This link might work better.
I used to play a boxwood Rudall & Rose. The tuning slide was covered in a very thin veneer of boxwood so that no metal showed there. It had an ivory endcap, ivory tuning pin, ivory bands (beaded, similar to what Ralph Sweet does), and two very narrow ivory rings on either side of the tuning slide. It had sterling keywork and pewter plugs on the footjoint (which functioned perfectly). No cracks. It was a lovely flute especially for airs. Very responsive. But the tuning left a little to be desired, as the F# and bottom B were both a bit flat. I will post a photo if I can find one.
steampacket
that list of serial numbers is largely inaccurate. Andrew was estimating based on presumed production.
i’d been researching them a long long time and know they are off.
that’s been part of the reason to the research project, understanding how many and when they were made.
it was good Andrew started it, which would help my work.
all this chatter of boxwood rudalls had me pull my favorite out last night for the usual session. Lovely. So glad to get reacquainted with it. It had been many months.
To wit: I have a nice boxwood Rudall & Rose flute, sn#1350, to sell.
Reasonable offers solicited. It’s 8 key, plays down to C, is a medium-holed model. Couple of repaired cracked. Ivory rings with no cracks.
Case is not original. It plays pretty nicely and looks lovely.
email me please off list: rudallrose(at)msn.com
I have photos
Were you venting one of the F keys for F# as per design expectation? If not, it would play flat! That does not count! By “bottom B” do you mean it has a low B foot which is flat, or the 1-finger note?
Sorry that was a typo, I meant bottom D. You are correct, if you opened up both F natural keys and the E flat key the F sharp was more in tune- but what Irish player is going to do that in full speed reels? I just blew those notes a bit stronger to bring them up, and on long notes in airs I would roll the flute out to sharpen them a bit. But I ended up going the Pratten route. Interesting that when I looked at photos of Matt Molloy and Cathal McConnel, to name two, I notice them playing Rudall and Rose flutes early in their careers, and switching to Pratten flutes later on. I did the same.
"that list of serial numbers is largely inaccurate. Andrew was estimating based on presumed production. i’d been researching them a long long time and know they are off. that’s been part of the reason to the research project, understanding how many and when they were made. it was good Andrew started it, which would help my work." David M.
Thanks David. I didn’t know about that list. Just came across it the other day as my interest in R&R’s was relit after “live” contact at Miltown. I have two good flutes already so don’t need another, but of course it would be nice to come across a nice R&R at a flea market or in an attic somewhere.
there are more attics and flea markets than we ever realize.
Someone contacted me last year with a Rudall they purchased at a market in New Mexico…for $20.
It happens folks. Don’t lose the faith! 
And Cathal McConnell still plays his Rudall (lefthanded with rubber bands holding the keys down!)
"there are more attics and flea markets than we ever realize. "David M.
Aye that’s true. Here in Sweden the old wooden flutes that do turn up from time to time are always the old German flutes. Henrik Norbeck has this to say on his site:
http://www.norbeck.nu/flute/traton4.htm#typer
“Tvärflöjter importerades från Tyskland och England, men det fanns även några byggare i Sverige. Den främste inhemske flöjtmakaren var J W Wahl i Landskrona. Han byggde 1830-50 ett “icke så ringa antal” flöjter av ebenholz, grenadilj och buxbom, de flesta med H-fot. En flöjt av grenadiljträ med silverklaffar kostade omkring 230 kronor (a a:29). Andra svenska flöjtmakare var A G Svensson i Linköping, U Bodell i Stockholm, Carlsson i Karlskrona, Abraham Lind i Norrköping och P Borgström i Malmö.” Henrik Norbeck.
(Translated) Flutes were imported from Germany and England, but there were even some makers in Sweden. The foremost maker was J W Wahl in Landskrona … Here’s a photo of a flute by J W Wahl:
http://carlotta.gotlib.goteborg.se/pls/carlotta/VisaObjekt?pin_objMasidn=4881
So it’s not impossible that there are some surviving R&Rs here in Sweden. I heard some years ago that there was a collector of wooden flutes in Malmö from a man who purchased an old German flute from him. I’ll try and find out who this man is.
Found some interesting references to R&R flutes here:
http://services.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/searchresults?FIRSTINDEX=30&fulltext=rudall
You have to pay to read the articles but here in Sweden the periodical Early music is available at some libraries.
CL. HOOPER
SHAKSPEARIANA: Shakspeare and Sir John Falstaff
Notes and Queries, 1856; s2-II: 369.
…gentleman well known in the musical world, Mr. George Rudall, has recently told me the following anecdote. Many…party at the house of Mr. Skey, Ilighgate, Mr. Rudall met Mr. Coleridge. Mr. Rudall having performed upon the flute, he was addressed…
Jeremy Montagu
Instruments
Early Music, 1996; XXIV: 529 - 534.
…made their reserves, but a George Rudall went for ?202, a Wilkinson, with a Henry Potter band flute, for ?135, and a Rudall & Rose for ?292. A Blackman six-key…There were four good silver flutes: a Rudall Carte 1867 at ?247, two Rudall, Rose…
ERNST CLOSSON
ENGLISH MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE MUSEUM OF THE BRUSSELS CONSERVATOIRE
Music and Letters, 1926; VII: 157 - 164.
…doubled back. No. 2,376. Flute in G, by Rudall and Rose, London. //. Instruments with…keys, and with various improvements, bj Rudall, Rose, Carte and Co. No. 3,265. Clarinet…1880. No. 3,158. Bass slide-trombone, by Rudall, Carte and Co., with a double slide which…
JEREMY MONTAGU
Instruments
Early Music, 1991; XIX: 629 - 634.
…made ?440. Of the woodwind, an eight-key Rudall & Rose flute with a cracked barrel, along with a later Rudall, Rose, Carte, sold at ?1,760, and a Goulding…three flutes in this sale, an eight-key Rudall & Rose, warped and with two replacement…
Jeremy Montagu
Instruments
Early Music, 2003; XXXI: 151 - 155.
…cross F key, illus^b), and an eight-key Rudall & Rose with the patent head at ?3,441…best of the woodwind were an eight-key Rudall & 154 EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 2003 Rose flute…Rudolph Greve seven-keyed boxwood flute; (c) Rudall & Rose eight-keyed noxwood flute (photograph…
JEREMY MONTAGU
Musical Instruments
Early Music, 1990; XVIII: 277 - 283.
…later than July’s, at ?330 However, a Rudall & Rose conical Boehm at ?506 gave someone…eight-key clarinet at ?374, and an eight-key Rudall & Rose flute at ?748 There was also a…1155 On 14 December there was yet another Rudall & Rose flute, this time a four-key, and…
H. STANDISH
THE GIORGI FLUTE
J Royal Music Assn, 1897; 24: 57 - 62.
…hope-less as the search for the philosopher’s stone. Messrs. Rudall & Carte have a drawer half-filled with models, some ofwhich…intentions with which–well–with which the drawer at Messrs. Rudall’s is filled. Dr. HARDING.–I just want to ask two questions…
Steamie…
relax…this is old, old, old ground you’re covering (and recovering) for everyone.
all those resources have been dragged and he information appears on the rudallrose website…and a few others, i think.
i sense your excitement…but please remember you’re digging into ground …which is great for you…that many of us have dug and published. There are very very few bits left uncovered …most especially in the Oxford journals, which is Montague’s regurgitation of previous sales.
I’ve trolled every musical sale of the major auction houses dating to 1960 for Rudalls (and others). And quite a few minor houses.
I’m glad you’re so interested…but keep in mind what’s already out there. It’ll become less taxing that way.
Now…locating Rudalls in person…that’s quite another matter!!
“I’m glad you’re so interested…but keep in mind what’s already out there. It’ll become less taxing that way”. David M.
It’s ok David, please calm down. I don’t find it the least bit taxing, just fun, in fact it’s part of what I do for a living, searching for, and cataloguing information. You say it’s already out there this info. Do you mean all the info about the auction sales etc. of R&R flutes from various auction houses is published somewhere in one place, and easily available to interested parties? I don’t think so.
Always calm, Steamie. Never upset.
Yes, it is out there in one place. If you’d take your time (as you likely have) to search the RR catalogue, you will see that it provides the provenance of every catalogued flute (though not all are yet on there…it IS a cumbersome, time-consuming process)…and that would include the auction houses along the way.
What I was trying to spare everyone, and yourself, is the spewing effect of merely tossing all the unfiltered information to one plate. This gives the information little context and even less impact and sort of leaves one with a glassy-eyed feeling. In the end, your research, while fun for you, goes unappreciated and lost to endless pages of bulletin board hell.
So, for what it’s worth, I’m trying to help, not dampen your enthusiasm. I’m trying to ensure you get the best bang for your time – seeing as a number of people (myself, McGee, Pickering, Wilkes, Hammy, etc…) have trolled and trolled and trolled this ground endlessly over the past decade.
Now…if you REALLY wanna embark on a worthy project (and that is NOT to say what you’re up to isn’t worthy), then I’d suggest trying to locate the infamous diaries of Mr. Carte, which Rockstro mentions but no one has ever located.
THAT would be a find!
dm
Fair enough David. It’s just that without belittling the work that you and others have done as regards the R&R catalogue there doesn’t seem to be many flutes accounted for? Only 254 serial numbers of the supposedly 7.000 plus flutes made. Don’t misunderstand me I have the greatest respect for the interest, time and energy you have put into this worthy project. As far as I can see in the R&R catalogue as regards provenance, only I R&R flute is placed at the Piazza address, and 23 R&R flutes placed at the 7. Tavistock address. Then under the names of Rose, Wylde, Ingram, Rudal, Camp, Whittaker there seems to be a further 15-16 or so flutes making only around 40 flutes in all so far. I also understand that there must be information regarding R&R flutes that has not been entered yet for one reason or another. I have no problems with that. I suppose there is no way of estimating how many of the 7.000 plus flutes have survived. I’ll let you know when I find Carte’s diaries, just give me a few days
you’re on the mark, Steamie.
I think what I was trying to say, perhaps poorly, was that most of the public record – those items easily located – such as the public auction house records have been trolled.
You’ve also noted about the catalogue whichis only showing I flute to Piazza? Now that indeed is not accurate.
These are what I have (though there are gaps in the overlaps because we don’t know precisely when one address ends and the other begins)
7 Tavistock (8 flutes listed: *-523) *=no serial numbers. I have what appears to be #3
No.15 Piazza (136 flutes listed: 590 - 3964)
No. 1 Tavistock (152 flutes listed: 4031-5389)
the Rudall & Rose name alone (w/o Carte) ends at about # 5666 at the 38 Southampton address.
Why so few exist? Now you’re asking the very question that began this affair for me a decade ago!
They’re wood. Age, corrosion, replacement, cracking, whatever, and they’ve gone to winds. Just like people!
dm