William Wallace directs his soldiers in this battle illustration. Courtesy Stirling Smith.
August 3, 2005 saw historian David Ross begin on a walk from Robroyston in Scotland, to London. The reason – to retrace the steps of William Wallace, captured by English forces 700 years ago – and to attend the funeral service Wallace was then denied.
The symbolic coffin from the service at St Bartholomew’s Church on August 23 will be returned to Stirling to take place of honour at the Face of William Wallace exhibition, at Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum until October 2 2005.
The commemorative exhibition, held in the town where Wallace enjoyed his most famous victory over the English, looks at how Wallace has been depicted down the centuries, from the 13th century Hammer of the English to Mel Gibson’s Hollywood Braveheart. Visitors are also invited to contribute to the exhibition by leaving messages about what Wallace means to them.
The catafalque that will house Wallace's symbolic coffin. Courtesy Stirling Smith.
After Scotland was taken over by the English King Edward I, at the end of the 13th century, the people were ready to revolt. William Wallace killed the English Sheriff of Lanark, triggering an uprising that would end in his brutal execution, or martyrdom, at the hands of the English judiciary.
A catafalque housing his symbolic coffin will be the centrepiece of the Stirling exhibition. Its gothic plinth is decorated with images of the Scottish saints (Andrew, Margaret, Ninian, Columba, Kentigern, Fillan, Thenew and Triduana) and the walkway around it is inscribed with the names of the churchmen who fought the War of Independence in words and at the Papal court.
A Staffordshire porcelain figure of Wallace. Courtesy Stirling Smith.
Dozens of portraits of Wallace have been gathered together by the Smith Gallery, ranging from children’s illustrations to high quality oil paintings. In 2004, the gallery acquired the second oldest surviving portrait of the hero, from 1661. It was saved from the house of Sir John Wauchope, near Portobello in Edinburgh, before it was demolished in the 1950s.
Knighted in Scotland and outlawed by the English, Wallace will be the subject of lunchtime talks on Wednesdays during the exhibition. A conference and concert on September 10 will celebrate his life and legacy, and a play, Oor Wallace, will run on September 29 and 30. The play is new and written by Gill Bastock.
As for the walk from Scotland to London, David Ross, Convener of the William Wallace Society, hopes it will be part of “the mourning that Wallace never had”. The public are invited to join him for the last two hours of his march, on August 23 2005, tracing the route Wallace was dragged along.
