London School
Robert Barnes
London, d. 1789
Robert Barnes was an 18th-century English violin maker who apprenticed under Thomas Smith in Piccadilly. He later formed a partnership with fellow apprentice John Norris, operating from Coventry Street between 1765 and 1782, and subsequently from Marylebone High Street. Instruments bearing the Norris and Barnes label were often of decent trade quality, though many were likely crafted by other makers, such as E. Aireton.
Maker Overview
Life
Robert Barnes (d. 1789) was apprenticed with John Norris to Thomas Smith in Piccadilly. He subsequently entered into a partnership with John Norris, which operated from Coventry Street between 1765 and 1782, before Barnes moved to Marylebone High Street., it appears Barnes may have withdrawn from the business early. He is said to have purchased a farm in Hayes, though Sandys and Forster's searches of church records there for his death were unsuccessful.
Characteristics
- Quality
- Instruments produced by Robert Barnes and his partner John Norris were generally of decent trade quality, with John Dilworth noting them as "nothing exceptional".
- Attribution
- Instruments bearing the Norris and Barnes label were likely made by others. Cecie Stainer and Willibald Leo Lütgendorff specifically mention a violoncello stamped with their name that was probably made by E. Aireton.
- Label
- A label cited by William Meredith Morris reads: "MADE BY NORRIS AND BARNES, VIOLIN, VIOLONCELLO, AND BOW/ MAKERS TO THEIR MAJESTIES, COVENTRY STREET, LONDON".
- Robert Barnes, Violin Maker
Windmill Street. HaymarketJohn Dilworth
Influence and legacy
- Teacher: Robert Barnes was a pupil of Thomas Smith, who operated at the "Harp and Hautboy" in Piccadilly.
- Fellow Apprentice: He was a fellow apprentice of John Norris at Thomas Smith's workshop.
Biographies
The overview above is drawn from the following published accounts. Read them in the original:
John Dilworth+
BARNES, Robert died 1789 London UK. Apprenticed with John Norris to Thomas Smith in Piccadilly. Went into partnership with Norris in Coventry Street, 1765-1782 before moving to Marylebone High Street. Violins and cellos of decent trade quality, nothing exceptional. Robert Barnes, Violin Maker / Windmill Street. Haymarket
William Meredith Morris+
He was a pupil of Thomas Smith at the ” Harp and Hautboy,” in Piccadilly. Afterwards he became a partner with John Norris, with whom also he was a fellow apprentice at Smith’s. Norris and Barnes started business together in 1765. All the instruments which bear their label were probably made by others. Label :—
MADE BY MORRIS AND BARNES, VIOLIN, VIOLONCELLO, AND BOW/ MAKERS TO THEIR MAJESTIES, COVENTRY STREET, LONDON
Willibald Leo Lütgendorff+
Schüler von Thomas Smith und Mitschüler von John Norris, mit dem er sich um 1765 verband. Es ist bisher nur ein einziges Cello bekannt, das die Namen beider trägt, aber dieses wird mit vieler Wahrscheinlichkeit als eine Arbeit von Aireton angesehen. Er wohnte zuerst in der Windmill Street und zog später mit seinem Genossen nach der Coventry Street. Einige nicht hervorragende Geigen tragen seinen Namen, doch scheint es wahr zu sein, dass er sich frühzeitig vom Geschäfte zurückgezogen hat. Er soll sich eine Farm in Hayes gekauft haben; gestorben ist er dort jedenfalls nicht, da Sandys und Forster die dortigen Kirchenbücher vergebens nach ihm durchforscht haben.
Cecie Stainer+
Pupil of Thomas Smith at the ” Harp and Hautboy ” in Piccadilly ; a fellow-apprentice was John Norris, with whom he started a business in 1765. No instrument of theirs is known except a violoncello, which was probably made by E. Aireton, but is stamped with their name on the back. They first lived in Windmill Street, then Coventry Street.
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