trad 'canon' of sporran styles

[OC Richard]

So back in the 1980s I worked for a few years at a Highland outfitter.

The woolens, kilts, jackets, etc we carried were from House of Edgar.

The sporrans we carried were from, if I recall the name, William Scott & Son, Edinburgh.

They sent us a written catalogue which contained no photos, but inserted was a B&W photo, two-sided, and thrice-folded, showing all their sporran styles.

These had curious names such as PS/CT, 8GSP, and the resounding AZSF/S/2.

Funny thing was, over the years several other sporran makers sent us their catalogues, and always the same set of photos was included! Quite obviously the same photos with the same designations.

While working in the shop, and while travelling in Scotland, I picked up catalogues from several Highland outfitters in Scotland, and at least a half-dozen of them had the same set of photos in their catalogues!

So we had, at that time, an established "canon" of sporran styles, the same styles called the same curious names made by several sporranmakers and sold by a large number of shops. My first Highland outfitter catalogue that I ever had, got around 1975, had these same photos, and I was still seeing them regularly in the 1990s.

I happened to keep one of these photo-sets, sadly a rather pale one, and here it is!

(This is not to imply that there weren't "boutique" sporranmakers at that time; there were, and I visited one, Alexander Robertson of Ach-na-Cloich House, Inverness-shire, who made entirely handmade magnificent 18th century style sporrans.)

From time to time I make reference to the "traditional canon of sporran styles made by the leading makers" and this is what I'm referring to. By the way L&M Highland Outfitters in Nova Scotia still make this full range of styles, besides many other styles.

Here they are, the standard old sporran catalogue photos!

Eveningwear sporrans (EW)

HS/T/B is a Hunting sporran, but done in black with a chrome Evening cantle stuck on top. This became the standard Pipe Band sporran in the 1990s and still is.


more Eveningwear sporrans (EW)

EW7 is the so-called "Prince Charlie" style, made like a Day sporran with flap opening.


Daywear sporrans, many brown pigskin or brown cowhide.

Of interest is TT which is larger than all the rest, and HB the so-called Highland Brigade sporran, worn in the Army in No2 Dress


more Daywear sporrans; lower half of page is boy's sporrans


a mixed lot here, several hybrid Evening/Day sporrans such as
DP: Day sporran with the metal frontplate from a Prince Charlie Evening sporran stuck on the flap
BT/SC, SH/EP, SP/S, CBFS/D: Day sporrans with sealskin front and Evening style tassels
HS: Hunting Sporran
SS: an odd one, shaped like a Day sporran but made entirely from fur


horsehair sporrans for marching band use