John Langshaw (1725–1798) was an English organist and an organ-builder. Leaving organ cases to others, he specialised in the mechanics, in particular those of chamber barrel organs. He left his native Lancashire to work in London, but returned to Lancashire in 1770.^[1]

An example of Langshaw's work is in the Judges' Lodgings museum Lancaster. The mahogany case is almost certainly by Gillows, while the barrels are inscribed "John Langshaw / Organ Maker / Lancaster".

Langshaw is not to be confused with his eldest son, also named John Langshaw. Langshaw Jr. assisted his father as an organ-builder,^[2] but was more active as an organist and teacher, as well as an agent for the piano manufacturer Broadwood.^[3]

John Langshaw was baptised in All Saints', the parish church of Wigan, in 1725.^[4] He was the son of John Langshaw of Wigan (- 1772), a pewterer and his wife Anne ( -1761), née Ann Aspinall. ^[5] The Langshaws have been described as coming from Upholland, near Wigan. He suffered a childhood accident that left him lame, and at the age of seventeen on 2 October 1742 he petitioned the court leet for a paid post in the Wigan Waits.^[6] The waits performed music on civic occasions; crude though it was, it would be was the only music to be heard outside the church. A year later, a subsequent petition claimed he had mastered the violin. In 1744 he has left.^{[lower-alpha 1]} In 1744, there was no stage coach between Wigan and London, and journeys were made on horse back.^[7] In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie, had marched down through Catholic Lancashire, to his defeat at Derby.^{[lower-alpha 2]}

By 1754 he was in London and had composed two works that were published by John Sadler of Liverpool alongside new works by Handel. John Langshaw was part of a small circle of London musicians, organists and inventors centred round John Christopher Smith, Handel's amanuensis. Langshaw became involved in a project to provide the Earl of Bute with a self playing organ. The Earl went on to commission other instruments. Langshaw pinned barrels for him for 12 years from 1762 to 1774. By the end of this time he had moved back to Lancashire and was sending barrels to London by ship.^[9]

He married Mary Haydock (1733-1800) at St James's Church, Piccadilly in May 1762.^[10] They had nine children, five of whom were baptised at St James. Jack was the first: born in 1763, and baptised John, a name he would revert to after his father's death. George was born in 1764, Ann and Mary died in infancy, then Elizabeth in 1770.^[11] John wished to return to the country for the benefit of his health and was appointed organist at Wigan Parish Church in 1770. This was close to his family. For two years he stayed there playing and repairing the organ, using the London firm Byfield and Green. Accounts show he was paid £20 pa, with an extra £4 for doing a tuning.^[12] He moved to a better-paid post as organist at Lancaster Priory in 1772.^[1] His duties included playing repaing the organ and playing it 4 days a week, and giving piano lessons to a Miss Parrin.^[12] For this he received £100 pa. Here his other four children were born: William, James, Joseph and Benjamin. The Earl of Bute nominated 8 year old George for a 'Poor Scholarship' at Charterhouse School. Jack was sent to the Lancaster Old Grammar School, and was taught the organ by his father.^{[lower-alpha 3]} John used all his carefully cultivated London connections to secure a place for Jack as pupil to Dr Benjamin Cooke .^[14] Befriended by the Charles Wesley, Jack made contacts in the London musical world .^[15] He returned to become organist at St John's Church, on an organ he had helped build. Elizabeth was married to Thomas Green, a schoolmaster at Winnwick Grammar School.^[16]

On his death, his son Jack succeeded him as organist of Lancaster Priory, and then called himself John. Jack used to act as a 'country friend'^{[lower-alpha 4]} for Broadwood Pianos.

Grove's Dictionary of Music defines a barrel organ as:

A mechanical organ in which a cylinder with protruding pins slowly revolves; the pins raise keys which operate a mechanism that allows wind to enter the required pipes. The wind is provided by bellows pumped by the same rotary motion of a handle that turns the barrel ^[17]

A chamber barrel organ is one that is designed to play in the salon, and be more refined in its musical rendition than its cousin the hurdy-gurdy. The secret lies in the pinning of the barrel. John Langshaw was renowned for the fineness of his pinning.

• Organ concertos, Op. 7 (Handel)
• Lancaster Priory