Bow & Bridge

Girvan, Thomas

As printed

  1. British Violin Makers (1920)

    GIRVAN, THOMAS, Edinburgh: nineteenth century.

    scan page 201, line 18See the scansource record

    GIRVAN, THOMAS, Edinburgh: nineteenth century. Average work.

    scan page 199, line 18See the scansource record

    Read the transcript line

    This is what the software read off the scan, not the page itself. The cited line is marked, and three lines either side are shown for context.

    scan page 201, line 18

    2. GILKES, WILLIAM, London: 1811–75. He was a pupil of his father, whom he succeeded in business. He made many double-basses and other instruments, which are of about average merit.
    4. GIRVAN, THOMAS, Edinburgh: nineteenth century.
    5. Average work.

    scan page 199, line 18

    2. GILKES, WILLIAM, London: 1811-75. He was a pupil of his father, whom he succeeded in business. He made many double-basses and other instruments, which are of about average merit.
    4. GIRVAN, THOMAS, Edinburgh: nineteenth century. Average work.

  2. Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (1922)

    Girvan, Thomas. — Edinburgh. Geb. 30. Dez. 1847 in Dalkeith

    scan page 171, line 45See the scan

    Read the transcript line

    This is what the software read off the scan, not the page itself. The cited line is marked, and three lines either side are shown for context.

    scan page 171, line 45

    1. Giroux. — Mirecourt
    2. Eine Geigenmacherfamilie, von der 1788 ein Jacques G. und ungefähr gleichzeitig ein Joseph G. nachzuweisen ist.
    4. Girvan, Thomas. — Edinburgh. Geb. 30. Dez. 1847 in Dalkeith
    5. Er war lange Militärmusiker und spielt außer Blechinstrumenten auch die Geige. Durch Honeymans Schriften kam er darauf, sich im Geigenmachen zu versuchen, und hat seitdem aus Liebhaberei etwa zwei Dutzend Violinen gemacht nach dem Stradivariomodell.
    6. Geigenzettel: Thomas Girvan / Edinburgh / 1869 (geschrieben).

Named in 2 books printed between 1920 and 1922. Read by software from scans of those pages, not yet checked by a person against the page. Entries from 2 books stand under this name, and the software judged them likely the same person. Tell us if that is wrong and we will split the record.

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Details and sources

Record note

Not established is the honest state of this record: it rests on one or more sources naming this maker, and nothing else on this site confirms it. Printed in: British Violin Makers (1920); British Violin Makers: A Biographical Dictionary of British Makers of Stringed Instruments and Bows and a Critical Description of Their Work (1920); Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (1922). Entries from 2 books stand under this name, and the software judged them likely the same person. Tell us if that is wrong and we will split the record. No claim beyond what those sources state has been invented here; if you can add to it, we want to hear from you.

What the books say

Places and dates of work
GIRVAN, THOMAS, Edinburgh: nineteenth century. reported1
Places and dates of work
GIRVAN, THOMAS, Edinburgh: nineteenth century. Average work. reported1
Places and dates of work
Girvan, Thomas. — Edinburgh. Geb. 30. Dez. 1847 in Dalkeith reported1

How the pages were read

3 of the 3 lines here were read from machine text (software that turns a photo of a page into words), not by a person looking at the page image. 1 of them rests on a section heading above a list of names, not on a trade word printed on its own line: “VIOLIN MAKERS.”.

Notes

  1. Read from machine text (software that turns a photo of a page into words, or a typed transcription), not by a person looking at the page image. ↩

The books behind this record

This record draws on 2 sources, both read from machine text. The count weighs how well each source was read, not just how many are cited. A stack of half-read sources does not outweigh one page read properly.

  1. W. Meredith Morris, British Violin Makers (London: Robert Scott, 1920). archive.org, bwb_W9-CSA-426. https://archive.org/details/bwb_W9-CSA-426.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 201, line 18

  2. W. Meredith Morris, British Violin Makers: A Biographical Dictionary of British Makers of Stringed Instruments and Bows and a Critical Description of Their Work (R. Scott, 1920). archive.org, britishviolinmak0000wmer. https://archive.org/details/britishviolinmak0000wmer.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 199, line 18

  3. Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (1922). archive.org, diegeigenundlaut02lt. https://archive.org/details/diegeigenundlaut02lt.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 171, line 45