Mowat, Richard

Born in Backworth; A miner, he was a pupil of Thomas Todd; He won 3 successive piping competitions (1894-1896) of the Northumbrian Small Pipes Society (1893-1900), and was subsequently barred from competitions, but he was also one of the only 2 pipers who were awarded its Gold Medal, the other being Henry Clough; Instead of using closed fingering, he had an unusual style, occasionally lifting several fingers at a time, and sometimes his entire right hand, particularly on long notes in slow airs, such as "Roslin Castle", but was evidently never penalised in competitions for this, as he would be today; In 1906, Mowat was one of the pipers who played on the occasion of the King’s visit to the Duke of Northumberland at Alnwick Castle; The others were Henry (See above) and Tom Clough, and the Duke’s piper, James Hall.