of Hunting sporrans

[figheadair]

Is it me or were the 1930's sporrans slightly more oval? Here's my Andersons' one (No 17) in the catalogue.

Andersons' Sporrans.jpg Sporran - Anderson's c1930-Front-sm.jpg

[Micrographia]

That Margaret Morrison sporran is lovely .

[OC Richard]

Is it me or were the 1930's sporrans slightly more oval? Here's my Andersons' one (No 17) in the catalogue.

Andersons' Sporrans.jpg Sporran - Anderson's c1930-Front-sm.jpg

For sure the one you show is the a bit more like the shape that eventually won out, more oval, which could be drawn as a circle sitting atop a slightly larger circle.

What draws my eye is #16 and #17, the style that Margaret Morrison has put back into production, which at first glance is straight-sided but is also a smaller circle atop a larger one, but the two circles are much closer in size.

Then there's the Nicoll Bros style, which has those two circles closer together.

[OC Richard]

About where Hunting sporrans came from, the more I look at existing old sporrans and old photos of men wearing them the more I think that the modern "day" and "evening" sporrans (which arose around the time of The Great War) are possibly both descended from the ornate Celtic Revival quasi-18th century sporrans of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.

Here's the style. Things that strike me are 1) that only a small number of these show up 2) they tend to be similar to each other and 3) when made they seem to have been the provenance of the wealthy: Royalty, aristocracy, and others of exceptional wealth such as Sir Harry Lauder. Long after they were made some have continued to be worn in those families, some have ended up with persons such as famous piper John Burgess, well known for his lavish spending on ornate costumes.



Here are closeups of some sporrans of that style. Note Sir Harry's has a square top, while other examples have semicircular tops.



Also evidently inspired by 18th century sporrans are this sort, also late Victorian/Edwardian, which I believe evolved into the standard Evening sporrans of the 1920s which we still wear today.



Not a tremendous leap from those to the standard Evening sporrans, simplified for those of more ordinary means, being produced in larger quantities in the 1930s



About Hunting sporrans, I think the ones being made in quantity for the average kilt-wearer (below right, 1930s) are more or less highly simplified versions of the ornate Revival ones at top.

Note the early appearance of the Rob Roy, another 18th century revival. Also seen are the animal mask sporrans, which throughout the Victorian period were pretty much the only Outdoor Dress alternative to the near-ubiquitous long hair sporrans.



Note that in the post-Great War period pocketlike sporrans complete with flaps become popular. This style came to dominate leather "Day" sporrans but also appeared in Evening form in the so-called "Prince Charlie" seal sporran, seen above.

I think the appearance of the pocket-style sporrans might be connected to the military's adoption of a khaki-drab Service Dress in 1908.

[figheadair]

About where Hunting sporrans came from, the more I look at existing old sporrans and old photos of men wearing them the more I think that the modern "day" and "evening" sporrans (which arose around the time of The Great War) are possibly both descended from the ornate Celtic Revival quasi-18th century sporrans of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.

Here's the style. Things that strike me are 1) that only a small number of these show up 2) they tend to be similar to each other and 3) when made they seem to have been the provenance of the wealthy: Royalty, aristocracy, and others of exceptional wealth such as Sir Harry Lauder. Long after they were made some have continued to be worn in those families, some have ended up with persons such as famous piper John Burgess, well known for his lavish spending on ornate costumes.

Richard, I think you are spot of with your analysis of the origin of the modern styles and the fact that those lovely Celtic Revival sporrans were, or certainly are now, few and far between.

Here are the only three I know of made by Ferguson & MacBean, Inverness c1890-96. Each is unique, the first is the one owned by Sir Harry Lauder (I don't know who owns it now), the middle one in mine, I know who owns the one of the right.

Ferguson & MacBean Sporrans 1890s.jpg

[OC Richard]

Thanks so much for the information and insight!

I suspected that due to the rarity, cost, and similarities between them that they might be the work of a single firm, or at most a small number of firms.

Do you know how many of these Ferguson & MacBean might have made? Did they made round-top ones as well as square-top?

There's a well-known photograph of the four Princes wearing theirs, are the ones in the Royal family also by that firm?

Now that I look at the photo I see that only two of the four are that ornate style, one is rather less fancy, one is plain.



In any case there are late Victorian sporrans that sit sort of halfway between what would become Evening and Hunting sporrans, like this one hallmarked Robert & Henry Bruce Kirkwood Edinburgh (c1882-1900)



and this rather plain proto-Hunting sporran hallmarked Robertson 1893 (probably Robert & George Brunton Robertson, Cupar, 1857-1917)

[figheadair]

and this rather plain proto-Hunting sporran hallmarked Robertson 1893 (probably Robert & George Brunton Robertson, Cupar, 1857-1917)

That is a lovely sporran.

[figheadair]

I suspected that due to the rarity, cost, and similarities between them that they might be the work of a single firm, or at most a small number of firms.

Do you know how many of these Ferguson & MacBean might have made? Did they made round-top ones as well as square-top?

I don't, I've seem some slightly later ones of theirs which are hair with silver cantle but these are the only three proto-Hunting style ones of their that I know of.

The other well known maker of the time was Henry Tatton, Edinburgh. This one is quite well known but I don't know who ones it now. I know another similar to this.

Henry Tatton Sporran.jpg