1793 story

“…At Charing Cross, a drunken fellow with. a pipe and tabor, had called together the idle and the vagabonds,
and a pretty smart mob was collected: these are the times when thieves and pickpockets watch their opportunity…”

‘Life; or, the adventures of William Ramble, Esq. With three frontispieces, designed by Ibbetson, ... and two new and beautiful songs, with the music by Pleyel and Sterkel. by the author of Modern times; or, the adventures of Gabriel Outcast. In three volumes. ... 1793: Vol 2’ by Trusler, John

1801 engraving
'The Peasants Flock'd to Hear the Minstrel Play'

J Wyber at Drury Lane Theatre:

‘A biographical dictionary of actors, actresses, musicians, dancers, managers & other stage personnel in London, 1660-1800,’ 
by Philip H. Highfill, Jr., Kalman A. Burnim, and Edward A. Langhans. v.16

‘A biographical dictionary of actors, actresses, musicians, dancers, managers & other stage personnel in London, 1660-1800,’
by Philip H. Highfill, Jr., Kalman A. Burnim, and Edward A. Langhans. v.7

“On January 15, 1814, the river Tyne at Newcastle was completely frozen over. For several days, the ice
was covered with crowds of people, and the scenes exhibited resembled a country fair or race-ground.
Booths were erected for the sale of liquors, and fires were kindled. Many races, for various kinds of prizes,
took place, both with and without skaits; while fruit and cake sellers, fidlers, pipers, razor-grinders,
recruiting parties, &c. were perambulating in all directions….”

Historical Account of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Including the Borough of Gateshead.
Originally published by Mackenzie and Dent, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1827.

“A pipe and tabor player named Hilton entertained the households of the Dorking area in the early 19th century”

‘A Surrey Garland : customs, traditions and folk songs from the Surrey of yesteryear’, 2004

1816 essay on Ball Room Musicians:
“...musicians are in general treated by their Employers and by the Company, ... in a contemptuous manner.
Their being considered as obliged to play for hire for their Employer's Amusement, they are frequently treated
worse than their servants, and never, or seldom spoken too, but in an imperious haughty manner, by the names
of fiddlers, endeavouring thereby to shew a superior consequence in themselves, and the dependance of the
Musicians: or otherwise, adopt the other extreme, and become very familiar, and ply them with Liquor, in order
to make them drunk, being with those persons a common opinion and saying, that nothing is so amusing as a
drunken fiddler, the whole of the Musicians coming under this title whatever instrument they play.
This is a base and pitiful advantage, and reflects no credit on those who practice it.

Another thing that requires remark, is, that Musicians are seldom payed for their playing, without their Employers
complaining of the high price of their Labour; yet these employers never think, that the musicians cannot find
employment for more than five or six months in the Year, and that generally in the winter Season, when the
weather is bad, and their employment being principally at night, from leaving warm rooms, and being exposed
afterwards to the bad effects of night air, and consequently severe colds, together with the want of rest, in a few
years their constitutions, are destroyed or ruined, and they rendered totally unfit for business.”

Thomas Wilson 1816 Companion to the Ball Room