Earliest use of brass-cantle sporrans?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

This one belongs to Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, and if I recall correctly, the cantle is stamped with the date 1729.

[longhuntr74]

Peter and Matt...question for both of you. Are you aware if the bags on those 18th century cantles are also original or were they replaced at some point throughout the life of the sporran? They are both obviously old leather...especially the MacGregor one. Also...on the one that Peter posted (and I think I remember reading a thread before about this particular sporran but have forgotten...so I apologize if we're recovering old ground)...what is the purpose of the holes drilled in the face of the cantle? Were they from repairs to the latch mechanism?

[figheadair]

Peter and Matt...question for both of you. Are you aware if the bags on those 18th century cantles are also original or were they replaced at some point throughout the life of the sporran? They are both obviously old leather...especially the MacGregor one. Also...on the one that Peter posted (and I think I remember reading a thread before about this particular sporran but have forgotten...so I apologize if we're recovering old ground)...what is the purpose of the holes drilled in the face of the cantle? Were they from repairs to the latch mechanism?

I think my bag is original here's the inside. I cannot account for the holes but think that they may have been drilled at a later date.

[OC Richard]

This one belongs to Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, and if I recall correctly, the cantle is stamped with the date 1729.

It would be great if that could be verified.

Of course it's possible for an item to have a date on it which was added later. An example close to home is the wonderful pair of portraits I have hanging on my wall of my great-great grandparents painted in the 1880s. I had a pair of brass plaques engraved with their names and dates and put on the picture-frames.

Then there's the antique-looking set of pipes with the date 1409 carved on them, which pretty much everyone nowadays agrees is a 19th century phoney.

[georgeetta]

18th century portraits ..there is a book I have called Bokk of Tartan ..not normal book of swatches ..mostly historical drawings of units by observers ..and many Officers ..usually of Gov't Units . I'll have a look .

th
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[Tam Piperson]

Here is a photograph from an illustration in a book showing various early metal cantled sporrans: