C. Wheatstone & Co.

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Resources in the Concertina Library for C. Wheatstone & Co.

minting-house-of-wheatstone The House of Wheatstone 1750-1950
by Henry Minting
Brief overview of Wheatstone & Co. business history by its last manager, perhaps a draft with a view to use in a catalogue or similar publication. Unpublished manuscript (2 pp.), Horniman Museum Library, Wayne Archives, item no. C1065.
Posted 15 November 2001
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wheatstone-pricelist-1848-C824 “The Concertina, A New Musical Instrument”
by Wheatstone & Co.
Promotional brochure and price list, dated 1848. 2 pages. This copy is in the collection of the Horniman Museum, no. C824.
Posted 15 January 2004
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pricelist-wh-duet-1850 Wheatstone Double Duet Pricelist circa 1850
contributed by Stuart Eydmann
Wheatstone & Co. list of models and prices for Double duet concertinas. Dated c. 1850 by by comparing sales prices to those in the Wheatstone Concertina Ledgers.
Posted 15 June 2005
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wheatstone-music-1848-C823 “Music for the Concertina”
by Wheatstone & Co.
Catalogue of printed music (January 1848, dated 1848. 2 pages. This copy is in the collection of the Horniman Museum, no. C823.
Posted 15 January 2004
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wheatstone-patent-1829 Improvements in the Construction of Wind Musical Instruments (1829)
by Charles Wheatstone
British Patent No. 5803 of 1829, Specification (19 December 1829) with forty-five figures. 10 pages. "Improvements in the Construction of Wind Musical Instruments". The first of the Wheatstone patents to show a concertina, even though the word is not used in this specification.
Posted 15 November 2001
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wheatstone-patent-1844 Improvements in the Action of the Concertina, &c. by Vibrating Springs (1844)
by Charles Wheatstone
British Patent No. 10041 of 1844, Specification (7 August 1844) with eighteen figures. 24 pages. "Improvements in the Action of the Concertina, &c. by Vibrating Springs". The most important of the concertina patents, establishing the characteristic features of the English concertina.
Posted 15 November 2001
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wheatstone-patent-1861 Improvements in Concertinas, &c. (1861)
by William Wheatstone
British Patent No. 2289 of 1861, Provisional Specification (14 September 1861) and Specification (14 March 1862) with thirty-three figures. 38 pages. "Improvements in Concertinas, &c.". Improvements on the preceding concertina patents, including a duet arrangement which reappears eighty years later in one of the "Wheatstone Edeophones".
Posted 15 November 2001
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pricelists-wheatstone-english Wheatstone English Concertina Pricelists
collected by Chris Algar
Most of these pricelists were found in old concertina cases. From internal evidence it is possible to date the lists c. 1915 to c. 1965 (plus one very early pricelist dated 1848, from the collection of the Horniman Museum, and a list published as an advertisement in a trade directory in 1859). These lists contain information about Wheatstone model numbers and descriptions which are useful to interpret the Wheatstone Concertina Ledgers. See also Duet pricelists from Wheatstone. See also Anglo pricelists from Wheatstone.
Posted 15 May 2003
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pricelists-wheatstone-duet Wheatstone Duet Concertina Pricelists
collected by Chris Algar
Most of these pricelists were found in old concertina cases. From internal evidence it is possible to date the lists c. 1910 to c. 1965 (plus one very early pricelist for Double duets c. 1850). These lists contain information about Wheatstone model numbers and descriptions which are useful to interpret the Wheatstone Concertina Ledgers. See also English pricelists from Wheatstone. See also Anglo pricelists from Wheatstone.
Posted 15 February 2003
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pricelists-wheatstone-anglo Wheatstone Anglo Concertina Pricelists
collected by Chris Algar
Most of these pricelists were found in old concertina cases. From internal evidence it is possible to date the lists c. 1910 to c. 1965. These lists contain information about Wheatstone model numbers and descriptions which are useful to interpret the Wheatstone Concertina Ledgers. See also English pricelists from Wheatstone. See also Duet pricelists from Wheatstone.
Posted 15 February 2003
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lachenal-sig-wheatstone-concertina-ledgers Wheatstone Concertina Ledgers
Directory
Historical business records of C. Wheatstone & Co. from the Horniman Museum in London. Earlier ledgers from the Wayne Archives contain company sales records from the late 1830s to the 1860s along with production records from the 1860s to the 1890s and some early records of wages and other payments. Later ledgers from the Dickinson Archives contain production records from 1910 to 1974. All surviving ledgers have been digitized (some 2,300 pages in total) and made available free on the web for private research. The same material is also available to buy on an inexpensive CD. Includes an introduction to the project by Margaret Birley, Keeper of Musical Instruments at the Horniman Museum, and an article by Robert Gaskins describing in detail how the ledgers were digitized.
Posted 15 June 2003; Updated 15 June 2005
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ledgers-serial-and-date-indexes Serial Number and Date Indexes to the Wheatstone Ledgers
Directory
Indexes listed on this page contain serial numbers and dates from the Wheatstone Ledgers at the Horniman Museum, London. Each item listed is a single index (either serial numbers or dates) to a single ledger. Indexes lead to the ledger identification and page number as a live link: click on it to see the colour photograph of the page from which the information was taken. There is also an automated lookup which finds all records for any single serial number throughout all the indexed ledgers. (Only indexes to nineteenth-century ledgers are yet completed. Additional indexes to the twentieth-century ledgers will be listed here as they are published.)
Posted 15 December 2005; updated 01 February 2006
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williams-serial-number-muddle Serial Number Muddle in Early Wheatstone Ledgers
by Wes Williams
A major contribution to the muddling of serial numbers in the early ledgers is that multiple ranges of serial numbers are in use at any one date, and this is further complicated by instrument exchanges and hires. The multiple ranges begin as a feature of sales before 1850, but after that the multiple range-lines dominate the structure of sales, with many simultaneous ranges extended over longer periods. Scatter-plots of serial numbers and dates transcribed from the Wheatstone Ledgers reveal the pattern. This is a preliminary version dealing only with the first four ledgers (to early 1854); the completed article will appear soon.
Posted 15 December 2005
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atlas-ladies Ladies in the Wheatstone Ledgers: the Gendered Concertina in Victorian England, 1835–1870
by Allan W. Atlas
This study looks at the 978 women for whom there are 1,769 transactions—about 12% of the total—recorded in nine extant Wheatstone & Co. sales ledgers that list the firm’s day-to-day sales from April 1835 to May 1870. It is in two parts: (1) an Introduction, which analyses the data presented in the Inventory from a demographic-sociological point of view and places Wheatstone’s commerce with women into the context of its business activity as a whole; and (2) the Inventory (with three appendices), which lists every transaction for each of the 978 women, identifies as many of them as possible, and offers a miscellany of comments about both the women and the transactions. Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle v. 39 (2006). 239 pages. Briefly, the roster of Wheatstone’s female customers reads like a list of Victorian England’s rich-and-famous: the Duchess of Wellington and 146 other members of the titled aristocracy (more than twice as many as their male counterparts), the fabulously wealthy philanthropist Angela Burdett Coutts, members of the landed gentry, and such mainstays of London’s musical life as the guitarist Madame R. Sidney Pratten, the organist Elizabeth Mounsey, and the contralto Helen Charlotte Dolby, as well as a large number of Professors of Concertina.
Posted 21 March 2007
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wheatstone-calendar-1923 Wheatstone Promotional Calendar for 1923
by Wheatstone & Co.
An advertising card issued by Wheatstone & Co. with a calendar for 1923, West Street address, size 2 inches by 3 1/4 inches. Single image in GIF format, size 305 pixels wide by 483 pixels high.
Posted 01 January 2005
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wheatstone-aeola-trademark-1923 Wheatstone “Æola” Trademark 1923
from Robert Gaskins
Trade Marks Journal showing the “Æola” image registered as a trademark by “C. Wheatstone & Co., 15, West Street, London, W.C.2; Manufacturers.” Registration No. 440,676; application received 12th September 1923, publication date Oct. 31, 1923 (No. 2379). No statement made about prior use. Class of goods: 9, Concertinas.
Posted 07 March 2005
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wheatstone-wheatstone-trademark-1923 Wheatstone “Wheatstone” Trademark 1923
from Robert Gaskins
Trade Marks Journal showing the “Wheatstone” image registered as a trademark by “C. Wheatstone & Co., 15, West Street, London, W.C.2; Manufacturers.” Registration No. 440,677; application received 12th September 1923, publication date Dec. 12, 1923 (No. 2385). Stated to be “Advertised before acceptance, the Applicants alleging distinctiveness.” Class of goods: 9, Concertinas.
Posted 07 March 2005
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wheatstone-fingering-systems Fingering Systems of the “Wheatstone” Concertina
by C. Wheatstone & Co.
A leaflet showing the four concertina systems made by Wheatstone in the late 1950s: English, Anglo, Chidley duet, and Crane/Triumph duet. As was Wheatstone’s invariable practise, the Chidley system is called simply the “Wheatstone Duet” (as the Maccann system had also been styled previously), and there is no mention of the fact that the keyboard layout has been changed—apart from the evidence of the keyboard diagram. The printing is apparently before 1956, but this copy was issued with overstamping dating from at least 1959. Collected by Chris Algar.
Posted 15 February 2003
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anglo-homepage Anglo-German and German Concertinas
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Anglo-German and German Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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english-homepage English Concertinas
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about English Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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double-homepage Early Wheatstone Double System Duet Concertinas
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Early Wheatstone Double System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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duett-homepage Early Wheatstone Duett System Duet Concertinas
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Early Wheatstone Duett System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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maccann-duet-homepage Maccann Duet Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Maccann Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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chidley-duet-homepage Late Wheatstone Chidley System Duet Concertinas
by Robert Gaskins
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Late Wheatstone Chidley System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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wayne-galpin The Wheatstone English Concertina
by Neil Wayne
Survey article covering the Wheatstone English Concertina, the only published source for much of Neil Wayne's path-breaking research. As published in The Galpin Society Journal 44 (1991), 117-149. (The online version does not yet perfectly match the printed version.)
Posted 01 January 2005
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gaskins-twelve-sided-wheatstone A Wheatstone Twelve-Sided 'Edeophone' Concertina with Pre-Maccann Chromatic Duet Fingering
by Neil Wayne, Margaret Birley, and Robert Gaskins
A duet concertina (serial no. 35074) with a unique fingering arrangement, made by Wheatstone in 1938, turns out to be a realization of a design from Wm. Wheatstone's patent of 1861. The instrument is twelve-sided, a Registered Design feature of Lachenal & Co., and it turns out to be one of at least sixteen twelve-sided instruments made by Wheatstone between 1934 and 1941. The instrument is now in the collection of the Horniman Museum, London. As published in The Free-Reed Journal 3 (2001): 3-17. This HTML version of the article adds a number of additional photographs and active links to many of the sources cited in the published article. Updated 15 August 2003: Footnote 11 updated to record that Randall C. Merris has located instrument serial #33301, another of the set of three twelve-sided 40-key Anglos.
Posted 15 November 2001; last updated 15 August 2003
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britishpathe-concertina-factory The Wheatstone Factory in Islington, 1961
by British Pathe Newsreels
Concertinas are made and played at a factory in Islington, 03 April 1961. From newsreel "Colour Pictorial 327", 1961, Pathe Film ID 137.02. Available for free preview at reduced quality at the British Pathe website. Original title: "Concertina Factory (aka Concert in a Factory)".
Posted 01 January 2005
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minting-dates-of-concertinas Dates of Concertinas
by Henry Minting
One sheet of blurred manual typing with dim hand-written additions, and another sheet (in two copies) possibly re-typed later from the first on an electric typewriter, with "Dates of Concertinas" relating Wheatstone serial numbers to dates of manufacture. These were discussed and an attempt made to arrive at a reliable partial transcription, in Robert Gaskins, Wheatstone Anglos with Serial Numbers 50,000+, 2001. Unpublished manuscripts, Horniman Museum Library. Neither sheet has yet been catalogued at the Horniman, but these appear to constitute item number C1045 in Neil Wayne's finding list to his archives, which is described as "C1045. A copy of a complete dating list for Wheatstone Concertinas, compiled by Henry Minting. All numbers from 1 - 58485 are covered, with approximate dates of manufacture." ("The Concertina Museum, Archives", page 40.)
Posted 01 February 2005
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nigel-pickles-dates-for-wheatstone Dates for Wheatstone Concertinas
by Nigel Pickles
A mysterious listing sent to Concertina Magazine by "Nigel Pickles from the U.K." giving dates of manufacture for Wheatstone Concertinas up to 1957. There is no hint of its source, but for the period up to 1938 it closely resembles a list attributed by Neil Wayne to Henry Minting. As published in Concertina Magazine (Australia), No. 12 (Autumn 1985), pp 10-11.
Posted 01 February 2005
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gaskins-late-wheatstone-anglos Wheatstone Anglos with Serial Numbers 50,000+
by Robert Gaskins
Between 1938 and 1974 Wheatstone & Co. manufactured concertinas in two parallel series of serial numbers; Englishes and Duets were given numbers #3XXXX, and Anglos were given numbers #5XXXX. During these 37 years Wheatstone manufactured about 2,129 Englishes and Duets, with serial numbers from about #34955 through #37083, and some 9,498 Anglos, with serial numbers from #50001 through #59498. Yet, for unknown reasons, this vast population of late Wheatstone Anglos with #50000+ numbers are not seen nearly as often as one would expect. The original version of this article appeared on the net at concertina.net, and at Concertina FAQ.
Posted 23 June 2001
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chambers-annotated-catalogue An Annotated Catalogue of Historic European Free-Reed Instruments from my Private Collection
by Stephen Chambers
A very important paper describing nineteen instruments which illustrate key points in the development of European free-reed instruments, with large color photographs. This paper was presented at the 20th Musikinstrumentenbau-Symposium at Stiftung Kloster Michaelstein, held 19–21 November 1999, to coincide with an exhibition of the instruments. As Published in Harmonium und Handharmonika (Michaelsteiner Konferenzberichte 62), edited by Monika Lustig, Michaelstein, 2002, pp. 181-194.
Posted 15 January 2004
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chambers-lachenal-production Some Notes on Lachenal Concertina Production and Serial Numbers
by Stephen Chambers
New evidence for the role played by Louis Lachenal in the early manufacturing history of C. Wheatstone & Co., and some points of reference to use in seeking to date Lachenal concertinas. As published in PICA [Papers of the International Concertina Association], Vol. 1 (2004), pp. 3-23. Better-quality colour photographs from the author's originals have been substituted for those originally published.
Posted 01 January 2005
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williams-concertina-history The Concertina History Resource
by Wes Williams
This site (still early in its development) contains historical information about concertinas and concertina makers. A timeline helps to organize information about the changes of name and address among the major makers as bits of data are discovered. One use for this information is to help in answering the question “when was my concertina made?” which is very difficult to answer for most makers.

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Posted 15 February 2003
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regondi Wheatstone, His Sighing Reed, and The Great Regondi
Presented by Bernard Richardson
BBC programme on the history and music of the English concertina, focusing on its inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone and the first concertina virtuoso Giulio Regondi. In addition to the presenter, Bernard Richardson, the program features (in order of appearance) Allan Atlas, Neil Wayne, Brian Bowers, Alistair Anderson, Douglas Rogers, Jenny Cox, and Dave Townsend. BBC Radio4 programme broadcast 27 November 2007. Includes links to audio files of the entire programme in WMA format and MP3 format.
Posted 27 November 2007
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concertina-man The Concertina Man
Presented by Peter Day,
Produced by Neil Koenig
BBC programme on the history and music of the concertina, focusing on its inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone as a somewhat belated recognition of his bicentenary in 2002. In addition to the presenter, Peter Day, the program features (in order of appearance) Bob Gaskins, Brian Bowers, Margaret Birley, Stephen Chambers, Frank James, Douglas Rogers, Sean Minnie, and Steve Dickinson. The program was produced by Neil Koenig. BBC World Service programme broadcast 07 September 2004.
Posted 22 November 2004
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wheatstone-and-co-site C. Wheatstone & Co.
by Steve Dickinson
Professor Sir Charles Wheatstone’s original patent concertina manufactory, still in business and on the web. After many difficulties following World War II, the business was bought in 1975 by Steve Dickinson, who succeeded in restoring its pre-war reputation for making the finest-quality instruments. The site lists the current prices for Duets, Englishes, and Anglos, but potential purchasers also need to inquire about the waiting list—recently several years long.

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Posted 15 February 2003
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wheatstone-shop-west-st
C. Wheatstone & Co. premises,
15 West Street, Charing Cross,
to which they moved in 1905.

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