John Langshaw

John Langshaw (1725–1798) was an English organist and an organ-builder. Leaving organ cases to others, he specialised in the mechanics, in particular those of chamber barrel organs. He left his native Lancashire to work in London, but returned to Lancashire in 1770.

An example of Langshaw's work is in the Judges' Lodgings museum Lancaster. The mahogany case is almost certainly by Gillows, while the barrels are inscribed "John Langshaw / Organ Maker / Lancaster".

Langshaw is not to be confused with his eldest son, also named John Langshaw. Langshaw Jr. assisted his father as an organ-builder, but was more active as an organist and teacher, as well as an agent for the piano manufacturer Broadwood.

John Langshaw was baptised in All Saints', the parish church of Wigan, in 1725. He was the son of John Langshaw of Wigan (- 1772), a pewterer and his wife Anne ( -1761), née Ann Aspinall. The Langshaws have been described as coming from Upholland, near Wigan. He suffered a childhood accident that left him lame, and at the age of seventeen on 2 October 1742 he petitioned the court leet for a paid post in the Wigan Waits. The waits performed music on civic occasions; crude though it was, it would be was the only music to be heard outside the church. A year later, a subsequent petition claimed he had mastered the violin. In 1744 he has left. In 1744, there was no stage coach between Wigan and London, and journeys were made on horse back. In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie, had marched down though Catholic Lancashire, to his defeat at Derby.

By 1754 he was in London and had composed two works that were published by John Sadler of Liverpool alongside new works by Handel. John Langshaw was part of a small circle of London musicians, organists and inventors centred round John Christopher Smith, Handel's amanuensis. Langshaw became involved in a project to provide the Earl of Bute with a self playing organ. The Earl went on to commission other instruments. Langshaw pinned barrels for him for 12 years from 1762 to 1774. By the end of this time he had moved back to Lancashire and was sending barrels to London by ship.

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