1770's

Gwilym Davies has researched the history of the pipe and tabor in Gloucestershire up to the present. He found that the pipe and
tabor were played in Chipping Campden in the 1770's. James Warner (1737-1772) from the town played for morris dancing.
His possible 18th century pipe has been given to the Gloucestershire Folk Museum which, if it is his, is probably the oldest surviving instrument known to have been used for morris dancing.

1772, June 8th

" Warner was an accomplice with Kelly in the murder of Richard Dyer. It seems that KELLY  is a famous Morrice-dancer; and on Sunday morning before the fact was committed, he was teaching a set of fellows to dance.  WARNER, used to play on the tabor and pipes to the dancers.  It is to be hoped the Justices will suppress such nurseries of idleness and drunkenness as Morrice-dancings have generally proved."

Court records GLOUCESTER JOURNAL, 1772

" two Children were burnt in a terrible Manner at Hemftead near this City, one of which is fince dead, and the other lies dangeroufly ill: It is obfervable, that the affectionate Father was then attending a Company of Morrice Dancers with his Tabot and Pipe, and when the News of this melancholy Accident was brought to him, he refufed to return home, faying, He would not lofe his Whitfuntide."

Thomas Hill 1706-1739

1807

Died: "On Sunday se'nnight, Mr. James Nicholson, of York; supposed in his day to be the best performer on the pipe and tabor in the kingdom."

1851 WOOTTON, William ('Old Piper') 1768 - 1851

An inquest was held on the 14th inst., at the Locomotive Inn, in this place, by R. Weston, Esq., Coroner, on view of the body of William Wootton, mason, aged 81 years. The deceased was well known in the neighbouring villages, as the "Old Piper." It appears he retired to bed at 7 o'clock in the evening as usual, and about 6 o'clock next morning he spoke to a boy, who left his room about that time, and at half past 8 was found dead in his bed. Verdict - "Visitation of God."

The Banbury Guardian 24 April 1851

Mid 19th century - John Potter of Sutton, Oxfordshire
One of the best known and respected morris dance musicians in west Oxfordshire during the middle decades of the nineteenth century was John Potter, of Sutton, a village adjacent to Stanton Harcourt.  He was renowned over a wide area for playing the instrumental combination of three-holed pipe and tabor drum. 

The pipe and taborer Nelson, got so drunk once that he had to be tied upright to a tree so he could continue playing. He performed with several sides in north Oxfordshire. Good musicians were much in demand and sometimes played on a strictly commercial basis for a sum of money agreed before hand.

1864

"Finstock Morris danced to tunes played by Stephen Dore and Thomas Langford on the Pipe and Tabor and that they were in demand with other sides including Ascott-underWychwood in 1864 and even played for Bampton."

This tabor is a fairly standard C19th shallow morris tabor, constructed from a cheese box with second-hand parchment heads. 

Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.

1900

..... "These instruments, though they have been played within the memory of living men, are now fallen into disuse. Such traditional Morris-men as still exist amongst us use the fiddle, concertina, or accordion."

The Musical Times

1891 Whitson

drawn as though it was the 17th century in Rush Bearing, by Alfred Burton, 1891

1904
'A SPECIAL Loan Exhibition OF Musical Instruments, Manuscripts, Books, Portraits, And other Mementoes of Music and
Musicians, Formed to commemorate the Tercentenary of the granting by King James I. of a Charter of Incorporation to the
WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF MUSICIANS in 1604...'

c. 1735 item 924. Pipe and Tabor and two sets of Bells worn on the knees of the Morris Dancers. —
Belonged to Thomas Humphries, of Witney Oxon., and was played by him at most of the Morris Dances
in the villages and towns of Oxfordshire for nearly 40 years. Lent by Mr. W. Taphouse.

c 1750 item 918. Tabor Pipe and Drum. Lent by the Rev. F. W. Galpin.

c 1750 item 785. Morris Dancer's Pipe. Lent by Mr T.W. Taphouse  

[Fred Taphouse (1838-1905) or Thomas William Taphouse]

Thomas Pitts 1855 – 1940
Gloucerstershire

1912, 21 February  Kidlington "Lamb-Ale"

"A Morris dancer, insert (photog) with the pipe and tabor."

Oxford Journal Illustrated newspaper photographs index, 1909-1928

.1913,Thaxtead
"...the summer of 1913 as being a high-point for the Thaxted Movement in terms of dance, with much of the town participating,
if not in Morris but in country and social dance. He states that the phenomenon had taken off across all social classes, breaking
down barriers between landowners, clergy and sweetfactory workers.

Noel himself did not take part in the dancing, but his curates did, and the vicar who succeeded him, his son-in-law Jack Putterill,
danced well into his 70s and played pipe and tabor until almost 80. Conrad allowed dancing in church upon occasion,
but Jack began to actively encourage this, and the offertory dance during the church service remains a feature of Morris Ring
events throughout the country."

Revival: The Transformative Potential of English Folksong and Dance, 1880-1940

1950 Berkhampstead

Bristol Morris Men
Bristol's longest-established men's Morris Dance Side, founded in 1951 perform Cotswold Morris Dances, (some more traditional than others!), to music provided by melodeon, concertina, fiddle or pipe and tabor.