William Wallace (c.1270 - 1306) - The Early Years

The origins of the Wallace family in Scotland can be traced back to David I and his introduction of Norman families into Scotland. The Walays' arrived as vassals of the Fitz-Alan's who were given lands by the Stewards to manage for them. By 1163 there is a mention of Richard Wallace as a witness in a charter confirming the founding of Paisley Abbey by Walter Fitz-Alan. The Wallace's fortunes continued to prosper and they found themselves with land in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. Although very little hard evidence survives for William Wallace's birth and early years it is possible to give an account of those times, however, it must be remembered that much is not known and much is based on legend and local tradition. Bearing this in mind, it is stated by Blind Harry in his epic 'Wallace' (This epic poem was composed in the 15th century although Harry claimed it was based on an earlier Latin prose manuscript written by John Blair, however, this source has never been found):

"First, here I honour, in particular, Sir William Wallace, much renown'd in war; Whose bold progenitors have long time stood, Of honourable and true Scottish blood; And in first rank of ancient barons go, Old knights of Craigy, baronets also; Which gallant race, to make my story brief, Sir Thomas Wallace represents as chief. So much for the brave Wallace' father's side, Nor will I here his mother's kindred hide: She was a lady most complete and bright, The daughter of that honourable knight, Sir Ranald Crawford, high sheriff of Ayr, Who fondly doted on his charming fair. Soon wedded was the lovely blooming she, To Malcolm Wallace then of Ellerslie; Which am'rous pair, transported with delight, Begot young Malcolm that same joyful night; Then William, who, by true consent of all, Was honour'd to be the Scottish general". From Blind Harry's 'Wallace'

Wallace painting by the 11th Earl of Buchan (1870)

We also know that William was the middle brother of three, the eldest, Malcolm, who is mentioned in the poem above and there was also John. Two sisters are also mentioned but we know nothing of them. Although the exact birthplace of Wallace is open to conjecture it is Elderslie in Renfrewshire that has claimed the honour, although Ayrshire has also a place called Ellerslie. Most historians tend to accept the Renfrewshire Elderslie (also spelt Ellerslie on some maps) and it is this site that contains, or did contain, many connections with Wallace including plaques, inscribed stones, a well, a monument and at one time the Wallace oak, which was said to have hidden Wallace and three hundred of his followers from an English patrol. Souvenir hunters gradually removed more and more of this tree and it finally blew over in a storm in 1856 although several artefacts carved from its wood still survive.

William Wallace outside Ettrick Forest This image is available to purchase as a print from Scottish Realms

Following the death of Alexander III, the Interregnum and Edward I of England's removal of John Balliol from the throne of Scotland Wallace's father decided that it would be safer if the family moved north: "Wallace's father to the Lennox fled; His eldest son he thither with him led; The tender mother's also gone at last; And to Kilspindie's with young Wallace past: Into the pleasant Carse of Gowrie, where He was brought up with his old uncle there; Who to Dundee him carefully does send For education..." From Blind Harry's 'Wallace' It was during this time that Wallace heard of the atrocities perpetrated by the English at Ayr. The English had invited prominent Scots to talks at the Barns but when they arrived they were hung and Blind Harry states that "eighteen score were hang'd by Saxon seed". Wallace grieved over this outrage saying "Ah! should my country suffer such distress and South'ron daily thus increase: O had I but ten thousand at my back, And were a man, I'd gar their curpins (rump, behind) crack." According to Blind Harry he was seventeen when he uttered these patriotic words.

Next The Early Years | Dundee & Ayr | Loudoun Hill & Lanark | The Battle of Stirling Bridge | Later Years and Execution

History Books on William Wallace:

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From:
Fisher, A.	William Wallace	1986	£9.95	Amazon.co.uk
King, E. (ed.) & Hamilton, W. (tr.)	Blind Harry's "Wallace"	1998	£8.99 or $16.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
The original story of the real braveheart, Sir William Wallace. Racy, blood on every page, violently anglophobic, grossly embellished, vulgar and disgusting, clumsy and stilted, a literary failure, a great epic. Whatever the verdict on Blind Harry, this is the book which has done more than any other to frame the notion of Scotland's national identity. Despite its numerous 'historical inaccuracies', it remains the principal source for what we now know about the life of Wallace. The novel and film Braveheart were based on the 1722 Hamilton edition of this epic poem. Burns, Wordsworth, Byron and others were greatly influenced by this version 'wherein the old obsolete words are rendered more intelligible', which is said to be the book, next to the Bible, most commonly found in Scottish households in the eighteenth century. Burns even admits to having 'borrowed... a couplet worthy of Homer' directly from Hamilton's version of Blind Harry to include in 'Scots wha hae'. Elspeth King, in her introduction to this, the first accessible edition of Blind Harry in verse form since 1859, draws parallels between the situation in Scotland at the time of Wallace and that in Bosnia and Chechnya in the 1990's. Seven hundred years to the day after the Battle of Stirling Bridge, the 'Settled Will of the Scottish People' was expressed in the devolution referendum of 11 September 1997. She describes this as a landmark opportunity for mature reflection on how the nation has been shaped, and sees Blind Harry's Wallace as an essential and compelling text for this purpose.
Mackay, J. A.	William Wallace: Braveheart	1996	£9.99 or $16.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Sir William Wallace of Ellerslie is one of history's great heroes, but also one of its greatest enigmas - a shadowy figure whose edges have been blurred by myth and legend. Even the date and place of his birth have been mis-stated - until now. James Mackay uses all his skills as a historical detective to produce this definitive biography, telling the incredible story of a man who, without wealth or noble birth, rose to become Guardian of Scotland. William Wallace, with superb generalship and tactical genius, led a country with no previous warlike tradition to triumph gloriously over the much larger, better-armed and better-trained English forces. Seven hundred years later, the heroism and betrayal, the valiant deeds and the dark atrocities, and the struggle of a small nation against a brutal and powerful empire, still create a compelling tale.
Morton, Graeme	William Wallace: Man and Myth	2001	£19.99 or $24.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
A look at both what is really known about Wallace and what has been made of him by successive groups who have sought to make use of his life story and the myths surrounding him for political and commercial gain.
Ross, David R.	On The Trail of William Wallace	1999	£7.99 or $35.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
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. In trying to piece together the jigsaw of the reality of Wallace's life, David 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. 74 places to visit in Scotland and the north of England. One general map and 3 location maps. Stirling Bridge and Falkirk battle plans. Wallace's route through London. Chapter on Wallace connections in North America and elsewhere Reproductions of rarely seen illustrations. On the Trail of William Wallace will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in Scotland, from the passing tourist to the most fervent nationalist. It is an encyclopedia-cum-guide book, literally stuffed with interesting tidbits not usually on offer in the conventional history book.

History Books on this time period:

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From:
Brown, Michael	The Black Douglases: War and Lordship in Medieval Scotland, 1300-1455	1998	£16.99	Amazon.co.uk
During the century and a half of their power the Black Douglases earned fame as Scotland's champions in the front line of war against England. On their shields they bore the bloody heart of Robert Bruce, the symbol of their claim to be the physical protectors of the hero-king's legacy. But others saw the power of these lords and earls of Douglas in a different light. To their critics the Douglases were a force for disorder in the kingdom, lawless, arrogant and violent, whose power rested on coercion and whose defiance of kings and guardians ultimately provoked James II into slaying the Douglas earl with his own hand. The Black Douglases examines aristocratic power and status and its place in Scottish political society through the greatest and most notorious magnate dynasty of late medieval Scotland. Michael Brown analyses the rise and fall of the family as the dominant magnates of the south, from the deeds of Good Sir James Douglas in the service of Bruce to the violent destruction of the Douglas earls in the 1450's. Alongside this study of the accumulationand loss of power by one great noble house, The Black Douglases includes a series of thematic examinations of the nature of aristocratic power. In particular these emphasise the link between warfare and political power in southern Scotland during the fourteenth century. For the Black Douglases, war was not just a patriotic duty but the means to power and fame in Scotland and across Europe.
Grant, A.	Independence & Nationhood: Scotland 1306-1469	1991	£9.95 or $20.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Under Robert Bruce and his successors, Scotland's independence from England was maintained and its sense of nationhood developed. Alexander Grant shows how this had a profound effect upon domestic as well as foreign affairs, and how it led to the evolution of a distinctive Scottish government, nobility, Church and economy. At the same time he puts Scottish history into the international context of the 100 Years War, the economic and demographic upheaval caused by the bubonic plague, and the Christianity of the pre-reformation era. Challenging traditional assumptions of general late-medieval decline, Independence and Nationhood demonstrates how the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were a crucially important period of change and growth for Scotland.
Nicholson, R.	Scotland: The Later Middle Ages	1965	£15.99	Amazon.co.uk
The four-volume Edinburgh History of Scotland is the most important project in Scottish historical writing for more than half a century; each volume is written by an expert on the period who brings to his work the direct acquaintance with original sources on which authoritative historical writing can alone be based. This, the second volume, covers the period from the close of the 13th century to the Battle of Flodden. It presents a sophisticated analysis of the facts and a comprehensive description of all the varied and intricate aspects of Scottish Medieval life. Although the book is detailed enough to serve as a work of reference, the historical development of the emergence of, possibly, the first self-conscious nation of Europe into what was perhaps the first 'new monarchy' of Europe may here be read as a continuous narrative of events. Professor Nicholson presents a precise picture of the economy, society and politics of medieval Scotland.
Paterson, R. C.	For the Lion: A History of the Scottish Wars of Independence	1996	£9.95	Amazon.co.uk
Seven hundred years ago King Edward I of England crossed the Scottish border with a powerful army and began one of the epic struggles of the Middle Ages - the Scottish Wars of Independence. For England the aim of the war was simple: to establish an imperial sway over the whole of the British Isles. Scotland had to prevail against its powerful southern neighbour or face national obliteration. The Anglo-Scots conflict can be divided into two distinct phases: the First War of Independence, which concluded when England recognised Robert Bruce as King of Scots in 1328; and the Second War of Independence, in which the English tried to oust Bruce's son and successor David II, and place their own puppet king, Edward Balliol, on the throne of Scotland. This book is the first attempt to embrace in a single volume the whole course of the wars from the invasion of 1296 to the release of David from English captivity in 1357. It aims to bring alive to a modern audience one of the great dramas of British history, and to help them understand what was one of the most formative periods of the whole Scottish national experience.
Traquair, P.	Freedom's Sword: Scottish Wars of Independence	2000	£9.99	Amazon.co.uk
In 1997 Scotland voted to re-establish its parliament, a landmark decision that is likely to pave the way for an independent Scottish state. British political parties have wrapped themselves in tartan: John Major returned the Stone of Destiny; John Prescott retraced the steps of the English army defeated at the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Scottish National Party used the film Braveheart to launch a recruitment drive, standing outside cinemas to hand out leaflets. The film made William Wallace a household name, but it bore little relation to the historical truth. As Freedom's Sword reveals, this was quite unnecessary: there is more than enough drama in the real events of the Wars of Independence. At a time when Scotland's relationship with England is once again a major political issue, the past is being used to justify the present. Freedom's Sword is the first modern account of Scotland's longest conflict with England, the series of wars that define the border and poisoned Anglo-Scottish relations for 250 years.
Watson, F.	Under the Hammer: Edward I and Scotland, 1286-1307	1998	£14.99	Amazon.co.uk
The history of war and conquest usually resounds to the noise of battle: exciting, certainly, but ultimately misleading because the war truly begins when the invading army, conquest complete, goes home. It is the relationship between the native population and those remaining behind as part of the new administration which hold the key to our understanding of not only the mechanisms of conquest, but also the fundamental elements of government desired by societies. Nowhere is this more convincingly demonstrated than in the attempted annexation of Scotland by Edward I of England, already conqueror of Wales. Why could he not succeed against an enemy he regarded as so inferior? The answer is complicated, encompassing questions of provisioning and morale on the one side, and national identity and leadership on the other. The Scotland of Wallace and Bruce nearly succumbed, having wrestled with contradictory desires for independence, and for stability and united government, for nearly a decade. The fact that, ultimately, she did not give in illustrates that patriotism and its complement, self-interest, unmeasured and unremarked in account books and recruitment rolls, do indeed play a central role in discussions of war and conquest, as they do in history itself. Fiona Watson examines the process of conquest and attempted colonisation of one medieval kingdom by another, concentrating on that most vital aspect of conquest: the maintenance of garrisons. She shows how the kingdom of Scotland was able to marshal its resources and create a coherent and cohesive national front to deal with a more powerful enemy, illustrating the complicated and conflicting needs of a medieval society in the face of a developing national consciousness. Under the Hammer provides a much clearer picture of medieval Scotland - its varying component parts; its sense of self; its strengths and weaknesses. Much of this will surprise.
Yeoman, Peter	Medieval Scotland	1995	£15.99	Amazon.co.uk
Archaeology provides a truly 'down-to-earth' picture of medieval life. Not only does the evidence come from the ground - history that can be seen and touched - but it deals with the everyday fundamentals of life that are often ignored or taken for granted in written documents: the food that ordinary people ate, their health, the clothes they wore, the dwellings they lived in. The high level of archaeological excavation over the last 20 years has enormously extended and enriched our picture of 500 years of Scottish life. In particular the author explores: life in the burghs, especially Perth, St Andrews and Aberdeen the social role of the abbeys, friaries and parish churches life in the country where most people lived and where the castles and abbeys have been yielding up their secrets A lively text is enhanced by a varied and exciting range of illustrations - photographs, reconstructions, plans, excavated objects - many specially prepared for this book.
Young, A.	Robert the Bruce's Rivals: the Comyns, 1212-1314	1997	£16.99	Amazon.co.uk
The Comyns were the most powerful baronial family in 13th century Scotland, yet they have long been overshadowed by the legendary heroes of Scottish medieval tradition, Robert Bruce and William Wallace. The aim of this book is to examine critically the 'bad press' gained by the Comyns in post-Bruce Scotland. The name 'Comyn' has long been associated in Scottish tradition with treachery - the family were involved in the infamous kidnapping of the young Alexander III in 1257, were accused of treachery against William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 and of betraying Robert Bruce to Edward I of England in 1306. This reappraisal of the Comyns' role concludes that the period 1212 to 1314 should be regarded as the 'Comyn century' in Scottish history. Alan young highlights the Comyns' role as pillars of the Scottish monarchy and leaders of the political community of the realm in this formative century. The family's interests and influence extended into every corner of Scotland and their castles controlled key lines of communication, especially in northern Scotland. It is against this background that Bruce's political ambitions in Scotland and Edward I's attempts to influence Scottish affairs in the late thirteenth century are set. Comyn dominance of the Scottish political scene adds a new twist to the murder of John Comyn by Robert Bruce in the Greyfriars' Church at Dumfries in 1306 and to the impact of the battle of Bannockburn (1314) on the power struggle within Scotland. A non-Bruce view of 13th century Scottish history, the Anglo-Scottish war and the development of a national consciousness is fascinating. For the general reader, the issue of power politics within Scotland and between England and Scotland is a positive and constant central theme.
Young, A.	In the Footsteps of William Wallace	2002	£25.00 or $36.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
In this volume, historical narrative, quotations, colour photographs and archive illustrations take the reader on a journey through the short, but spectacular, career of the Scotsman, William Wallace. Wallace burst from obscurity into the war against Edward I's England in 1297, winning a remarkable victory against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on 11 September. Less than eight years later, Wallace was betrayed, captured, then tried and savagely executed in London. This book looks behind the legend to discover Wallace's real life - his family and upbringing in southwest Scotland and his relationship to key personalities in the Wars of Independence. It also examines Wallace's role as a "guerrilla" leader and a military commander, both in victory and defeat; and his role in politics as leader and in political exile, still continuing the fight for the Scottish cause. The book features colour photographs of the landscapes and buildings of southwest, central and northern Scotland, northern England, York and London.

Historical Fiction Books on William Wallace

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From:
Tranter, Nigel	Wallace	1994	£5.99 or $11.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
At the end of the 13th century Scotland was suffering under the tyranny of the English and Edward Plantagenet. The eponymous hero swears to rid his land of their cruelty and to restore Robert the Bruce to the throne. Nigel Tranter has written many historical novels, mostly set in Scotland.