John Broadwood (1732-1812)

Harpsichord and piano manufacturer

John Broadwood was born in the Scottish Borders. He left for London and became an apprentice to a harpsichord maker. He later set up his own firm which developed into the famous company John Broadwood and Sons. He patented improvements to the pianoforte and his instruments were played by Beethoven, Chopin, Elgar, Haydn, Liszt and Mozart. He died in London on 17 July 1812.

Birth in 1732

John Broadwood was born on 6 October 1732, the son of James Brodwood and Margaret Purves. The entry in the Old Parish Register (OPR) for Cockburnspath gives the family surname as Brodwood, the place of birth as Oldhamstocks and uses the abbreviations P, B and W for parents, baptism and witnesses. The Latin phrases 'eodem die' (the same day) and 'testis qui supra' (witnesses as above) refer to information in the entry above on the page where the  date of baptism is given as 15 October and the witnesses as John Blair and James Hog.

Baptism entry for John Broadwood in the OPR for Cockburnspath (24 KB jpeg)
National Records of Scotland,  OPR 731/1, page 43