Here is a recently completed repair / refurb job on a set of 1870ish ebony bagpipe.
Ron Bowen and myself spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the maker of these pipes but in the end, we were undecided. Here is a quote from Ron that he posted on his FaceBook page:
For anyone who does not know Ron (Ringo) Bowen, he is the owner of the Bagpipe Museum so he has seen and knows more about old pipes than anyone else I know. If he is unable to determine a maker then it is probably not possible.
"Yes, old Henderson or Lawrie.....maybe but not likely. Rick and I spent a lot of time with this instrument and our conclusion is that it's from the same family but may be earlier than either. The profile of this bagpipe is close on some counts and not so much on others. I've never known either maker to electroplate stamped nickel. It's a delicate and interesting touch to the bagpipe and something that is not common. The projecting mounts don't line up with either maker. I've considered Donald MacLeod of Tain and Donald MacPhee but I don't have enough data to firm this up. All-in-all it's an impressive and well-made bagpipe. I'll keep this on my radar and hope something surfaces down the road that will point to the maker. Ringo"