Hair Sporrans

[Tobus]

I just can't warm up to a sporran that only has one tassle... sorry, Matt...

It's like the sporranmaker ran out of tassels just when he had to ship out that sporran.

Interesting... I hadn't really thought of that. Now that you mention it, one tassel does look a bit incomplete (although it still looks good to me). In looking at the Victorian era portraits, I see a lot of hair sporrans with 2 or 3 tassels, and some with no tassels at all. But none of them that I saw have only one tassel. And as soon as I say that, I'm sure someone will show a picture of one.

Personally, I like two or three long tassels. More than that (or if short tassels are used), and it starts to look like a military sporran. But using two or three long ones seemed to be the norm back in the 1800s, and I think it's a fine look.

[bchunter]

I agree on the single tassel look. I prefer two, perhaps three if the body of the hair is substantial enough. That's what's so cool about this DIY project, the ability to both try variations and make modifications as desired. I suppose one could take a page out of Turpin's book, sort of, and change the tassels with the function/look desired. For the casual look I also really like the no tassel look.

[MacBean]

.... In other words, long hair sporrans were the norm with all sorts of Highland Dress, from plain tweed jackets to the "riotous finery" of Victorian evening dress.

Here's what Day Dress looked like in the 1860's

I wonder if that is really valid. As I look back on photos from that era, families tended to dress up to sit for their portraits. It was a formal occasion, and they wore their best, whether day or night (and I suspect for light reasons it was nearly always day). I think the photos of Victoria's ghillies lying around with kilts and hair sporrans are probably misleading. My own family dressed in tails and top hats for their photos, but I sincerely doubt that was their daily habit.

All the same, I realy loved the photos. Thank you!

[OC Richard]

Personally, I like two or three long tassels. More than that (or if short tassels are used), and it starts to look like a military sporran. But using two or three long ones seemed to be the norm back in the 1800s.. .

This brings up an interesting (for me at least) subject, and that is, the origin of the concept of long tassels.

All regimental long hair sporrans originally had five or six short tassels.

We sometimes forget that military Highland Dress was perpetuated through a very small number of regiments, five to be exact, due to the rest being de-kilted at the start of the 19th century.

Modern-style long hair sporrans appeared around 1835, and the kilted regiments' sporrans looked like this:

42nd Foot: 5 short black tassels on a white body

78th Foot: 6 short black tassels on a white body

79th Foot: 6 short black tassels on a brown/grey body

92nd Foot: 5 short white tassels on a black body

93rd Foot: 6 short white tassels on a black body

Around 1855 this pattern was changed when the 79th Foot switched to a black sporran with two long white tassels.

Around 1877 the 78th followed suit, switching from six short tassels to two long ones.

Around 1885 the 92nd continued the fad, switching to a white sporran with two long black tassels.

However the 42nd and 93rd never changed.

The Scots Guards pipers were wearing three long tassels by the 1870's if not earlier.

[Tobus]

This brings up an interesting (for me at least) subject, and that is, the origin of the concept of long tassels.

From your brief synopsis, it sounds like the true origin of long tassels wasn't the military. If they first appeared in 1835 in the civilian world, but weren't adopted into any of the military regiments until 1855, then it obviously came from civilians... right?

[OC Richard]

From your brief synopsis, it sounds like the true origin of long tassels wasn't the military. If they first appeared in 1835 in the civilian world, but weren't adopted into any of the military regiments until 1855, then it obviously came from civilians... right?

That's probably how it happened. It happened time and again, for example doublets with "Inverness tashes" and Glengarry bonnets were being worn by civilians for a while before the Cameron Highlanders introduced them into the Army as part of a special piper's costume.

Sporrans with two long tassels first appeared in the Army as part of the Undress uniform for officers of the 79th Foot in the 1840's, as far as I can tell. It took a few years for that regiment to extend that style to the entire regiment.

Interestingly, the 79th and 92nd never changed their officers' Levee Dress sporrans over to two long tassels, and they continued to have five short tassles to modern times. You'll sometimes see photos of the Drum Major of the Gordon Highlanders wearing a sporran with five short gold bullion tassels: that's like the officers' Levee Dress sporran.

(If you haven't seen Levee Dress, here are two officers of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, one in Review Order, one in Levee Dress, c1890:

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I wonder if that is really valid. As I look back on photos from that era, families tended to dress up to sit for their portraits. It was a formal occasion, and they wore their best, whether day or night (and I suspect for light reasons it was nearly always day). I think the photos of Victoria's ghillies lying around with kilts and hair sporrans are probably misleading. My own family dressed in tails and top hats for their photos, but I sincerely doubt that was their daily habit.

All the same, I realy loved the photos. Thank you!

Remember, "day dress" does not mean the same thing as "everyday attire" nor does it mean "casual."

For a modern day equivalent, a "casual" look with a kilt might be a polo-shirt, hiking boots and scrunched down socks. While "day dress" would mean something more along the lines of a tattersal shirt, tweed jacket and tie, perhaps a waistcoat, and nice brown leather sporran. The hiking boots would be replace with maybe a pair of brown leather brogues. That might not be how you dress every day, but it is "day dress."

[OC Richard]

Now this has to be one of the nicest and most interesting of hair sporrans.

It's worn to this day by the pipers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.



Both the body and tassels are mingled horse hair.

The regiment says:

"The late King Geroge VI too a great interest in the Pipes and Drums, granted them the privilege of wearing the Royal Stuart tartan, and personally designed much of the uniform.
The sporran is of grey horse hair reminiscent of the grey horses, with tassles of black and red hair similar to the jowl plumes which hung from the officers' bridles. The feather bonnets have a yellow Van Dyke band..."

Here you can see that, the yellow zigzag band, unique in the world of feather bonnets:



Note that the front pipe ribbon is tartan while the rear is plain blue. Likewise, the rear ribbon of the old Cameron Highlanders was plain green.