The area comprising Cornwall’s Clay Country is blessed with some excellent brass bands and these, together with others which no longer exist, are a part of Cornwall’s rich brass band heritage.

Brass bands did not suddenly appear in a blue flash moment: no one said, “I know, I’ll invent the brass band”. Mankind’s appreciation of music began long before the days of the cornet or the euphonium and although we look upon this genre as being a part of our traditional musical world we can only trace it back to the mid-1800s when it emerged from the shadow of its true ancestor, the reed and brass movement.

During the latter half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, the brass band enjoyed great popularity and found itself firmly at the heart of every Cornish community. It had an unrivalled place and was in constant demand at the countless secular and religious events. The period became known as the Golden Age of brass bands and reflected the fact that almost every village and town clamoured to have its own. There was immense pride as your band competed against others on the contest stage and for the players there was real pleasure in taking part, a satisfaction in being a member of such an important group.

Brass bands no longer have that pivotal role in society but although the number of bands has reduced dramatically, the level of proficiency of both instruments and players has improved to such an extent that the standard now achieved would cause us to reflect that the true Golden Age of brass bands is still with us.

In this part of the Music from the Clay Country project we include what we know of the Clay Country bands: their important milestones, the type of events they graced with their presence and, where possible, the names of their players.

We have drawn on the work of the late John Brush, an enthusiastic researcher, and the records of the China Clay History Society which has made available its extensive range of photographs. Others have contributed and they have been credited in the many pages of this project. All of them deserve our appreciation for contributing to this permanent record of the brass bands of the Clay Country.