Cornish Brass Band Contest results are recorded separately and can be found using this link
We have not discovered when Stenalees Brass Band first began playing but we do know that it was taking part in contests by August 1888 when it competed in the 8th Annual County Volunteer and Independent Brass Band Contest at Pendennis Castle. It was conducted by Joseph Richards who is said to be their first musical director. There were eight bands in the section and Stenalees was unplaced. The following year the band was much more successful as it collected top place at the same contest when it was held in Newquay.
1884 to 1909: Stenalees Band contesting under Joseph Richards, its first MD. (Contest archive)
1887: Stenalees Brass Band at a lodge event. (3 June 1887 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1889: Stenalees Band, winner of first prize the Newquay contest, at St Austell. (7 November 1889 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1891: “…The Stenalees Brass Band is to attend and on account of the extraordinary wind power of the member of this band it has been suggested that the roof of the chapel should be raised for the occasion, and that the windows should be barricaded with wood on the outside to prevent another blizzard which might prove more fatal than the recent snowstorm.” (19 March 1891 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1891: Stenalees Brass Band at Fowey Royal Regatta. (20 August 1891 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1892: Stenalees Brass Band at St Stephens Feast. (18 August 1892 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1893: Stenalees Brass Band at St Stephens-in-Brannel Church Restoration event. (10 August 1893 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1894: Stenalees Brass Band, for the first time in a new uniform, at Stenalees Wesleyan Band of Hope. (29 March 1894 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1895: Stenalees Brass Band at Primrose League Fete at Pencarrow. (19 September 1895 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1897: Stenalees Brass Band, the company in procession to the show yard. (10 June 1897 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1899: Stenalees Brass Band at Lostwithiel Regatta. (3 August 1899 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1900: Stenalees Brass Band at Padstow Lifeboat Disaster event. (31 May 1900 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1900: The band of the 5th D.C.A.V. (Par), under Bandmaster Viol, and the Stenalees Band, under Mr Richards, were both in attendance. (31 May 1900 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1900: Stenalees Brass Band at Polperro Sports and Races. (2 August 1900 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1902: Stenalees Brass Band rendered selections. (12 June 1902 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1903: Mr Kestle conducting Stenalees Brass Band. (John Brush)
1903: Stenalees Brass Band at Braddock Band of Hope. (16 April 1903 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1903: Stenalees Temperance Band. (1 August 1903 – Cornish & Devon Post) Temperance Band – possibly.
1903: The Stenalees Brass Band. (13 August 1903 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1903: Stenalees Brass Band, under Bandmaster C. Kestle. (1 October 1903 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1904: Bugle and Stenalees Brass Bands at Bugle. (12 May 1904 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1905: Stenalees Band, under the direction of Bandmaster W Minear. (17 August 1905 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1907: Stenalees Brass Band at Lanlivery Feast Sports. (23 May 1907 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
Stenalees Band at Carthew Sunday School Treat circa 1907 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1907: “Suicide At Stenalees. John Trudgian, aged 52, of Stenalees, near St Austell, committed suicide on Thursday by cutting his throat. Deceased had been associated with Treverbyn Parish Church choir for nearly 30 years and also a member of the Stenalees Brass Band. The inquest was held on Friday by Mr Pethybridge when a verdict of suicide while temporally insane was returned.” (29 July 1907 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1908: Stenalees Brass Band at Lanlivery Feast. (14 May 1908 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1909: Stenalees Brass Band at Lanlivery Feast. (20 May 1909 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1909: Stenalees Brass Band, under the instruction of Mr Richards. (26 June 1909 – Cornish & Devon Post)
1910: Stenalees Temperance Brass Band, under Mr Hancock. (2 July 1910 – Cornish & Devon Post)
1910: Queens, Stenalees and St Dennis Brass Bands Grand Fete at Trevarrick. (25 August 1910 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
Stenalees Temperance band dated 1910. Photo: courtesy of Lyndon Sid Allen)
1911: “At meeting of the Tintagel Cottage Garden and Flower Show Committee on Saturday, some amusement was caused by the secretary reading a letter from the Stenalees Temperance Band, which stated their charge for attendance on the show day, adding that they could rely on having a good band, and a band that would attend to their duties, being all teetotallers and non-smokers. ” (8 July 1911 – Cornish & Devon Post)
1911: Stenalees Temperance Band under Bandmaster Hancock at Delabole Athletic Sports. (15 July 1911 – Cornish & Devon Post)
1912: Stenalees Band, under Bandmaster F Hancock at Treverbyn Hospital Demonstration. (23 May 1912 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1913: Stenalees Temperance Band under J Libby. (John Brush)
1914: Stenalees Band contesting under J Lennon. (Contest archive)
1919: Stenalees Band contesting under T Eastwood. (Contest archive)
Stenalees Band circa 1920 in (Photo: Alfred Honey courtesy CCHS)
1920: Stenalees Silver Band at St Columb. (23 September 1920 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1920: Stenalees Band contesting under J Lennon again. (Contest archive)
1920: It’s interesting to note that at the 1920 Newquay Band Contest, the Stenalees and Bugle District Band received 2nd prize in the First Section. This is the only occasion that I have seen the names of these two bands linked together. Did they combine for this contest or was it a completely different band, I wonder?
1920: Stenalees Band contesting as Stenalees Silver under Edwin Williams.
1921: Stenalees Band contesting under J M Hinchcliffe. (Contest archive)
Stenalees Band at St Dennis Contest – possibly 1922 (Photo: courtesy Sally Glover)
Stenalees Band (Photo: courtesy Sally Glover)
1922: “C J Richards called the first public meeting in order to form a committee in connection with the Stenalees Band”.(Newspaper report 1936)
1922 to 1928: C J Richards Stenalees Band secretary. (Newspaper report 1936)
(Photo: courtesy Sally Glover / names Bygone Days of Treverbyn Parish by Una Poad courtesy Tom Seward)
1923: Stenalees Silver Prize Band concert at St Dennis. (20 September 1923 – Cornubian and Redruth Times)
1924: Stenalees Band contesting under W Adamson. (Contest archive)
1925: Stenalees Band contesting under J A Greenwood.
1925/6: Stenalees Band contesting under C Ward. (Contest archive)
(Photo: Bygone Days of Treverbyn Parish by Una Poad courtesy Tom Seward)
1926: Stenalees Silver Prize Band, the first Cornish band to broadcast. (16 January 1926 – Western Morning News) A number of bands seem to claim this distinction.
1926: Bugle, Penwithick, and Stenalees Silver Bands at Treverbyn District Friendly Societies. (19 May 1926 – Western Morning News)
1926: Stenalees Band visited Penzance and gave a splendid programme of music on the promenade. (1 September 1926 – Cornishman)
1926: Stenalees Silver placed 1st in the Junior Shield A (fifth tier) at the Great National Band Festival at the Crystal Palace under C Ward playing Carmen by Bizet.
1926: Stenalees Silver Band under C Ward took part in the Crystal Palace Band Contest. In the junior shield “A” (fifth section) they won 1st prize out of twenty-one bands. (29 September 1926 – Cornishman)
1927: Stenalees Band contesting under M Minear and George Cave.
1927/8: Stenalees Band contesting under C H Baker. (Contest archive)
1927: Stenalees Band placed 6th in the Junior Cup B (fourth tier) of the National Brass Band Championships of GB at Crystal Palace under Charles H Baker playing Anna Bolenna by Donizetti.
29th September 1928: Stenalees Band placed 1st in the Junior Cup A (third tier) of the Great National Band Festival at Crystal Palace under Charles H Baker playing Hanover by Denis Wright.
28th September 1929: Stenalees Band participated in the Grand Shield (second tier) of the National Brass Band Championships of GB at Crystal Palace under W Adamson playing Zamora by C Jenkins.
1929/30: Stenalees Band contesting in Class A at the WEBF – Bugle. (Contest archive)
1934: “Stenalees Silver Band, under Mr Menear, gave a concert on Par Beach. (31 July 1934 – Western Morning News)
From the ECLP & Co. Ltd. Directors Minute Book 1937-1939 – 8th September 1937. “Whilst trawling through The China Clay History Society Archive minute books – ECLP & Co. Ltd. Directors Minute Book 1937-1939 – I came upon an entry relating to a donation being made to the Stenalees Band Fund of £5-5-00. in today’s value just shy of £480.” (Malcolm Gould)
1938: Stenalees Band contesting under Leonard Davies. (Contest archive)
1939 to 1948: Stenalees Band contesting under C H Baker. (Contest archive)
1939: Stenalees Junior Band, under Mr L Manhire in attendance. (6 July 1939 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1939: Stenalees Band, under Mr L Manhire, played on the day-school square.”(13 July 1939 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1946: “Stenalees Band will be in attendance.” (18 April 1946 – Cornishman)
Stenalees Band 1948 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1949 and 1956: Stenalees Band contesting under H Heyes.(courtesy CCHS)
(courtesy CCHS)
1950: “Bandmaster for Stenalees Silver Band – applications requested. (18 and 20 November 1950 – Western Morning News)
1950/51: Stenalees Band contesting in Class A at the WEBF – Bugle. (Contest archive)
1951: Stenalees Band contesting under E Richards. (Contest archive)
1954 circa to 1961 or later: Len Manhire Stenalees Band MD (Brian Minear of Stenalees Band 1954 to 1961)
1957: Stenalees Band contesting under J Harrison. (Contest archive)
1960: Stenalees Band contesting under T Hubbard. (Contest archive)
1967 or possibly earlier: Stenalees Band disbanded. (Tom Seward)
1983 circa: Stenalees Band re-formed. (Tom Seward)
1988 circa: Stenalees Band disbanded. (Tom Seward)
Compiled by Tony Mansell (Bardh Kernow)
This collection is a part of the Cornish National Music Archive (CNMA) project to Collect, Preserve and Share our Cornish Heritage and Culture.
It is based on location as each may have had more than one band.
Our thanks go to all of the organisations and individuals, whether named or not, who have provided information and photographs for this archive.
If you own the copyright to any of the photographs included here then please let us know and they will be credited or removed.
If you are able to correct or update any information included here then please leave a comment.