Hair Sporrans

[longhuntr74]

Kyle....I believe Josh makes all of his own sporrans that he sells on the website...he can correct me if I'm wrong...but that was his main trade/hobby before he went full blown into the business. I know he made mine.

[Hothir Ethelnor]

Josh makes all the hair sporrans. that is correct. I think the lower quality look on the website is due to the pictures being cut out with photoshop rather than properly shot in a studio and keyed.

[Tobus]

I realize he is the late Chief of the Clan MacTavish (he looks great, apart from the cream hose!), and I certainly do not mean any disrespect here, but I actually prefer my long hair sporran to reach past the selvedge of my kilt-not by a whole lot, but with the longer hair sporrans, I just think it looks better that way.

No disrespect here either, but I am surprised to see that picture. He seems to be doing all the things that we are being told not to do. He's wearing ghillie brogues, cream hose, and a fly plaid. His kilt looks like it's too long (or being worn too low on his knee), and his jacket sleeves seem a bit long as well. Is this photo an aberration, or are there really native Scots who do this?

[JSFMACLJR]

No disrespect here either, but I am surprised to see that picture. He seems to be doing all the things that we are being told not to do. He's wearing ghillie brogues, cream hose, and a fly plaid. His kilt looks like it's too long (or being worn too low on his knee), and his jacket sleeves seem a bit long as well. Is this photo an aberration, or are there really native Scots who do this?

Was Dunardry a native Scot?

[BoldHighlander]

Was Dunardry a native Scot?

My understanding was that he was a Canadian citizen.

[The Guy in the Kilt at UC]

Was Dunardry a native Scot?

I believe he was born in Montreal.

[bchunter]

I too will be both following along and trying my hand on my own.

[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.

[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: