Latest Additions to The Waits Website

www.townwaits.org.uk / latest.shtml

This page is intended as a quick reference for regular visitors to find out what's new on the site. Keep visiting Notes & Queries for other news.

4 Jan 2010:
Alan Radford has made contact with an American band - "The Charlotte Waites". We hope to see them at the 4th Festival - if they can make it.
The Charlotte Waites Facebook page

Click picture to enlarge

10 Nov 2009:
There's now a published version of the Leeds Waits' history:
A. Radford (2009) The Leeds Waits: official town musicians and peripatetic entertainers for over three centuries.
Publications of The Thoresby Society, second series, vol. 19, pp 59-76.

4 Nov 2009:
Al Garrod has created a Waites facebook site for the IGTP. You can join this site to have a look, join in the discussions, or contribute photogrphs, text or video yourselves.

Al has also completed all outstanding updates to this website.
Alan Radford now hosts and maintains the "Events" page. Guild Members can email their events to Alan for inclusion on this page. waits.events@btinternet.com
Chris Gutteridge has moved "Notes & Queries" to his "White Cottage" server. He is now working on fixing any broken links.

31 Aug 2009:
"At The Sign of The Angel", The new recording from THE DONCASTER WAITES, Doncaster's performers of renaissance music. The Waites first recording aims to re create music as it may have been heard and performed by the people of Doncaster in the 16th and 17th centuries. Includes songs from the ale house, stately dances from the homes of the rich and the lively music of the streets.

All performed on reproductions of original instruments such as shawms, crumhorns and hurdy-gurdy. Over 60 minutes of music. Price £8.00 plus £1.50 p&p from: 2 Ledbury Gardens, Cusworth, Doncaster, S. Yorks, DN5 8LS. Tel 01302 788428.

26 Aug 2009:
The Directors of the International Guild of Town Pipers have conferred honorary life membership of the Guild upon Dr. James Merryweather and Chris Gutteridge, for their research over many years, on the history of waits in England, and for their role as founders of the Waits Website.

   

Membership Page

25 Aug 2009:
As the website has now officially switched to the new version and curator, this is the appropriate time to put on record the gratitude of IGTP Directors and all waits for Chris Gutteridge's years of service to the cause, in building and maintaining the Waits Website over a significant number of years. Your dedication and hard work has played a major role in publicity, giving us a web presence and for encouraging several recent group revivals. As you head into "semi-retirement" with only Notes and Queries to maintain, our thanks go with you.
[Alan Radford, Director IGTP, 23 Aug 2009.]

I echo all of Alan’s words.
[Al Garrod, Webmaster IGTP, 23 Aug 2009.]

Suddenly the new website is in place, even if there are still parts of it to sort out. I echo Alan's comment that he is happy to let Al make his informed choices (I can't do anything else, being blissfully ignorant in this area!). All power to Al's elbow, and thank you, Al, for your stupendous work in sorting through everything and developing a website that I think we shall all be very proud of and find very useful. In addition to this, I'd also echo Alan's comments about Chris. The earlier website was a great resource that has served us magnificently over the years, and much of Chris's work carries over into the new website. I don't doubt that the IGTP would have struggled to do the useful things that it has achieved in that period were it not for that website, and that the website has been a major factor in bringing waits and other interested parties together and disseminating information, knowledge and understanding. So I raise my glass to Chris's achievement and to the future of the IGTP website under Al's stewardship. Thank you, Chris; and thank you, Al.
[Professor Richard Rastall MA MusB PhD FSA, Patron, 24 Aug 2009.]

I thoroughly endorse all that has been said. In fact as a Trustee of the Guild I would like to formally propose that messr's Merryweather and Gutteridge be formally accepted as life members of the guild and to receive a free badge as token of our esteem. (Chris you are barred from the vote!)
[Roger Offord, Director IGTP, 25 Aug 2009.]

22 Aug 2009:
A lot has been happening in The International Guild of Town Pipers!

Firstly, Al Garrod of The Lincoln Waites and Actuality Solutions has taken over as webmaster and completely re-designed and updated the Waits Website, making it easier to use, more logical, and more browser-friendly. In due course, new sections, accessible only to members of the Guild (for Guild membership, see below), will be added.

I am continuing (when I can find the time) to look after Notes and Queries. For the moment, until I get it sorted out, please be sure to manouver out of the Notes and Queries section by using the back button on your browser, so that you don't get trapped in the old site!

Secondly, the Guild is holding a Tudor Waits Music workshop on Sunday, 25th October at Coddington Village Hall, Newark, with renowned early musicians Keith McGowan (reeds) and Jamie Savan (brass). Both these tutors have a lot to offer, and the day should prove very rewarding for all Waits.

Lastly, the Guild has instituted a proper system of membership. The membership fee is £10 per person, or a maximum of £50 per band. There will be various benefits for members, and a members' badge has been designed from our new logo, and is available at £4 each. Please join the guild, and help to maintain its work, both in education through the website, and in supporting performances, workshops and festivals. A membership application form is attached.

Best wishes,

Chris Gutteridge, director and trustee, The International Guild of Town Pipers.

18 Jun 2009:
Our patron, Professor Richard Rastall, has kindly given permission for chapter 8 of his thesis, Secular Musicians in Late Medieval England, to be published as a PDF file in our Essays section. This chapter deals with the Waits, and clears up some misconceptions about their origins which are proving reluctant to die. Essential reading!

02 May 2009:
Following the decision of the Directors to restructure the Guild as "The International Guild of Town Pipers" (i.e. giving up Company status and the "Ltd." in our official title) in late 2008, the new organisation has obtained Charity status, with trustees Roger Offord, Alan Radford and Chris Gutteridge. A charity requires a minumum of three trustees, so it would be advisable to have at least a fourth if anyone, preferably from a different group, is interested in taking on this responsibility.

05 Jun 2008:
The International Guild of Town Pipers Ltd is now a registered charity, and we are constantly in need of funds, not only to finance our International Festivals, but to finance Renaissance Loud Wind workshops and other educational ventures, help new bands get started, and to maintain and expand this website. Please visit our new Fundraising page for ways to raise funds at no cost to yourself by online shopping or by using the specified search engine. We welcome your suggestions on any other methods of raising funds.

24 May 2008:
Al Radford has recently discovered evidence of the existance of several more original bands of Waits in the British Isles. See the Where Waits? page. Apart from a few minor details, plans for the 3rd International Festival of Town Pipers are now complete. If you are taking part, you will find pdf files of the music for the "Big Blow" and the Friday afternoon procession by following the link above.

01 May 2008:
Following the very successful workshop in Doncaster (see below) two more are being orgainsed - one by the Gloucester Waits and one by the Colchester Waits. See Notes & Queries for details.

01 Jan 2008:
The untimely death of Ian Richardson, York Wait, has cast a long shadow over 2007. He will continue to be greatly missed. His obituary page, with all your messages and pictures, has been moved to our Miscellanea section, where it will remain. From Roger Offord of the Doncaster Waites comes a timely reminder on the new 2008 Notes & Queries page of how much we all owe to The York Waits. Looking to the future, plans are afoot for the 3rd International Festival of Town Pipers to take place in Lincoln on Friday 27th to Sunday 29th June 2008. A draft programme has been drawn up, and applications for funding have been made. Members of the Waits Website email list will be informed when news becomes available. With Ian's death, the position of Company Secretary of the International Guild of Town Pipers Ltd., which he set up, became vacant. Roger Offord has been appointed Company Secretary, with Al Radford as Chairman and Al Garrod and myself as directors. Have a look on the Photos page for pictures of the York Waits' traditional Sheriff's Riding and the feast that followed it, and of the Lincoln Waits' newly revived ceremony of "Crying Christmas". Very best wishes for 2008, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in Lincoln at the end of June.

28 Oct 2007:
See the Music section for Alan Radford's images and midis of ten more tunes associated with Waits.

James Merryweather, Richard Rastall and Chris Gutteridge.