Heritage British-Made Men's Briefcases — Voted by the Community

The briefcase grew out of the document cases and bags carried in the nineteenth century, as business, legal and government work expanded and more people needed to carry papers. The name comes from the law, where lawyers carried their briefs to court, and the word "briefcase" is first recorded around 1900. Britain was well placed to make them. Between about 1680 and 1830, leather and leather goods made up one of England's most important industries after textiles, and saddlers, harness makers and other leatherworkers had long practised the cutting, stitching and finishing that a structured case needs. When the motor car reduced demand for saddlery in the early twentieth century, the leather firms of Walsall turned increasingly to bags, wallets and other lighter goods. Through the twentieth century, the leather briefcase became a familiar sight in offices. Designs have since changed to hold laptops and tablets, but British-made briefcases still depend on careful choice of hide, sound stitching and solid construction.