? from last night's Travel Channel show

[Tartan Hiker]

So last night the Travel Channel aired an episode of Samantha Brown's series on European travel. She was touring Edinburgh, and the show was quite good. Aside from the obligatory pipe band performances there were at least four other shots of kilted gentlemen. One was interviewed about the "outfit". ( ) (And I might add that the ever-perky Samantha stated for the record that she loves the look of a man in a kilt!)

Anyway, this gentleman, when asked the function of the sporran, replied that it was intended to "protect the nether regions". He also added that it could hold "a supply of oats for a snack during battle".

Here is the second mention of sporrans as a "protective device" in the past few days. The other was here: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=20566

So what's going on here...two citizens of Scotland telling the world that the sporran is protective gear, and not a handy "pocket". Do any of you who know the history of Highland attire better than I have any ideas?

[Sir Robert]

What do these guys know that we do not?

I mean that they are Scots right?

[eighties]

I'm no expert on the history of the sporran, but with out hearing from those other sources I've long described the sporran to those around me as a "Medievel Jock Strap". Then I would knock on it a few times and get a chuckle. It makes sense that it could have been used as protection and they added the pouch later to carry things.

So was it a protective device with a pocket added to it, or was it a pouch that served a dual purpose? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

This is just me spouting, I have no hard knowledge or evidence to back it up. yet it does make for a great topic of conversation.

-80s

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The sporran has always been used as a pouch, for that is all that it is. "Sporran" is simply Gaelic for pouch or purse. It's never been used as protective gear.

The fact that people (even kilt wearers, and even those born and raised in Scotland) continue to believe silly things about Highland attire shouldn't surprise anyone.

:-)
M

[Andrew Green]

The sporran might help protect your modesty in a stiff wind though! Then again, that is only likely if you are using it for it's function as a pouch, no?

[auld argonian]

The sporran might help protect your modesty in a stiff wind though! Then again, that is only likely if you are using it for it's function as a pouch, no?

..or a stiff anything else, for that matter.

Best

AA

[macwilkin]

The sporran has always been used as a pouch, for that is all that it is. "Sporran" is simply Gaelic for pouch or purse. It's never been used as protective gear.

The fact that people (even kilt wearers, and even those born and raised in Scotland) continue to believe silly things about Highland attire shouldn't surprise anyone.

:-)
M

And to add to Matt's post, in the First World War, the sporran was replaced with a "field-expedient" one, usually made from a gas-mask or musette bag. In addition, the kilt apron had a "built-in" pouch, and many pictures no sporran being worn at all.

Cheers,

Todd

[David Thornton]

The same gent intoned that the plant behind the badge on his balmoral was decoration. No mention of clans or clan affiliation.

David

[McClef]

The fact that people (even kilt wearers, and even those born and raised in Scotland) continue to believe silly things about Highland attire shouldn't surprise anyone. :-)
M

Looking at the wealth of expertise on Xmarks it is clear that there is a lot of informed knowledge outside of Caledonia and also more enthusiastic and frequent wearing of the kilt too.

Some people may have an idea that the sporran provides some kind of front line protection of the "assets" or to prevent them from "hinting" as one walks but these are only secondary effects. The primary has always been as a purse as traditional kilts do not have pockets.

We may all have different decorative tastes for them and like them to look good but that does not detract from their main purpose.

The old highlanders relied on their shields and their claymores for protection

[Tattoo Bradley]

I recently purchased this episode from Itunes for my video Ipod. I'm not for certain, BUT I thought the gent was giving her a hard time about it. The tone of the remark and her rebuttle seemed to indicate such IMHO. None-the-less, it was a great episode. It's where I learned of deep fried candy bars!