sporran

Semi dress black leather sporran

The Sporran (Scottish Gaelic for 'purse') is a traditional part of Scottish Highland dress. It is a pouch that performs the same function as pockets on the pocketless Scottish kilt.

Made of leather or fur, the sporran usually has more or less elaborate silver or other ornamentation. It is worn on a chain or hung from a kilt belt, conventionally lying in front of the groin of the wearer.

Since the traditional kilt does not have pockets, the sporran serves as a wallet and container for any other necessary personal items. It is essentially a survival of the common European medieval belt-pouch, superseded elsewhere as clothing came to have pockets, but continuing in the Scottish Highlands because of the lack of these accessories in traditional dress.

The sporran hangs just below the belt buckle; and much effort is made to match their style and design. The kilt belt buckle can be very ornate, and contain similar motifs to the sporran cantle and the Sgian Dubh.

When driving a car, dancing, playing drums, or engaging in any activity where a heavy pouch might encumber the wearer, the sporran can be turned around the waist to let it hang on the hip in a more casual position.^{[1] [2]}

Sporran types

Dress sporran

• "Day Sporrans" are usually simple brown or black leather pouches with little adornment. These "day" sporrans often have three leather tassels and some Celtic knots embossed in the leather.

• "Dress Sporrans" are larger than the day variety, and are more ornate. Victorian examples were often ostentatious, and very different from the simple leather pouch of the 17th or 18th centuries. They usually have chrome or silver cantles trimming the top of the pouch and a fur-covered face with fur or hair tassels. The cantle may contain intricate filigree or etchings of Celtic knots. The top of the cantle may have a set stone, jewel, or emblems such as Saint Andrew, a thistle, Clan, or Masonic symbols.

• "Horsehair Sporrans" are be worn with regimental attire. Pipers will often wear the most flamboyant sporrans with long horsehair that swishes from side to side as the piper marches.

Common misconceptions about the sporran

• It keeps the front flap of the kilt down during dancing, running etc.

The front of the kilt is in fact a double flap coming from left and right. The sporran itself is more likely to fly around during energetic movement due to its looser attachment and greater inertia. However the sporran does weigh the flap down when sitting legs apart, although the kilt is designed to do this naturally without 'help'

• It is a form of armour for the groin

The studded 'apron' on the Roman Balteus (sword belt) is sometimes referred to as a 'sporran' or 'groin guard' this has led to confusion with the Scottish sporran; ironic, as the Roman 'groin guard' was solely decorative.^[3]

Sporran materials and the Law

As sporrans are made of animal skin, their production, ownership and transportation across borders can be regulated by legislation set to control the trade of protected and endangered species. A 2007 BBC report on legislation introduced by the Scottish Executive stated that sporran owners may need licences to prove that the animals used in construction of their pouch conformed to these regulations.^[4]

However several of the species listed in the BBC article are not covered by the Habitants Directives of the legislation, and of the over a hundred different animals listed by the legislation only a few, such as Otter, have ever been associated with sporran construction. Most common sporran skins are not controlled or regulated animals in regards to this legislation.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Kilts & Tartan Made Easy". http://www.clan.com/kiltsandtartan. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
2. ^ "Formal Pipe Band Dress Instruction". http://www.kinnairdbagpipes.com/docs/FAQ/Dress%20Instructions%20Mar%2006.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-23. 
3. ^ "EQUIPMENT". LEGION XXIV MEDIA ATLANTIA. October 23, 2003. http://www.legionxxiv.org/equipment/. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
4. ^ "Sporran wearers may need licence". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6234290.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-25. 
5. ^ "The Truth Behind The Myths Of The Sporran Licence". http://scottishsporran.com/index.php?news=5. Retrieved 2007-07-23. 

External links

• X Marks the Scot - an international community of kilt wearers and those who encourage the wearing of kilts.
• Super Bowl star's special sporran.
• The Brotherhood of the Kilt - A global co-ed community dedicated to the promotion of the Kilt.
• Descriptions of, and wearing styles, for Sporrans.