James Banks

BANKS, James Born 1758 Salisbury, died 1831 Liverpool UK. Son of Benjamin Banks (I), above. Continued the Catharine Street shop in Salisbury with his brother James until 1811, when they moved to Liverpool, opening a shop at 28 Church Street and later 10 Great Nelson Street. Many unfinished instruments were left in the house, which were bought and sold by the Palmer brothers, to be finished up and sold within the London trade.

They continued their father’s business till 1811, when they sold up and went to Church Street, and later to Bold Street, Liverpool. Both were born in Salisbury; James about 1756, and Henry about 1770. The former died on June 15, 1831, and the latter on Oct. 16, 1830. Henry was a pianoforte tuner and repairer, and James a violin-maker. James was a very good workman, and ought to have done better than he did. He followed his father’s model, and occasionally succeeded in producing much the same varnish. The tone cannot for a moment be compared with that of the old man. There is a metallic harshness about it which offends the ear, I am not sure that he did not bake his wood in some cases. I cannot otherwise account for the inferiority of the tone. The brothers left a number of unfinished instruments in the cellar of their Liverpool house, which were sold as they were, mostly to the trade. Labels : —

JAMES AND HENRY BANKS, MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKERS AND MUSICSELLERS, SALISBURY, 1800

JAMES AND HENRY BANKS, SALISBURY, 1805

One of their violoncellos, made by both jointly in 1797, was amongst the exhibits in the South Kensington Museum, 1872. It was the property of Mr. C. J. Read, of Salisbury. It was said to be a well-finished instrument, with a moderately powerful tone of very good quality. Nothing that I have seen by any one of the sons could be said to possess a tone of any distinction. I have heard better many times in an ordinary trade fiddle. The father’s mantle fell, not on the sons, but into the river, and was borne away by the flood.

Vierter Sohn von Benj. B. (I), Schüler seines Vaters, den er gleichwerthig
nachahmte. Er gebrauchte die gleichen Modelle und verwendete den gleichen
Lack, nur von etwas schwärzlicherer Färbung. Er
arbeitete mit seinem Bruder Henry zusammen, mit
dem er das väterliche Geschäft in der Catherine Street
fortsetzte. Im Jahre 1811 verkauften sie dasselbe
und siedelten nach Liverpool über, wo sie erst in

Fourth and sixth sons of B. Banks (1727-95). Both born in Salisbury, James about 1756, d. June 15, 1831; Henry about 1770, d. Oct. 16, 1830. They were in business together, Henry as a pianoforte tuner and repairer and James as a violin maker; the latter was an excellent workman, followed the same models as his father, used similar varnish, though occasionally the red-colour varnish had more black in it.
In 1811, they sold their business in Catherine Street, Salisbury, and went to Liverpool, to Church Street and then to Bold Street, where they died ; they were buried in St. Mary’s, Edge-hill. A number of unfinished instruments in the white wood were found in the cellar of their Liverpool house, and sold in that state.
A violoncello made by both of them in 1797 was exhibited in the South Kensington Museum, London. 1872.