.

At first the bands were a mixture of woodwind and brass – like military bands – but with the invention in 1815 of valves allowing for scales to be played, brass superceded the woodwind.

As Inskip is a Lancashire name it is good to know that we have had our famous brass band players . Mrs Freda Topham, kindly wrote to me recently to tell me about her grandfather Richard Inskip (1868-1938 ) from Skipton who was a noted cornet player in many northern brass bands. Including, Skipton Old Prize Band, Linthwaite Band, Mossley Band under the baton of Alex Owen of Besses o’th’ Barn, and prize bands Kingston Mills, Lindley and Kettering Rifles, and Denton Original.

But Richard Inskip was not from a Yorkshire family, he was the son of George Inskip the photographer from Skipton, who was born in Thringstone, Leicestershire. George was a cousin of John Inskip the Victorian photographer who practiced in Scarborough – whose own son was John Henry Inskip a notable artist of the English School who regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy.

Brass band playing frequently went in families and in Richard’s 1938 obituary there is a note that his brother Walter was one of the finest horn players of this day, and another brother Harold was an above average tenor trombone.