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13th January 25, 08:15 AM
#1
Vintage sporran exhibition

Now this is what you've all been waiting for.
The exhibition is a display of a private collection of rare and unusual military and civilian sporrans covering the years and fashions from the 18th century onwards. Part of the collection has been shown at Oban and Lonach Highland Games in recent years, and visitors will have the chance to take a more leisurely time to enjoy and admire the examples.
But don't all rush at once and crowd-out the museum - the exhibition is due to run for six months, so late-summer visitors should still be able to enjoy it.
And in case you're getting ideas, this is a for-your-eyes-only event - so there is no handling or trying-on!
Glenesk is said to be the most beautiful of the Angus glens, and was a favourite picnic spot for Queen Victoria, whose holiday home at Balmoral is within a queen's walking distance. There are hills, lochs, rivers and ruined chapels and castles, so the museum is an added attraction.
For more information, contact gleneskmuseumevents@gmail.com
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13th January 25, 04:27 PM
#2
Having seen some of this fantastic collection at Lonach a couple of years ago I can attest to quality and sheer collective beauty of them. I will visit as soon as I can in February.
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14th January 25, 01:28 AM
#3
Not sure if I will be running any tours this year, but I usually have a bit of free time before I pick up my group(s) in Edinburgh. If I am, I might need to see if I can extend my side trip, I've had plans to visit Coupar Angus for a while now and Glenesk isn't too much of a stretch...
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14th January 25, 04:00 AM
#4
 Originally Posted by Tomo
Not sure if I will be running any tours this year, but I usually have a bit of free time before I pick up my group(s) in Edinburgh. If I am, I might need to see if I can extend my side trip, I've had plans to visit Coupar Angus for a while now and Glenesk isn't too much of a stretch...
Glenesk is easy enough to get to.
Take the M9 north across the Forth, go onto the A90 where it splits from the A9 - that junction always reminds me of autoroute interchanges in the Alps - and sit back and enjoy the scenery. Give Dundee the go-by and hang a left (as cool dudes say) at Brechin, and there you are.
There's enough in Glenesk on its own to make a full day's tour, but add in the sporran exhibition and you're onto a winner.
If any XMarkers are thinking of visiting, let the museum know and we'll lay on the VIP treatment. There are things in the stores that are not currently on display which are well-worth seeing.
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2nd February 25, 07:00 PM
#5
Pics
If anyone attends this exhibit, I would love to see pictures. Even better, if there is literature that accompanies the exhibit, I would gladly pay for shipping. I have been on the lookout for sporrans that are singular, and have considered commisioning a unique sporran and/or sporran cantle. I'd love to have examples of sporrans.
The books that I have on hand to reference highland fashions are 2 James Telfer Dunbar works and the National Museums Scotland book Highland Style, and sporrans are underrepresented.
I am a touch jealous that some of you will be able to see what I imagine are somewhat diverse examples of sporrans.
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2nd February 25, 07:16 PM
#6
 Originally Posted by bookish
If anyone attends this exhibit, I would love to see pictures. Even better, if there is literature that accompanies the exhibit, I would gladly pay for shipping. I have been on the lookout for sporrans that are singular, and have considered commisioning a unique sporran and/or sporran cantle. I'd love to have examples of sporrans.
The books that I have on hand to reference highland fashions are 2 James Telfer Dunbar works and the National Museums Scotland book Highland Style, and sporrans are underrepresented.
I am a touch jealous that some of you will be able to see what I imagine are somewhat diverse examples of sporrans.
If there is any literature I’d be very interested as well. I’m assuming images of the sporrans won’t be available online?
Tha mi uabhasach sgith gach latha.
“A man should look as if he has bought his clothes (kilt) with intelligence, put them (it) on with care, and then forgotten all about them (it).” Paraphrased from Hardy Amies
Proud member of the Clans Urquhart and MacKenzie.
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3rd February 25, 12:49 AM
#7
The majority of Ian Taylor's collection is military and so possibly not the best source for civilian inspiration. There are a few outliers and the STA is loaning a few early civilian pieces.
Last edited by figheadair; 3rd February 25 at 09:01 AM.
Reason: Typo
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3rd February 25, 05:49 AM
#8
The bulk of the sporran exhibition is essentially military, and refelcts more than 200 years of the various regements' history in sporran terms - which is fascinating enough in itself.
But part of the collection includes sporrans from other bodies, too, not just British regiments of the line - so original Balmoral Highlanders, Athole Highlanders, Lonach and Invercauld are also there to be seen in their full glory. Such as these -

It is not just military sporrans that will be on display, as examples from other private collections are also being shown. These include early 18th century hinged-cantle styles (what people like to call 'Jacobite-era' sporrans from pre-Dress Act times) and early 19th century hair sporrans from around the Highland Revival period. Georgian and Victorian, in other words. Some of the examples are exqisite in their quality and perhaps surprising in their construction, too.
Personally, it is a great treat to have the opportunity to study in detail the early sporrans, and see the internal workings of the cantle locking mechanisms, two-handed release methods, and the carefully constructed internal divisions and pockets in sporrans that are fairly plain and ordinary on the outside.
The MoD hinged brass cantle sporrans that we all love so much, seem poor substitutes for the look-alike originals - so much so that I feel inclined to take apart my own MoD cantle sporrans and re-make them in the way our Georgian forebears would approve!
In terms of publications and images available online or in print, that is still to be finalised, but Scottish Television has already shown an interest, along with other media. More on this in due course...
Last edited by Troglodyte; 3rd February 25 at 05:50 AM.
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3rd February 25, 07:03 AM
#9
I would so love to see this!
But sadly I'm five thousand miles away and in no position to make such a trip.
About sporrans being under-represented in the literature I fully agree.
I haven't seen anything very scholarly, accurate, or complete about sporran history on YouTube, so I'm planning on making a video soon.
Trouble is I don't have examples of some of the styles I'd like to represent, especially the c1700 Lord Duffus sporran.
About complex locking mechanisms, my wife and I visited sporran maker Alexander Robertson in the Inverness area in 1986 and he told us that a certain member of the aristocracy came to him for help in opening the family heirloom sporran which he intended to wear for some upcoming event.
I don't remember the specifics but various knobs had to be pressed or rotated a certain way in order for the sporran top to open. Robertson was able to figure it out teach the gent how to do it.
(Alexander Robertson made mid-18th century style sporrans with hand-made hinged brass tops.)
Last edited by OC Richard; 3rd February 25 at 07:23 AM.
Proud Mountaineer from the Highlands of West Virginia; son of the Revolution and Civil War; first Europeans on the Guyandotte
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3rd February 25, 09:07 AM
#10
 Originally Posted by OC Richard
I would so love to see this!
But sadly I'm five thousand miles away and in no position to make such a trip.
About sporrans being under-represented in the literature I fully agree.
I haven't seen anything very scholarly, accurate, or complete about sporran history on YouTube, so I'm planning on making a video soon.
Trouble is I don't have examples of some of the styles I'd like to represent, especially the c1700 Lord Duffus sporran.
About complex locking mechanisms, my wife and I visited sporran maker Alexander Robertson in the Inverness area in 1986 and he told us that a certain member of the aristocracy came to him for help in opening the family heirloom sporran which he intended to wear for some upcoming event.
I don't remember the specifics but various knobs had to be pressed or rotated a certain way in order for the sporran top to open. Robertson was able to figure it out teach the gent how to do it.
(Alexander Robertson made mid-18th century style sporrans with hand-made hinged brass tops.)
I have been fortunate enough to see and hande a number of 18th century sporrans with hinged-cantles, and they all seem to work on similar principles.
Essentially, they are not unlike the first versions of the MoD cantles, with a leaf-spring tensioned pull-up catch that engages with a hooked bar when the cantle is closed. This secure enough, but one of the complaints about the later push-down catch versions of the MoD cantles is that they open unintentionally - like when the wearer leans forward and presses against the release button. Ex-jocks who wore the 'Culloden' sporrans conplain of this.
The antique sporrans get around this in different ways, and the mechanisms I have seen involve a second external knob on the back of the cantle, that rotates on a ratchet to line-up a slot on an internal wheel that allows the hooked bar to slide out and so open the cantle - something in the way that a combination padlock works. Sometimes the second knob was a sprung slide action.
In practiacal terms, opening one of these sporrans is a two-handed operation that requires the sporran to be held stationary - which it is when hanging on a strap or belt.
The curious thing about these mechanisms is that, although they lock the sporran shut, the sporran is still only a leather bag that could be slashed by a robber to access the contents, but the wearer would most likely be armed with dirk and sword so the risks to the slashing robber is pretty high.
My view is that the mechanisms were there more as an inconvenience to potential pick-pockets (or pick-sporran if you like) or other quick-fingered folks, as the sporran was impossible to get into unobtrusively or would take too long. And the thought of a dirk in the ribs was probably enough deterrent.
Attachment 44150 Attachment 44151 Attachment 44152 
You can see in the pictures the spring release catch on this early 18th century sporran cantle, and the secondary ratchet turn-knob and hooked-bar on the inside, and the position of the knobs on the rear cantle plate.
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