Who
was He? Warrior
and Scottish Nationalist.
Date and Place
of Birth:
1270. Ellerslie (now Elderslie), Ayrshire, Scotland.
Family Background:
Second
son of Malcolm (or Alan) Wallace, Laird of Elderslie
and Auchinbothie, a small landowner. His mother
was the daughter of Sir Hugh Crawford, Sheriff
of Ayr.
Education:
From
members of his family.
Chronology:
1270:
Wallace was born in a medieval fortification,
the foundations of which now lie below the monument
to him in Elderslie. Little of his youth is known
but a wandering minstrel called "Blind Harry"
told many tales of the deeds of Wallace in the
15th Century. How reliable these are is anyone's
guess but it is likely that there was a good deal
of romantic embroidery involved in the stories.
Harry claims that Wallace was already a powerful
individual by his late teenage years and had killed
many Englishmen who had crossed him.
1292: The Scottish
nobles asked for the help of Kind Edward the First
of England (Longshanks) to help solve the dispute
as to who should be King of Scotland. Edward appointed
commissioners and after due consideration John
Balliol was decreed to be the right choice.
1296: King Edward
the First of England had become more and more
annoyed that John Balliol, King of Scots was not
supplying him with soldiers for his continental
wars. Edward took his army to Berwick upon Tweed
to teach the Scots a lesson. His men sacked the
town and it is believed 15,000 people were killed.
Berwick was to become an English town. The Scots
fought back at the English army now besieging
the castle at Dunbar but were cut to ribbons by
superior forces. One of the Scottish nobles Andrew
de Moray (Murray) was captured and imprisoned
at Chester.
1297: The first indisputable
fact about Wallace comes when he slays Haselrig,
the English Sherrif of Lanark. Harry tells us
that this was in retaliation for the murder of
his sweetheart Marion by Haselrig. From now on
Wallace was to become a magnet for disaffected
young man and his army attacked many English held
fortifications. Andrew de Moray also escaped from
Chester and raised his standard at Avoch in the
Black Isle. Wallace operating in the Southern
parts of Scotland eventually joined forces with
Moray at Dundee. Once they heard of the English
army being sent to attack them they realised that
the English would have to cross Stirling Bridge
on their way north and so they moved their army
to the nearby Abbey Craig. Once a section of the
English army had crossed the narrow bridge Wallace
and Moray attacked and cut the head of the the
army to pieces. The Battle of Stirling Bridge
was a severe blow to English Morale. In the absence
of a King, Balliol having now been discredited,
Wallace and Moray were promoted to be Guardians
of their country. Moray died later in the year
from wounds believed to have been received in
the battle. Late in the year Wallace invaded England
and the Scots attacked many northern towns including
Hexham and Brampton. An attempt on Carlisle Castle
failed as they did not have the necessary siege
equipment. As harsh winter weather set in the
Scottish army retreated back across the border
but took with them large amounts of booty and
livestock. Wallace was knighted and made Guardian
of Scotland officially at a ceremony at the Kirk
of Ettrick Forest near the town of Selkirk.
1298: Wallace
sent a letter to Alexander Scrymgeour the official
standard bearer of Scotland to prepare for battle.
Edward the First of England raised another army
which he sent north crossing the border at Berwick
and following the east coast. Wallace had put
into effect a "scorched earth" policy
burning the lands in that area so that no succor
could be given to the English troops in the hope
that their morale would be broken. The English
advance stopped at Kirkliston west of Edinburgh.
The Scots were however betrayed by one of their
number and Edward found out that they were gathered
at Falkirk 18 miles
away. At the Battle of Falkirk on the 22nd July
the English cavalry charged again and again but
Wallace's spearmen held fast, however his cavalry
left the field. Was it in fear or because these
noblemen disliked his lowborn status? Edward brought
his longbowmen to the fore and they killed thousands
of Scotsmen opening up their ranks for a successful
attack by the English cavalry. The day was won
for the English. Wallace escaped the field with
his life. After the battle he ceased to be known
as the Guardian of Scotland and spent much of
his time abroad arguing Scotland's case in France
and
at the Vatican.
1303: Wallace returned
to Scotland to find it more firmly under the grip
of the English. He returned to his earlier guerilla
warfare attacking English garrisons. He had narrow
escapes at Happrew near Peebles and Black Earnside
near Lidores.
1305: His capture
finally came at Robroyston just outside Glasgow
when he had been on a mission to meet Robert Wishart,
the Bishop of Glasgow and well known Scottish
nationalist. Wallace was betrayed by Sir John
Stewart of Menteith. Wallace was asleep in a barn
on 3rd August with a single companion called Kerlie
when they were surprised. Kerlie was killed outright
and Wallace was taken first to Dumbarton Castle
and then south. It took three weeks to reach London
as he was paraded through towns and villages in
England en route as a bogeyman. He was kept in
a house in Fenchurch Street in London as the crowds
around the Tower of London were too great to make
his entry there safe. The following day he was
tried at a hastily arranged court in Westminster
Hall (now part of the present day Houses of Parliament).
He was condemned as a traitor to be hung drawn
and quartered. Although he was given no right
of reply he shouted that he could never be a traitor
as he was a Scot and did not recognise England
as his sovereign nation. Wallace was then taken
outside and dragged by horses through he streets
of London for 5 miles to Smithfield where he was
tortured and hung and his entrails pulled out
inch by inch. Edward thought that by making an
example of his horrible death it would put fear
into the Scots but instead it made a martyr.
Marriage: Some
reports suggest that Marion, murdered by Haselrig
was already his wife.
Places of Interest:
ELDERSLIE:
Wallace monument on the site of his birthplace.
FALKIRK:
Site
of Battle of Falkirk.
LONDON:
Plaque
commemorating his trial, Westminster Hall, Houses
of Parliament.
Granite Plaque nearby the site of his execution
in a wall at St. Bartholomew's Hospital overlooking
the square of West Smithfield.
STIRLING:
National Wallace Monument, Abbey Craig.
Date and Place
of Death:
Executed 23rd August 1305, Smithfield. London,
England.
Age at Death:
35.
Site of Grave:
Head put on a spike on London Bridge. His body
was quartered and sent to be displayed above the
sewers of several English northern towns. Some
of his remains found their way to St. Machar's
Cathedral, Aberdeen, Scotland. |
