: David R Ross
: On the Trail of William Wallace
: Luath Press
: 9781804252192
: 1
: CHF 5.40
:
: Regional- und Ländergeschichte
: English
: 190
: Wasserzeichen
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
On the Trail of William Wallace offers a refreshing insight into the life and heritage of the great Scots hero whose proud story is at the very heart of what it means to be Scottish, and whose effect on the ordinary Scot through the ages is manifest in the many sites where his memory is marked. 74 places to visit in Scotland and the north of England One general map and three location maps Stirling Bridge and Falkirk battle plans Wallace's route through London Wallace connections in North America and elsewhere Reproductions of rarely seen illustrations In trying to piece together the jigsaw of the reality of Wallace's life, David R. Ross weaves a subtle flow of new information with his own observations. His engaging, thoughtful and at times amusing narrative reads with the ease of a historical novel, complete with all the intrigue, treachery and romance required to hold the attention of the casual reader and still entice the more knowledgeable historian. An encyclopaedia-cum-guidebook, this book is stuffed with fascinating titbits not usually on offer in the conventional history book. It will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in Scotland, from the passing tourist to the most fervent nationalist.

David Ross lives in East Kilbride. A keen motorcyclist and amateur historian, for years he has spent every free moment visiting historic sites, battlefields and castles, travelling everywhere by bike. He has immersed himself in finding out as much as he can about great Scottish heroes.

CHAPTER 2

Origins

DAVID I OF SCOTLAND was born in the year 1084. He was the son of Malcolm Canmore, King of Scots, and Margaret Atheling who introduced the Roman Catholic faith to Scotland, and who was later to be canonised as St Margaret. David was a great church builder, as the Border Abbeys will testify, and he began the process of minting the first Scottish coinage. He spent much of his time south of the border where he was impressed by the Norman style of feudalism.

When he became King in 1124, he began to invite Norman families into his realm, thereby introducing a military presence never before seen in this northern kingdom. He gave them land and rank, and through time they became the great families of Scotland. Among many illustrious names who came north were three who would later become the ruling houses of Scotland. The Balliols were granted land in Galloway, the Bruces were given the title Lords of Annandale, and the Fitz-Alans were granted lands in Renfrew and the Kyle district of Ayrshire and became the Hereditary Stewards of the kingdom. These Stewards of David I would eventually form the Stewart dynasty, who would in the course of time also inherit the throne of England, as James the Sixth and First.

When the Fitz-Alans came north from Shropshire on the Welsh marches, they brought with them as their vassals (men in their service) a family by the name of Walays. This was the English for a Celt or a Welshman. These Walays or Wallaces were granted some lands by the Stewards to run on their behalf. When Walter Fitz-Alan founded the great abbey of Paisley in 1163, the charter confirming this was witnessed by a certain Richard Wallace, a man regarded as being an ancestor of William Wallace.

The Wallaces soon held estates in various parts of the Kyle district of Ayrshire, which is the portion between the Rivers Irvine and Doon. The area north of the River Irvine is called Cunningham, and that south of the River Doon is called Carrick. The importance of this information will become obvious when the location of Wallace’s birthplace is discussed.

The Wallaces also held lands in Renfrewshire – Blind Harry says that Wallace’s father held the lands of Elderslie and Auchenbothie there. Although there is no hard evidence of the Wallaces holding Elderslie before 1390, it is certainly possible that they did so from a much earlier date – but at least we know that Elderslie was a Wallace property. (MAP B18)

The Wallaces held Riccarton (now a suburb of Kilmarnock) in the Kyle district of Ayrshire, and many writers have stated that this spot was named after the Richard Wallace mentioned above (Richards-tun, or manor, therefore Riccarton). This is conjecture, but it is probable that this is how it got its name. (MAP B16)

Legend states that Wallace’s father was born at Riccarton, the spot now crowned by the parish church. A small granite plaque at the entrance to Riccarton Fire Station testifies to this. It states:

Site of Riccarton Castle

Birthplace of Malcolm Wallace

Father of ‘Scotland’s Hero’.

The plaque was originally located nearer the old ‘moot-hill’ site where the church now stands, but was moved during the course of various road-widening operations and is now inserted in a little brick structure designed to house it.

Riccarton Church

Even Wallace’s father’s name is open to question. The Scotichronicon is a chro