Peter you would know better than I where to look to verify this but, the story I was told was that only one piper was captured at the '45 uprising. His name I believe was Robert Reid. He was sent back to England to be tried. At his "trial" his defense was he was playing his pipes at the request of the clan chief; to which it was either an attorney or a judge stated since his clan took part in the battle and was led by his playing the pipes are a weapon of war. Poor piper Reid was swinging from the gallows by sunset. If in fact this is what happened the judiciary being part of the government - hence the government declared the pipes a weapon of war.