About us
One William "Piper" Allen, of Bellingham ,
Northumberland, born in 1704 was a travelling tinker and basket maker. As
his nick-name suggest, he played the bagpipes, was an expert fisherman and
it is said, kept about a dozen terriers for Otter hunting. His most famous
dog was called "Peacham", a dog whose Otter catching prowess was legendary
and no doubt served his master well. William married a gypsy and their son,
James who was born in 1734, took to the pipes and Terriers like his dad and
eventually became the most famous of the two "Piper" Allen's. He based
himself in the Coquet Water area of the Borders and piped himself from place
to place and was no less famous for his dogs than for his music and songs.
One well recorded incident, probably much embellished like so many old
stories, was that the Duke of Northumberland offered "Piper" a small farm
for just one of his dogs, but the story goes, in the best of Hollywood
traditions, that the "Piper", being his own man, turned down his Lordships
generous offer in order to retain his itinerant life style.
Northumberland, born in 1704 was a travelling tinker and basket maker. As
his nick-name suggest, he played the bagpipes, was an expert fisherman and
it is said, kept about a dozen terriers for Otter hunting. His most famous
dog was called "Peacham", a dog whose Otter catching prowess was legendary
and no doubt served his master well. William married a gypsy and their son,
James who was born in 1734, took to the pipes and Terriers like his dad and
eventually became the most famous of the two "Piper" Allen's. He based
himself in the Coquet Water area of the Borders and piped himself from place
to place and was no less famous for his dogs than for his music and songs.
One well recorded incident, probably much embellished like so many old
stories, was that the Duke of Northumberland offered "Piper" a small farm
for just one of his dogs, but the story goes, in the best of Hollywood
traditions, that the "Piper", being his own man, turned down his Lordships
generous offer in order to retain his itinerant life style.