A brief history of St. Pinnock Band

 

"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away".
Sir Thomas Beecham

 

1.Sober Beginnings

 

Little is known of the early days of the Band. We do know that in 1866 the St. Pinnock Band of Hope was formed. They required a   marching band to lead them and so naturally, the “St. Pinnock Temperance Band of Hope” came into being. The Band donned a peaked cap and the Blue sash to show they had taken "the pledge" and renounced the “Demon Drink”. Tales are told of the Bass drum being kept on top of a cupboard in St. Pinnock school where it served as a target for the well aimed  Pasty crusts of unruly school boys. 

The members of the band were drawn from the workers of the Lead mines and Gunpowder mills in the area. The Lead and Silver mines eventually failed however the Tamblyns, a local family, had produced charcoal for making Black powder, but the fall in charcoal price lead them to investigate building their own gunpowder mills at Herodsfoot. To finance the project they approached the Elliots of Liskeard, who being a Quaker family agreed but on condition that the gunpowder be used for mining and quarrying and never in armaments. This provided employment in the area for more than a century. Just how popular the teetotal Band were amongst the miners and gunpowder workers of St. Pinnock and Herodsfoot we will never know, since there were four public houses in Herodsfoot alone, and little else! However in 1907 they are still wearing their Blue sashes and had just been joined by Victor King.

 

Little is known of the early days of the Band. We do know that in 1866 the St. Pinnock Band of Hope was formed. They required a   marching band to lead them and so naturally, the “St. Pinnock Temperance Band of Hope” came into being. The Band donned a peaked cap and the Blue sash to show they had taken "the pledge" and renounced the “Demon Drink”. Tales are told of the Bass drum being kept on top of a cupboard in St. Pinnock school where it served as a target for the well aimed  Pasty crusts of unruly school boys.

 
           The members of the band were drawn from the workers of the Lead mines and Gunpowder mills in the area. The Lead and Silver mines eventually failed however the Tamblyns, a local family, had produced charcoal for making Black powder, but the fall in charcoal price lead them to investigate building their own gunpowder mills at Herodsfoot. To finance the project they approached the Elliots of Liskeard, who being a Quaker family agreed but on condition that the gunpowder be used for mining and quarrying and never in armaments. This provided employment in the area for more than a century. Just how popular the teetotal Band were amongst the miners and gunpowder workers of St. Pinnock and Herodsfoot we will never know, since there were four public houses in Herodsfoot alone, and little else! However in 1907 they are still wearing their Blue sashes and had just been joined by Victor King.

 

 

 

 

A brief history of St. Pinnock Band

1.Sober Beginnings

Little is known of the early days of the Band. We do know that in 1866 the St. Pinnock Band of Hope was formed. They required a   marching band to lead them and so naturally, the “St. Pinnock Temperance Band of Hope” came into being. The Band donned a peaked cap and the Blue sash to show they had taken "the pledge" and renounced the “Demon Drink”. Tales are told of the Bass drum being kept on top of a cupboard in St. Pinnock school where it served as a target for the well aimed  Pasty crusts of unruly school boys. 

The members of the band were drawn from the workers of the Lead mines and Gunpowder mills in the area. The Lead and Silver mines eventually failed however the Tamblyns, a local family, had produced charcoal for making Black powder, but the fall in charcoal price lead them to investigate building their own gunpowder mills at Herodsfoot. To finance the project they approached the Elliots of Liskeard, who being a Quaker family agreed but on condition that the gunpowder be used for mining and quarrying and never in armaments. This provided employment in the area for more than a century. Just how popular the teetotal Band were amongst the miners and gunpowder workers of St. Pinnock and Herodsfoot we will never know, since there were four public houses in Herodsfoot alone, and little else! However in 1907 they are still wearing their Blue sashes and had just been joined by Victor King.
 

 

2. Coming of Age

Mr King had played in the Band as a boy, but had left to play cornet professionally in America. When he returned to the area he set about improving the band, along with his two brothers. They used to practise in the Engine house of the saw mill in East Taphouse which was owned by fellow Bandsmen, the Pearse family. The Saw mill engine house had the big advantage of being a warm place to play of an evening.

 

 

 

1910 was a good year, with the Band purchasing the old uniforms of the 14th Hussars, however as storm clouds gathered in Europe, the band had its own turmoil when Victor King returned to America. This did seem to cause a bit of an upset, however in 1914 a proper Band committee was formed, with a set of rules for bandsmen and a constitution. Henry Lobb the school master at St. Pinnock became bandmaster, Mr Salt Chairman, Mr Vennard Vice-Chair, Mr Pearse Treasurer and Mr Tamblyn Band Sargent.

 

 

 

 

That initial meeting decided to ask Messrs Pearse Bros to construct a music blackboard, properly ruled for use in the instruction of the Band. It appears that Victor had taught the band by ear, and since non of them appear to have been able to read music, it was time to remedy the situation. They were given permission to use the  Bethal School room, initially for free, but they elected to pay a rent of 5 shillings per year as a good will gesture. Henry Lobb , Bandmaster, taught the band to read music!

By 1915 they felt able to charge for their services, and the Band fees were as follows:
 1. A free tea
 2. 10s for Conan, Bethal and Broadoak jobs
 3. £1 all other jobs, plus the cost of hire of a brake to and from the event.

A Brake being a wagon with seats drawn by a team of horses. The band had to get out at the hills though so as to spare the horses, all being on hire from Mr Edmonds of Liskeard. (1921 saw the introduction of Charabancs which at least stopped the need to get out, although they were definitely not a comfortable means of travel, being in effect an engine on the front of a wagon).

The band committee worked hard to keep the band going doing the Great war and when peace came they were able to commence again without too much delay. Mr Hedley Lobb resigned as Bandmaster in 1922, to be replaced by Fred Salt jnr. Interestingly, reflecting the membership of the time, and probably the secretary's problems in finding Deps in the summer (some things never change) the committee passed a rule that no engagements or rehearsals were to take place for one month after the start of the summer harvest each year.

 

 

3. Entry into the world of Brass Band competitions.

 

 

The 1924 uniform consisted of a badge to be worn at engagements, however by 1930 the band raised money to buy a uniform which would last to the 1950's and took the big step of paying for a band tutor to come and train the band for contests, Mr Marsh Kevell. His fee being £20 pounds per year plus a share of engagement fees.