51/302/1-2

An ophicleide is a brass instrument of the keyed bugle family. This instrument is made of thin brass with a bone mouthpiece which screws onto it and ten numbered keys. It was played in The Marlborough Yeomanry and the village band.

1 ophicleide: brass; bone; fair condition - brass badly cracked

Letter, Mr Beer to The MERL, 5 April 1951 - 'I am interested to read in one of the trade papers that you have started a museum. [...] I enclose a notice of a sale in Hungerford which will take place next Friday April 6th. I used to call on the brothers Middleton up till 1939 and they were both over seventy years of age then. On the benches were old metal candlesticks which were adjustable. In one corner was an old lathe operated by hand with the aid of a large wheel and a belt of some sort. The old gents used to tell me about the old days when their father use to keep some beer handy in the shop and the locals used to turn the wheel for him whilst he turned the hub stocks, and they would work all the evening if the beer held out. Some of the unfinished [page break] work was still 'up ever' in 1939 being dried off and seasoned. It is sad to realise that these old 'boxes' will never be made up into hubs for wheels but will only be chopped up for firewood (after all that beer too.) I do not remember what else was in the shop but it was very interesting to me then and the floor was inches and inches deep in chips and sawdust etc. I wondered if you would like to slip down and have a look at the lathe, tools and stocks. There will probably not be another change to get these old wheelwrights tools. // The old shop is opposite the timber yard as you enter Hungerford. [...]', Letter, The MERL to Mr Beer, 6 April 1951 - 'Many thanks for your letter of April 3rd. I was very grateful indeed to have all the information about the Middleton sale at Hungerford and, in fact, I went over there yesterday and had a look at the lot. There was an extremely useful wheelwrights equipment there which I am going over this morning in the hope of obtaining. // I met Mr Middleton himself (the remaining brother) yesterday and got some very worthwhile information from him. [...]', Letter, Neate (Auctioneers) to The MERL, 17 July 1951 - 'You will remember buying an old musical instrument at the sale at Eddington on 6th April. // I have since had the furniture from the house for sale and in one of the pieces found the enclosed which I expect is part of the said instrument.', MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Standard museum name: Opicleide // Accession number: 51/302 // Classification: Personal use musical // Negative number: 60/187, 60/740 // Acquisition method: purchased // Acquired from, date: April 1951 [...] Eddington, Hungerford // Store: // Condition: // Recorder, date: // Description: This instrument has 10 keys numbered 1-10 starting with No. 1 nearest the bell. The instrument is made of thin brass which is badly cracked. The mouth piece is of bone, and screws onto the instrument. // Dimensions: Length overall: 80.5 cm // Associated information: This instrument was played in The Marlborough Yeomanry and the village band. For further correspondence see 51/303. Also Neg. No. 35/508 // References:'

Metal, brass, Bone