Traditional sporran canon with examples

[OC Richard]

In a thread a while back I posted scans of a tri-fold leaflet or brochure that a number of Scottish sporranmakers in the 1960s through 1980s used to accompany their price list. The photos show the range of sporran styles available. The sporrans have curious codes printed beneath.

I don't know when or by whom these iconic photos were taken, or who devised the codes. But when I worked for a Highland Outfitter in the 1980s we carried William E Scott & Son (Edinburgh) sporrans, and we ordered off a price list and these photos.

During the period I worked there we received price lists from a number of Scottish sporranmakers and each was accompanied by the same tri-fold photo leaflet.

It was as if the sporran styles contained on this leaflet were a canon of sorts, in effect. One could go to Games after Games here, Burns Supper after Burns Supper, and never see a sporran that wasn't on these pages save for the occasional antique.

Anyhow I thought I would post pages of the leaflet accompanied by photos of some of the sporrans shown "in the flesh". I hope this will be interesting to somebody. The photos are of sporrans which have been offered for sale on Ebay over the years.



The cantles were of differing nature. Some were very high quality silverplated things made of separate pieces.

Here is the cantle used on the sporrans called EW2 and EW4 in the photo above. It is silver plated and stamped Made In Scotland. It's made of five pieces: cantle, knob, and three bosses. The bosses are held on by threaded posts and nuts.



Here is sporran EW2. Note the cones for the tassels



Here is the cantle called "G" in the photo above. It's also a high quality detailed silverplate item. These were also stamped Made In Scotland. The sporran below corresponds to the one in the photo called EW4/G/B (Evening Wear 4, G cantle, black rabbit fur). This sporran was extremely popular amongst pipe bands around here in the 1990s and 2000s.



Here is EW4/5, an extraordinarily fine example, white seal body with dark grey seal tassels, the metalwork silver plated, the cantle stamped Made In Scotland, the back stamped Made In Scotland/Real Leather. It's probably the work of W E Scott & Son, Edinburgh, perhaps from the 1950s.



Here is the sporran called EW6/G in the photo above, made by W E Scott & Son, Edinburgh



Another example. You can see the high quality of the silver-plated cantle. These were usually stamped Made In Scotland on one side.



EW3 has a pierced cantle, chrome plated, and made up of five separate pieces. These, as I recall, weren't stamped.



EW1 and HS/T/B (Hunting Sporran/Targe/Black) use a different top, with the bosses integral to the cantle. As I recall these were chrome plated and not stamped.

Here is EW1



Another example of EW1 in this case the cantle appears to be silver-plated



Here's the same cantle done up in brass, on a brown Hunting Sporran, by W E Scott & Son Edinburgh. The Hunting Sporran in the leaflet above is black with the same top done up in chrome.