Crafting Sporrans for The Balmoral Highlanders: A Royal Deeside Revival

A Royal Legacy Reborn on Deeside

Some bespoke commissions stay with you. Earlier this summer we were approached by a private Highland estate near Royal Deeside with a request: two handmade in Scotland sporrans made to the closest specifications of the original. These two sporrans would be handmade in Margaret Morrison’s workshop in Perth, Scotland, before being sent to their respective wearers for a trial fitting ahead of their grand unveiling. The Balmoral Highlanders were to be reinstated by King Charles III after a long 90-year absence from the grounds of the estate to stand watch at the gates of Balmoral Castle, restoring a cherished 90-year-old royal tradition. Their uniforms would be show-cased across Scotland, including a prominent presence at The Braemar Gathering earlier this year.

The Artisans Behind the Craft

For such a commission like this, the sporrans and belts created had to be constructed to ceremonial standard: correct proportions, the right materials, and construction that would hold up to years of public duty, not just a photograph. We were honored to receive a commission like this not only to work alongside Shilling & Fitz who supplied the uniform, but also the Edinburgh based silversmith involved in re-creating the unique scalloped sporran cantle and kilt belt buckle. 

Making the Exact Standards of Ceremonial Wear

We were given the original sporran and kilt belt buckle so we could replicate the two new sporrans as close as possible to the original. The kilt belt was soft but durable with a silver scalloped shape buckle adorned with subtle engraving round the rim. We choose our premium black charger leather and stitched this onto thicker leather to give it durability and a subtle patina that could be easily looked after with the proper leather care. We made a custom pattern to fit the sporran and kilt buckle given to us by the silversmith in the hopes that this grand tradition passes on to future serving Balmoral Highlanders and of course in the event we need to make more.

The original sporran was crafted with goat hair and three striking black goat hair tassels with unique engraving around the rims of the cones. The back of the sporran was made with luxurious red leather with a military scalloped pocket. Unlike civilian sporrans where modern sporrans are made to fit phones, wallets and loose change, these sporrans were made with a small pocket to prohibit the sporrans being filled and would ultimately lay flat against the Balmoral Highlanders uniform.

The Artist Behind the Craft

Our master craftsman Liam specializes in making horse-hair sporrans, he made a custom Balmoral sporran pattern to fit the new metal work and used this to make these stunning horsehair sporrans. He choose bleached white horsehair which will naturally patina over time, this gave the sporrans the required length and look before he feathered the bottom of the hair to let the hair splay across the bottom of the kilt rather than a blunt cut traditionally used for pipers’ sporrans. For the tassels on the sporran he choose our luxurious black goat hair, left un-trimmed to let them naturally flow down the front of the sporran body.

Preserving Highland Culture for Future Generations

We had the pleasure of seeing in person The Balmoral Highlanders at The Braemar Gathering this year, it was an honor to be part of reviving a once much loved Royal tradition. The King's passionate connection to Scotland echoes in his commitment to champion local artisans to be part of recreating much loved traditions. You can read all about our trip to the Braemar Gathering, where we met previous customers wearing their handmade in Scotland sporrans by Margaret Morrison, or head to our TikTok to see some highlights.