Quality Sporrans for less money

[OC Richard]

Around 12-13 years ago if I remember correctly, the MOD Sporran contract in its entirety was awarded to Ammo & Co, Birmingham...Ammo & Co only made the cantles and sub-contracted the making of the leather and hair sporrans to Margaret Morrison.

That makes total sense.

As people into Highland regalia might know, there's a long legacy of sporran cantles, Highland buckles, and such which goes something like this:

1850 Frederick Narborough, Birmingham (FN silver mark) originally a gentlemen's cane maker began making military accessories during the Crimean War, which they continued through WWII.

1962 Dalman & Narborough, Birmingham (D&N silver mark). I'm not sure what all they made, but they made silver mounts for bagpipes, and buckles, sporran cantles, dirk and sgian fitments etc.

Here's a D&N catalogue from the 1990s



2012 D&N acquired by All Arms Marketing and Manufacturing Organisation and makes regimental colours, Guards uniforms, canes, pace sticks, insignia, swords, boots, drums, and combat uniforms.

Since as far as I know D&N only did/does metalwork they would contract the sporrans themselves to a sporran maker.

BTW shouldn't the acronym be AAMMO?

[OC Richard]

In any case, here's another Nicoll Bros sporran for a very low price. It's seal.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sporran-Mad...ndition=4%7C10

[OC Richard]

I also think MM picked up Nicoll Bros MOD work - I have seen a posts on MM's facebook page about some of their recent supplies to the military.

References to MM and Nicol Bros are made here: https://www.artisansofscotland.com/a...ison-sporrans/ and here: https://morrison-sporrans.co.uk/about-us/ - although I agree it would be nice to see some of of the old Nicoll Bros designs brought back into production. That said MM do have an extensive catalogue so there may be some lurking about.

Thanks for the links, they say MM "took over" from Nicoll Bros, quite interesting. I know in pipemaking it's common for one firm to take over an old firm that's winding up, the main thing being acquiring all the tools, which are a daunting expense for a new maker.

However I'm not sure that MM directly took over Nicoll Bros, because there apparently was an in-between firm, Piob Mhor, Blairgowrie.

EDIT: Piob Mhor was started by Australian kiltmaker Ruthven Milne in 1974. They acquired Nicoll Brothers in 1983. Nicoll Brothers were acquired by Margaret Morrison in 2007.

In the early 2000s I bought a Nicoll Bros sporran from Piob Mhor in Blairgowrie. My understanding at the time was that Piob Mhor had bought out Nicoll Bros. My sporran was stamped Nicoll Bros Scotland but I've also seen sporrans stamped Piob Mhor.

I still have a printout of the Nicoll Bros online catalogue from around 2004. Their sporrans were distinctive in a number of ways, for example their sporrans had different body proportions, and they used a different line of cantles, from W Scott Edinburgh and most of the other makers. Their cantles were stamped Nicoll Bros Scotland in tiny letters on one side during the Piob Mhor period.

[Tomo]

I bought this Nicoll Bros sporran in 2003 from Slanj (they made some bespoke items for my wedding and I spotted this whilst I was in their shop for a fitting).

[OC Richard]

That's cool! Looks like the characteristically wide Nicoll Bros sporran body, more rounded, while W Scott and most makers had a longer more waisted look.

They were still using the Nicoll Bros Bankfoot stamp in 2003 I see.

EDIT: Piob Mhor acquired Nicoll Brothers Bankfoot in 1983 and expanded the Bankfoot factory staff from 5 to 13.

That's interesting, I didn't know that Piob Mhor continued the Nicoll Brothers operation in Bankfoot, and seem to have more than doubled their sales.

Nicoll Brothers Bankfoot seems to have wound up in 2007 and were taken over by Margaret Morrison.

[Tomo]

OCR - I did find an obit online for Ruthven Milne - who founded Piob Mhor, from this it looks like they acquired Nicoll Bros sometime prior to 1992.

I'm sure you will find it an interesting read.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/opini...er-kilt-maker/

[OC Richard]

OCR - I did find an obit online for Ruthven Milne - who founded Piob Mhor, from this it looks like they acquired Nicoll Bros sometime prior to 1992.

I'm sure you will find it an interesting read.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/opini...er-kilt-maker/

Thanks so much! It was an interesting read.

And it lead me to this, a nice snapshot of Piob Mhor in 2004/2005 which was the very time I ordered a sporran directly from them.

https://www.familybusinessmagazine.com/skirting-issue

And this article from 1994 gives specifics of Piob Mhor's purchasing of Nicoll Brothers in 1983

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...ecialty-sport/

"Eleven years ago they bought Nicoll Brothers in Bankfoot where they have a partner, John Howie.

Nicoll Brothers, which makes sporrans and doublets, has also expanded since 1983 and thirteen are now employed in the Bankfoot factory compared to the original five."

Nicoll Brothers' website expired in 2006. I read that Nicoll Brothers "dissolved" in 2007 and Margaret Morrison took over.

About the pipemaking side of Piob Mhor, both of the Milnes, Ruthven and Gwen, were avid pipers, but it doesn't seem that either of them did much in the way of pipemaking.

From early on, perhaps from the founding of Piob Mhor in 1974, the pipes were made by two sons-in-law, Paul Blackburn and Ian MacGregor. In 1986 another son-in-law (the Milnes had five daughters!) Michael Phee became the pipe maker.

Pipemaking at Piob Mhor ceased in 2008 when Michael Phee moved to New South Wales to set up his own pipemaking business.

https://macpheebagpipes.com.au/about-us/

[OC Richard]

Also another very nice Nicoll Bros sporran just popped up on Ebay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Scottish-Ma...p2056016.l4276

[FossilHunter]

Also another very nice Nicoll Bros sporran just popped up on Ebay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Scottish-Ma...p2056016.l4276

I love the swirl design on that cantle.

[OC Richard]

I just picked up this sporran on Ebay for $65. It's within the USA.



I've seen a very small number of these cantles, which have every appearance of having been made by Frederick Narborough (Birmingham) which became Dalman & Narborough in 1962.

The FN and D&N hallmarks are very familiar to pipers due to this firm making mounts in identical style and patterns for Highland bagpipes.

Generally, on bagpipes, these mounts are flat. Less often one sees the mounts done like this cantle, repousse, with the Runic bosses punched out from behind for a 3D effect. Even less often does one see the thistles given the repousse treatment as seen with this cantle.

I can't recall seeing FN or D&N bagpipe mounts that mix the Runic and Thistle designs like that- bagpipes mounts are one or the other. There's a third pattern, Zoomorphic, that FN and D&N made.

For comparison, here's a silver & ivory bagpipe with FN Runic repousse mounts.



This is a set of silver & ivory bagpipes made in 1959 by R G Hardie, Glasgow, with FN thistle mounts.