Books › the history of the violin, 1864 › scan 387
Scan 387
the history of the violin, 1864
2 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 365. See the scan on archive.org.
1Church Street, opposite Saint Peter's Church; the site, or rather a portion of that on which Compton House now stands; afterwards they moved to Bold Street in the same town. A Welshman named William Davis, or Davies, who was living in Liverpool in the year 1849, had been in the employ of these two brothers as a porter in or about 1818, and he spoke in high commendation of their kindness, and stated, "they had a good business, were the best masters he ever had either before or since. Henry was a capital tuner of pianos, and was frequently from home for a fortnight travelling about the country, and went as far as Wales to tune instruments. He did not work at the violin making, but was connected with the pianoforte department. The hands of James, when he knew him, were much contracted, yet he was an excellent repairer of violins, &c. O it was beautiful to see how he repaired them. All three are buried at Saint Mary's Church, Edge Hill, and I helped to put them into the grave." A son of the above Henry Banks, whose name is also Henry, and had an office at No. 2, Mersey Chambers, Liverpool, about 1849-50, corroborates much of that asserted by Davis, and also said, "his father did not work at the violin trade, and that his uncle was the maker of violins, tenors, and violoncellos; that the contraction in the hands was caused by gout, and that his uncle was never married." He also said that "very few, if any instruments were made at Liverpool; but some may have been finished there that were previously begun." James and Henry Banks sold the goodwill of their business to two brothers named Palmer, who found in a cellar a number of unfinished instruments of the violin class, which were sold by them in that state; but it was not known to whom they were disposed. On the tombstone at the church before-named it is engraved
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