My (expanding Sporran Collection

[Allan Thomson]

I've got a few sporrans, some being modern and ex hire, some inherited but I also by luck expanded my collection with some historically interesting ones.

I'll try to post pictures here but the site isn't letting me upload. Am interested if someone can add more details about the history and periods of some of the items?

So firstly my original sporran Hand Me Down, plain brown leather with 4 hassles, leather strap, brass Buckle and press stud I would guess around 1940's or 50's, I wouldhave said no later than 60's but most likely earlier. Embossed on the flap is 42. And makers mark says Lamontagne Limited Montreal Canada. It looks very similar to sporrans for the Canadian Black Watch. A good sized pouch which concertina fashion will hold a lot. Handy for day wear with tweeds and brown brogues

[Allan Thomson]

Next I have a Royal Regiment of Scotland 1st battalion horsehair sporran with 2 black tassels mounted in brass with white plastic strap. I believe it came from someone who was ex Kosbie then Royal Scots Borderers. The pouch is on the back and closes with a press stud, it looks bigger than it actually is and most of it is decorative. I tend to use this as my 'black tie' sporran with a prince Charlie Jacket.

[Allan Thomson]

Today by chance I came across three sporrans which a friend was given by a lady he knew to sell for charity. After I saw them I knew at the suggested price they were too good to miss. Apparently they were all that was left of her late husbands highland wear and apparently one had been his father's. Given that the lady was in her 80s my friend suggested at least one of them could go back to the 20's. Looking at other examples online the other two are typical of examples dating from the 30's.

All of them are silver mounted.

Two of them bear the makers name RW Forsyth Highland Wear Manufacturer's Glasgow, Edinburgh & London. Interestingly enough the Cantles are embossed with the same manufacturer but only saying Glasgow and Edinburgh. Of this type one has a functional silver 'culloden cantle' and the other has a decorative Cantle with a back opening pouch. One is fur, possibly being seal or Otter; the otheris horsehair..

All the Sporrans have a Lion Badge with Orna Verum which I believe is the family motto of the Waddell family.

[Allan Thomson]

The third of these sporrans is interesting. It has no makers mark on it, neither on the Cantel or the bag. It is fur mounted, back opening with a cut in the leather and a stud to close with a fake cantle made from silver The chains on it have a distinctive square shape to them with a decorative marking on each square. Possibly it is otter or seal fur.

[Allan Thomson]

I'm sorry but due to the complexity of the photo adding process I am having to draw the line at being able to add photos as every upload attempt fails.

[ShaunMaxwell]

Create a free account at https://postimages.org/.

Click on the “hamburger” (three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of the screen) and select Upload. Select the images you want to upload to the site and choose Add.

Once you’ve uploaded your photos, open your library of images, select the first that you want to share on XMTS, click on the Share icon, then click on the blue icon that appears to the right of “Hotlink for forums” to copy the address and paste it into your draft XMTS post. Repeat as necessary, adding the next image as appropriate throughout your narrative.

I’m looking forward to seeing your collection!

Full disclosure: I have no connection to this image hosting site beyond having used it myself to post images to this forum for the past several years. Your mileage may vary.

Cheers,

SM

[OC Richard]

All of them are silver mounted.

What a great acquisition! I'd love to see photos of these, showing the backs as well as the fronts.

Sterling Silver? These would almost certainly have full Silver hallmarks, possibly FN (Frederick Narborough) a Birmingham firm who supplied cantles to a number of Scottish sporran makers.

Two of them bear the makers name RW Forsyth Highland Wear Manufacturer's Glasgow, Edinburgh & London. Interestingly enough the Cantles are embossed with the same manufacturer but only saying Glasgow and Edinburgh.

That's interesting and might help date them. I have a c1930 Forsyth catalogue that has pictures of their three locations, their London location was Vigo House, Regent Street. I looked up that location and the building shown was built in 1925 suggesting that Forsyth might have been an original tenant.

So the sporrans were made after 1925.

BTW if the cantles are stamped with the maker, and don't have full Silver hallmarks, they're almost certainly German Silver, either plain or silver plated.

One has a functional silver 'Culloden cantle' and the other has a decorative cantle with a back opening pouch.

So by Culloden style you mean that the pins that hold the hinge together have knobs that go through slots in the leather?

I don't have one of those, what I do have is a later hinge style where the hinge is completely internal.

Here the top sporran has the visible knobs on the hinge Culloden style, and the bottom sporran has a nonfunctional cantle with pocket on the back.



Here's my sporran hallmarked 1967 with a hidden internal hinge.



Here are the sporran illustrations from my c1930 Forsyth catalogue.

[Tomo]

Some great sporrans.

This is the MOD Culloden sporran OCR is referring to. Mine is a later (MkII I think) and the blancoed bag is dated 1960. The badge doesn't seam to be original, looks to be a button that has been re-purposed. I picked it up for a song when I was working in Edinburgh a couple of years ago. I have plans to re-bag it.

[OC Richard]

...plain brown leather with 4 hassles, leather strap, brass Buckle and press stud I would guess around 1940's or 50's... Embossed on the flap is 42. And makers mark says Lamontagne Limited Montreal Canada. It looks very similar to sporrans for the Canadian Black Watch.

The ones like that I've seen have been Canadian Expeditionary Force from World War One. I don't know if they continued to wear these after the war.

Yes "42" is Black Watch, and as you probably know the Black Watch of Canada are headquartered in Montreal.

These had 5 tassels, at least the ones I've seen. Here are some WWI CEF sporrans and some British WWI (or possible WWI) sporrans.

[Canadian Vet]

The ones like that I've seen have been Canadian Expeditionary Force from World War One. I don't know if they continued to wear these after the war.

Yes "42" is Black Watch, and as you probably know the Black Watch of Canada are headquartered in Montreal.

These had 5 tassels, at least the ones I've seen. They're rare and valuable. Here's one

"42" was the 42nd Battalion CEF