Regimental Sporrans

[OC Richard]

I've always hankered after a horsehair sporran, with a roomy bag...

Starting, I would think, around the 1830s when long hair sporrans appeared they generally didn't fully open.

Rather, they had a cramped leather pocket on the back. Sometimes these had gussets but if you had anything bulky in the pocket it would stick out making the whole sporran not lay flat.



This even continued with the small silver-topped sealskin Evening Dress sporrans which became popular in the 1920s.



In the army, in 1953 they introduced the leather pouch "Culloden" sporrans with an opening hinged brass top which wasn't very roomy but at least it was a practical bag.



However in 1968 these were replaced by a new Other Ranks horsehair sporran which did have a fully opening top and huge roomy body.

Oddly the straps for the sporran belt were stitched to the front panel, making the thing lay nice and flat but difficult to open (collage below, top two photos).

At some later point they moved the straps to the back panel and put a fastener on (two photos lower right).

From the front these sporrans were quite a departure from the various regiments' traditional sporrans (four photos lower left).

For one thing all of them had the same hideous chrome cantle.

For another thing they were too short, being only 14 inches long rather than the traditional 18 inches for military hair sporrans.

You can see that there's a number of grommets punched through the front panel. This was to allow the traditional tassel arrangements of the various regiments be imitated.

They were made in the four models shown lower left, clockwise from top left Gordon Highlanders, Black Watch, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, Queens Own Highlanders.



Anyhow these come up on Ebay all the time and usually don't cost much. I have a black one that came with no cantle and no tassels, which was a very good thing. I stuck a nice vintage cantle on it for a big roomy hair sporran.

There's a couple on Ebay now but way overpriced https://www.ebay.com/itm/12659376264...ition=4&edge=0

[RGM1]

Found Antique Scottish Sporran, 1934 Glasgow, C&M on eBay and it does not seem to fit any of the regiments. Also looks like some polishing would be in order.

Any idea if this is a sporran associated with a military unit or just dressy?

I am tempted.

[OC Richard]

Found Antique Scottish Sporran, 1934 Glasgow, C&M on eBay and it does not seem to fit any of the regiments. Also looks like some polishing would be in order.

Any idea if this is a sporran associated with a military unit or just dressy?

I am tempted.

This one? https://www.ebay.com/itm/32505979781...Bk9SR-i92pPHZA

It's by Leckie Graham, who made sporrans for many of the regiments.

It's similar to the Highland Light Infantry pattern, with three short tassels. However the HLI weren't put into kilts until 1947.

So it could be the 9th Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Highlanders) who were kilted in WWI. Their cap-badge didn't resemble the HLI cap-badge, but looked like the Black Watch one, which might explain the St Andrew badge on that sporran.

Interestingly, here's the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. The pipers' uniform included kilts (as with all Scottish regiments whether kilted or not) but as we see the non-pipers' uniform also is kilts. Note the drummers, as well as some of the pipers, are in the non-pipers' uniform (with white waistbelts) and that uniform has the black sporran with three short white tassels.

Interesting that the sporran adopted in 1947 by the HLI of Scotland was the same pattern as was already being worn by the HLI of Canada.