Samuel Bowley Barnes and Edward Mullins are known to be making banjos from circa1894. They were both also players, they advertised in early journals such as ‘The Joe’ which later became the more famous ‘Troubadour’. Their banjos were made for them by J. G Abbot, W. Temlett, Windsor and Matthews reducing the number of banjos they themselves produced and made.

In 1960 -65 their banjos were made in Germany and marketed as Barnes and Mullins.