The Cornish brass band movement has a long and fascinating history and new archive material is still being discovered and included. With over 520 entries we are nevertheless beginning to have a measure of the extent of the movement in Cornwall. We look forward to working with band historians and enthusiasts to develop this still further in the future.
The individual brass band pages within the archive are based on locations – communities, villages and towns and we have identified approximately 270 such locations which have, or had, a band or bands. Within many of these locations are the names of multiple bands. For instance, the St Agnes page includes four completely separate Bands, Camborne ten, all different but often confused by the newspaper reporter’s pencil and even by the bands themselves, making it sometimes impossible to determine to which band an item relates. Classic in this confusion are the bands of St Just and Redruth where we have spent much time in trying to unravel the story before making what, we believe, are reasonable assumptions.
The names in blue are links to the locations.
Methodology:
Each line represents a separate band.
A simple change of band name has not warranted a fresh line.
A band which disbands and re-forms within a short period has not been counted as a separate band whereas one that disbands and re-forms some years later, has been.
Bands re-forming after the First and Second World War have not been counted as separate bands.
Training, Junior and Youth Bands are linked together but perhaps should have been included separately as they are, probably, quite separate bands.
Not all the entries are brass bands (note reed and brass) but who knows whether a so-called brass band of the 19th or even early 20th century, still had woodwind players amongst their number.
Finally, we except that there is an element of subjectivity in formulating this list, and that another person, on another day, may have taken a contrary view on the status of some of the bands. Despite that, however, we believe that this list does represent a fair assessment and it is our opinion that there have been over 520 separate Cornish bands – a staggering number.
- Blackwater Musical Band
- Blackwater Juvenile Brass Band
- Blackwater (Reed and Brass) Band
Blisland Temperance Band / Blisland Brass Band
- Bodmin Band
- Bodmin Teetotal Fife and Drum Band
- Bodmin Duke of Cornwall’s Rifles Band
- Bodmin Wesley and Orchestral Band
- Bodmin Orchestral Band
- Bodmin Old Comrades Band
- Bodmin Town Band (1927)
- Bodmin Regnal Mission Band
- Bodmin Youth/Junior Band
- Bodmin Town ‘B’ Band
Boscastle Brass & Reed Band / Boscastle Town/Village Band / Boscastle Brass Band
- Brea Independent Brass Band
- Brea Brass/Village Band (1884)
- Brea Brass Band (1910)
- Breage Teetotal Brass Band
- Breage Churchtown Band
- Breage Brass Band
- Breage & District Silver Band
Broadwood Temperance Brass Band
- Bude Haven Band
- Bude Military Volunteer Brass Band
- Bude Temperance Fife & Drum Band
- Bude Town Band (1895)
- Bude Town Band (1924)
- Bude Town Silver Band (1934)
- Bude Junior/Youth Band
- Bude Metric Brass
Budock Water Band / Budock Brass Band
Bugle Independent/Brass/Silver Band
- Callington Band
- Callington DCR Volunteer Band
- Callington Brass/Town Band
- Callington Silver Band (1995)
- Callington Training Band
- Calstock Brass Band / Calstock Temperance Brass Band
- Calstock Good Templar Brass Band
- Calstock Fife and Drum Band
- Camborne Band
- Camborne Brass / Camborne B Band / Camborne Junior Contesting Band
- Camborne Gospel Temperance Band
- Camborne Junior Band
- Camborne Junior/Youth Band
- Camborne Philharmonic Band
- Camborne Salvation Army Band
- Camborne independent Brass Band / Camborne Town Band
- Camborne DCR Volunteer Band
- Gustavus Brass and String Mission Band, Camborne
- Camelford DCR Volunteer Band
- Camelford Band of Hope Fife and Drum Band
- Camelford Town Brass Band
Cardynham/Cardinham Brass Band
Carfury Brass Band / Carfury and District Brass Band
- Carharrack Coronation Fife and Drum Band
- Carharrack Brass Band (1869)
- Carharrack Brass and Reed Band (1898)
- Carharrack Brass Band (1912) / Carharrack Temperance Band / Carharrack Brass Band / Carharrack and St Day Silver Band
Carnkie Brass Band / Carnkie Fife and Drum Band
Carnmenellis (Penmarth) Brass Band
- Chacewater Amateur Brass Band / Chacewater Brass Band
- Chacewater Fife and Drum Band
- Charlestown Regiment Volunteers Band (1779)
- Charlestown Artillery Band
Chilsworthy and Latchley Brass Band
Congden’s Shop Amateur Brass Band
- Constantine Brass Band / Constantine Teetotal Brass Band / Constantine Amateur Band /
- Constantine DCR Volunteer Band / Constantine Brass/Silver Band
- Constantine Silver Band (1977)
Coombe Fife & Drum Band, Camborne
Coombe Brass Band, St Stephen-in-Brannel
- Copperhouse Brass Band
- Copperhouse Rifles Band
Crantock Brass Band / Crantock Red Coat Independent Brass Band / Crantock Independent Band
Creed Church Institute Brass Band
Cury Brass Band / Cury Fife Band
Davidstow Temperance Brass Band
Delabole Brass Band / Delabole British Legion Brass Band / Delabole Comrades Band / Delabole Ex-Servicemen’s Band / Delabole Silver Band
Devoran Brass Band / Devoran Brass and Reed Band
East Pool and Agar Mine Brass Band / East Pool Brass Band
- Falmouth Brass/Philharmonic Band
- Falmouth Volunteer Artillery Band
- Falmouth DCR Volunteer Band
- Falmouth Saxtuba Band
- Falmouth Brass Band of the Royal Cornwall Miners’ Militia
- Falmouth Oddfellows Band
- Falmouth Loyal Lodge Band
- Falmouth Septet Ventil Hern Band
- Falmouth Town/Amateur/Independent Brass Band
- Falmouth Quadrille Band
- Falmouth Season Band
- Falmouth Subscription Band
- Falmouth Salvation Brass Band
- Falmouth Foundry Band
- Falmouth Temperance Band
- Falmouth Division Volunteer Submarine Miners, Royal Engineers
- Falmouth Gospel Temperance Brass Band
- Falmouth Town Band (1909) / Falmouth Pendennis Band / Falmouth Silver Prize Band / Pendennis Brass
- Falmouth Territorial Bugle Band
Feock Brass Band / Feock Independent Band / St Feock Brass Band
Four Lanes Brass Band / Four Lanes Temperance Band / Pencoys and Four Lanes Band
- Fowey Amateur Band
- Fowey Volunteer Artillery Band / Fowey Brass & Reed Band
- Fowey Town/Brass Band (1892)
- Fowey Secondary School Brass Band
Foxhole Brass Band / Foxhole Temperance Band / Foxhole Silver Band
Fraddon Coronation Band / Fraddon Band / Fraddon Temperance Band
- Gerrans Band
- Gerrans Brass Band (circa 1883)
- Gerrans Fife and Drum Band
Grade Ruan-Minor Brass Band / Ruan Minor Brass Band
Grampound Band / Grampound Town/Brass Band / Grampound British Legion Band
- Gulval Brass Band
- Gulval Drum and Fife Band, Independent Band
- Gunnislake Band / Gunnislake Town/Brass Band / Gunnerslake (sic) Silver Band
- Gunnislake Good Templar Brass Band
- Gunnislake/Gunnerslake (sic) Temperance Band
- Gunnislake Young Band
- Gunnislake/Gunnerslake (sic) Salvation Army Band
- Gunnislake British Legion Band
- Gweek Rifle Band
- Gweek Brass/Silver Band
- Gwennap Military Band
- Gwennap Brass and String Band / Gwennap Band
- Gwennap Band (circa 1969)
Harrowbarrow Brass Band / Harrowbarrow and Metherell Brass Band
- Hayle Artillery Volunteer Band
- Hayle Band of Hope Drum and Fife Band
- Hayle DCR Volunteer Band
- Hayle Brass Band
- Hayle Foundry Brass Band
- Hayle Town Band / Hayle Comrades of the War Band / Hayle Prize Silver Band / Hayle Town Silver Band / Heyl Town Band
- Hayle Orchestral Band
- Hayle Wesley Guild Drum and Fife Band
Helland Brass Band / Bodmin Helland Brass Band
- Helston Town / Temperance Band / Helston Town Brass Band / Helston Prize Silver Band / Helston Borough Band
- Helston Orchestral Band
- Helston Mission Band
- Helston DCR Volunteer Band / Helston Ex-Volunteer Band
- Helston Reed and Brass Band
- Helston Royal Artillery Band
- Helston Junior/Youth Band
- Illogan Forest Gate Band / Forest Lane End
- Illogan Brass and Reed Band / lllogan Military Band
- Illogan Broad Lane Band
- Illogan Sparnon Silver Band
- Indian Queens Band / Queens Brass Band / Queens Prize Band / Indian Queen’s Prize Silver Band
- Indian Queens Youth Band
Kernow Brass / St Austell Kernow Band / Kernow RBL (St Austell) / St Austell Kernow Band
- Kilkhampton Brass Band
- Kilkhampton Mission Band
Ladock Imitation Brass Band (probably a spoof band)
Land’s End Artillery Band / Land’s End Brass Band
- Lanner Brass Band / Lanner Brass Band
- Lanner Home Guard Band
- Lanner and District Silver Band (circa 1965)
- Lanner and District Youth
- Launceston Amateur Band
- Launceston DCR Volunteer Band
- Launceston Teetotal Band
- Launceston Foresters’ Band
- Launceston Grammar School Brass Band
- Launceston Town Band
- Launceston Good Templars Band
- Launceston Orchestral Society Band
- Launceston Territorial Band
- Launceston Municipal/Town Band (1919)
- Launceston Salvation Army Band
- Lelant (Downs) Brass Band
- Lelant Brass/Silver Band (1905) / Lelant and District Band
- Lerryn String Band
- Lerryn Brass Band
- Linkinhorne Brass Band
- Linkinhorne Parish/Brass Band
- Liskeard Brass Band
- Liskeard Orchestral Band
- Liskeard Volunteer Band
- Liskeard Borough Band / Liskeard Town Brass Band
- Liskeard Temperance Band
- Liskeard Town Band (1920) / Liskeard Silver Band
- Liskeard Youth Band
Long Downs ‘Zulu’ Band / Long Downs Band / Long Downs Brass Band
- Lostwithiel Town/Brass/Silver Band
- Lostwithiel DCR Volunteer Band
- Lostwithiel D.C.L.I. Brass Band
- Lostwithiel Borough Band
- Lostwithiel Youth Band
- Lostwithiel Brass 88
- Lostwithiel Town Band 1996
- Ludgvan Band of Musicians / Ludgvan Band
- Ludgvan Brass Band (circa 1909) / Ludgvan Independent Band / Ludgvan Brass Band
- Mabe (Burnthouse) Brass Band / Mabe ‘Zulu’ bands
- Mabe Fife and Drum Band
- Madron Brass Band
- Madron British Legion Band / Madron Bugle Band
- Manaccan Band (1870s)
- Manaccan Band (1907) / Manaccan and St Martin Band / Manaccan Band
- Marazion Volunteer Artillery Band
- Marazion Town Band
Merrymeet Band / Menheniot Band
- Mevagissey Town Band / Mevagissey Brass Band
- Mevagissey Cornish Sardine Band (possible a spoof band)
- Mevagissey (New) Town/Brass Band (1903)
- Mevagissey Coronation Band (1937)
- Molinnis Brass Band
- Molinnis Fife and Drum Band
Morris Downs Brass Band, Redruth
- Mount Charles Independent Brass Band / Mount Charles Silver Band
- Mount Charles Youth Band
Mount Edgecumbe Training Ship Brass Band
Mount Hawke Fife and Drum Band
- Mousehole Temperance Brass Band / Mousehole Brass Band
- Mousehole Salvation Army Band
- Mullion Brass Band
- Mullion School Brass Band
Newbridge Brass Band / Newbridge Artillery Volunteer band
- Newlyn Brass Band
- Newlyn Independent Band (1900)
- Newlyn Salvation Army Band
- Newquay Town Band / Newquay Fort Brass Band
- Newquay Town Brass Band (1890)
- Newquay Y M C A Brass Band
- Newquay Volunteer Infantry Band
- Newquay Territorial Brass Band
- Newquay Town Silver/Prize Band (1919)
- Newquay Treviglas School Brass Band
- Padstow Volunteer Artillery Band
- Padstow Temperance Brass / Padstow Teetotal Friendly Society / Padstow Town Band
- Padstow Comrades of the War Brass & Reed Band / Padstow British Legion Band
Par Royal Garrison Volunteer Artillery Band
- Paul Brass/Independent/Silver Band
- Paul Artillery Volunteer Band
Pendeen DCR Volunteer Band / Pendeen Independent/Silver Band
Penmarth/Carnmenellis Brass Band
Penpond Band / Penponds Sax Tuba Band / Penponds Brass Band
- Penryn Band of Hope Drum and Fife Band
- Penryn DCR Volunteer Band
- Penryn Independent Band / Penryn Orchestral Band / Penryn Town Band
- Penryn School Brass Band / Penryn Concert Youth Band / Saracen Brass (Penryn)
- Pensilva Brass Band
- Pensilva Fife Band
- Pensilva Salvation Army Band
Penwithick Band / Penwithick Silver Band
- Penzance Band
- Penzance Boys Band / Penzance Juvenile Subscription Band / Penzance Amateur Band / Penzance Sax-Horn Band
- Penzance Duke of Cornwall’s Artillery Volunteer Band
- Penzance Fife and Drum Band
- Penzance DCR Volunteer Band
- Penzance Orchestral Band (1864)
- Penzance Season Band
- Penzance Independent Brass Band (circa 1883) / Penzance Town/Silver Band
- Penzance Salvation Army Silver Band
- Penzance One and All Band
- Penzance Congregational Brass Band
- Perranarworthal Brass Band / Perran Wharf Brass Band / Perranarworthal Brass Band
- Perranporth Band / Perranzabuloe Brass Band
- Perranporth DCR Volunteer Band
- Perranwell Brass Band / Perranwell and District Band
- Perranwell Rechabite Brass Band
- Perranwell Orchestral Band (1933)
Plainangwarry and Peace Fife and Drum Band
- Polperro Band (1840s)
- Polperro Band (1887)
Porthallow (Porthalla) Brass Band
- Porthleven Fife and Drum Band
- Porthleven Brass/Silver/Town Band
- Porthleven Volunteer Band
- Porthleven Town Junior Band
- Portloe Brass Band
- Portloe & District Brass Band
Providence Brass Band, St Austell
Railway Terrace Brass Band (possibly Liskeard)
- Redruth Amateur Band
- Redruth DCR Volunteer Band
- Redruth Brass Band
- Redruth Gospel Temperance [Brass] Band / Redruth Mission Band
- Redruth Independent Brass Band
- Redruth Salvation Band
- Redruth Season Brass Band
- Redruth Territorial Band
- Redruth Home Guard Band
- Redruth Town Band / Redruth Silver Band
- Redruth Town Junior/Youth Band
- St Agnes Amateur Brass Band
- St Agnes Independent Band
- St Agnes Red Coats Brass Band
- St Agnes Brass/Town/Silver Band
- St Austell Amateur/(Miners) Sax-Horn Brass Band
- St Austell DCR Volunteer Band
- St Austell Fife and Drum Band
- St Austell Salvation Army Brass Band
- St Austell Orchestral Band
- St Austell Territorial Band
- St Austell & District Wartime (First World War) Brass Band / St Austell Town/Silver Band
- St Austell & District Wartime (Second World War) Brass Band / St Austell Town/Silver Band
- St Austell B Band
- St Blazey Amateur Brass Band
- St Blazey Artillery Volunteer Band
- St Blazey Gate Fife and Drum Band
- St Blazey Orchestral Band
- St Blazey and District Brass Band
- St Breward United Temperance Band
- St Breward Silver Band (1899)
- St Buryan Artillery Volunteer Band
- St Buryan Independent Brass Band / St Buryan Brass Band
- St Buryan Salvation Army Brass Band
- St Cleer (Brass) Band
- St Cleer Brass (Trade Union Band) Band
- St Columb Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
- St Columb Salvation Army Band
- St Columb Town Band
- St Columb Town Band (1990s)
St Day Amateur Brass Band / St Day Brass Band
- St Dennis Band / Silver Band / Temperance Band
- St Dennis Youth/Junior/Training Band
St Enoder Brass Band / St Enoder Orchestral Band
- St Erth Village/Independent/Brass/Silver/Prize Band
- St Erth Concert Band
St Germans Brass/Town/Village Band
- St Issey Brass Band (1860s)
- St Issey Brass Band (1920s)
- St Ives Town/Prize/Brass/Silver Band
- St Ives Volunteer Artillery Band
- St Ives Salvation Army Band
- St Ives Junior/Youth Band
- St Ives Concert Band
St Just Bands:
- St Just Church Brass Band
- St Just DCR Volunteer Band
- St Just No. 1 Band (later Boys’ Band)
- St Just No. 2 Band (later Old Town Band)
- St Just Artillery Volunteer Band
- St Just Teetotal Brass Band
- St Just Town Silver Band
- St Keverne Brass Band / St Keverne (Prize) Silver Band
- St Keverne Youth Band
- St Martin Brass Band (St Martin-in-Meneage)
- St Martin Reed and Brass Band (St Martin-in-Meneage)
St Mary’s Amateur Brass/Town/Silver Band
- St Mawes Amateur Brass Band
- St Mawes Brass Band (1880s)
St Mawgan-in-Meneage – Mawgan (Brass) Band
St Mawgan-in-Pydar – Mawgan Brass Band
- St Minver Tre Pol Pen Band / St Minver Brass/Silver Band.
- St Minver Training Band
St Newlyn East Band / Newlyn East Ambulance Band / Newlyn East (Prize) Band
- St Pinnock Brass and Reed Temperance Band
- St Pinnock Orchestra Band
- St Pinnock Band / St Pinnock Temperance Band / St Pinnock Band / St Pinnock Silver Band
St Stephen, Launceston – Churchtown Brass Band
- St Stephen-in-Brannel – St Stephen Brass Band / St Stephen-in-Brannel Brass Band / St Stephen Independent Brass/Town Band
- St Stephen-in-Brannel DCR Volunteer Band
- St Stythians – Stithians Band / Stythians Amateur Brass Band
- St Stythians Silver Band (1928)
- Saltash Brass Band
- Saltash DCR Volunteer Band
- Saltash Territorial Band
- Saltash Town Band (1919)
- Saltash Town Band (1974)
- Saltash Youth Band
- Sithney Fife and Drum Band / Sithney Brass Band / Sithney Red Jacket Brass Band
- Sithney Pioneer Band
South Petherwin Brass Band / South Petherwin Military Band
- Stenalees Brass Band / Stenalees Temperance Brass Band / Stenalees Silver (Prize) Band
- Stenalees Junior Band
Stannals (St Austell) Brass Band
Sticker Brass/Silver Band / Sticker Coronation Band / Sticker Silver Band
Stratton Bands:
- Stratton Brass Band / Stratton Musical Union and Brass Band / Stratton Temperance Brass Band / StrattoBrass Band / Stratton Corporation Brass Band
- Stratton I O G T Brass Band
- Torpoint Town Band
- Torpoint Congregational Brass Band
- Torpoint Silver Band (1975)
Tredavoe (Independent) Brass Band
- Tregony Brass Band / Tregony Temperance Brass Band / Tregoney Brass Band
- Tregony Brass Band (1906) / Tregoney Brass and Reed Band / Tregony Brass Band
Trencrom Brass Band / Trencrom Hill Brass Band
Tresco Brass Band, Isles of Scilly
- Trewellard Brass Band
- Trewellard Mission Band
Trewoon did not have a brass band as far as we know.
- Troon Independent Brass Band
- Troon Reed and Brass Band
- Truro Philharmonic Band
- Truro Amateur Band / Emidy’s Brass Band / Truro Saxhorn Band / Truro Town Band (1861) / Truro City Band
- Truro DCR Volunteer Band / Mr White’s Brass Band
- Truro DCR Volunteer Band
- Truro Salvation Army Brass Band
- Truro City Quadrille Band
- Truro Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry (TA)
- Truro School Brass Band
- City of Truro Band (1975)
Tywardreath Fife and Drum Band
Veryan Brass Band / Portloe & District Band / Veryan [Portloe] and District Band
- Wadebridge Brass/Amateur/Town Band
- Wadebridge Mission Band
- Wadebridge Orchestral Band
- Wadebridge D.C.L.I. Brass Band
- Wadebridge Territorial Band
- Wadebridge Youth/Junior Band
- Week St Mary Brass Band
- Week St Mary Rechabite Brass Band
- Wendron Brass Band
- Wendron Youth Brass Band
- Wendron Silver Band / Greenhall High School Brass Band
Wonderbrass all-girl brass band
Additions or corrections welcome