WELCOME TO THE SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE |
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"I have brought you to the ring, now dance the best you can!" |
Words shouted by Wallace to the Scottish army at the Battle of Falkirk on the 22nd of July 1298 as the English cavalry began to charge. |
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"This statue of William Wallace that flanks the entrance to Edinburgh Castle was the statue that inadvertently gave the inspiration to the movie Braveheart". The scriptwriter Randall Wallace visited the castle while on vacation in Scotland, and noticed this statue, and was intrigued as the subject had the same second name as his own. He asked one of the staff who this famous Wallace was, and was quite simply told "that sir, is our greatest hero!" This sent Randall on a quest to discover all he could about this man called William Wallace, and resulted in "Braveheart" being released in 1995. |
IN MEMORIAM DAVID R ROSS |
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Our great friend and Society Convenor David R Ross was laid to rest on the 11th of January 2010. We cannot fully express how we all feel at David's passing. To try and help us all carry on David's dreams for Scotland we've decided to celebrate David's life in this section of the website. Please feel free to add to any section of it if you so wish. David may be gone but his spirit will live on through each and everyone of us and everyone at the Society will try our very best to carry on the excellent work that David started and hopefully we can finish the job. Rest In Peace Sir. |
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We've just received details of the bank account which has been set up for anyone wishing to donate to a Memorial Fund for the late David R. Ross, our Society’s Convenor. This will be used towards Davie's plans for 2014, 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.
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David had planned to tour with Albannach and over forty American Albannach fans in March this year to show them the sites and explore our wonderful country's history with them, alas it was not to be but everyone on the tour agreed that it should go ahead and be dedicated in David's honour. Our American friends would very much like to meet up with like minded people, especially those who knew David and have arranged an evenings entertainment with the wonderful Ted Christopher and Albannach at the Three Sisters in Edinburgh's Cowgate. Apologies for it being on a Sunday but it was all arranged at very short notice. This night will be in memory of David and donations will be gratefully accepted with all monies going to Bannockburn 2014 and the Wallace Coffin fund. The evenings entertainment will be free as the bands have waived their fee so hopefully we can raise a serious amount of cash for this most worthiest of causes! |
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RETURN OF THE WILLIAM WALLACE SAFE CONDUCT LETTER |
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| One of the causes that David championed was for the return of the Wallace safe conduct letter, to join the cause and sign the petition please just click the above photo. This artefact belongs to Scotland, it belongs in Scotland, and we're determined to get it back. It is part of our history, not London's, and it should be on public display here in Scotland. As you know, Davie Ross was pushing hard for this letter’s return, and we would love to complete the work that he had begun as a tribute to his memory. Details will also be supplied soon of an e-petition to the Scottish Parliament on this subject. As an e-petition only runs for four weeks, it is imperative that we get as many signatures as possible as quickly as possible. Here's what David had to say about the letter in December 2008: Dear Patriots, There have been reports in the press that there are moves afoot that a Member of the Scottish Parliament will ask for the return of the Lubeck Letter. This was one of many letters sent out in the name of Wallace and Murray on Scotland’s behalf, after the victory at Stirling Bridge, telling European traders that Scotland’s ports were once again “open for business” after the ousting of a vicious invader. The Lubeck letter is the only one, which has survived the centuries. Lubeck, incidentally, is a port near Hamburg, Germany, that was an important place in Wallace ‘s day. The letter still bears Wallace’s seal, and it is this seal, which allowed us to identify the name of Wallace’s father, as it bears the motto “William fillius Alan” (William son of Alan). I can understand calls for this letter to be returned, important is it is to the history of our country, but the hard fact remains that this letter was “sent” to Lubeck, and so, I think of it as their property. If any of us received a personal letter from, say, a Hollywood star, we would think of it as something sent to us, and so therefore our property. Lubeck has looked after this letter admirably, through everything the centuries have thrown at it, including the heavy allied bombing raids of World War II! While other Wallace documents and letters have vanished, this one has survived, due to the care that has been lavished on it. Lubeck were good enough to loan the letter to Scotland a few years ago, and it was on display in the Museum of Scotland- I know as I travelled through to Edinburgh twice to look at it. There were other Wallace related documents on display with it too. The court ledger that was used at Wallace’s trial, and a little letter that was on Wallace’s person when he was captured. This little letter was a personal one to Wallace from the King of France, introducing him to his envoys at the Vatican. This letter has become known as the “Safe Conduct”. Now, this “Safe Conduct” was an item given to Wallace. The English in Scotland captured it. It was a Scotsman’s possession, and was taken south like its owner, and when he was murdered, it, and the other documents that were on his person were kept in London. It is currently in the keeping of the Public Records Office at Kew. The other documents that were on Wallace’s person have all been lost over the centuries. I feel it would be better if the onus on returning a Wallace document was concentrated on the Safe-Conduct. It is a Scottish possession, and should be returned to Scotland. I am proud to say that Scotland has not been lax in returning items that are important to indigenous people. The ghost shirt of the Lakota people to name one. Wouldn’t it be brilliant to be able to go to the Museum of Scotland as look upon a letter that was a personal possession of Wallace’s? Something that was given to him on the 7th of November 1300, and remained in his possession till his capture on 3rd of August 1305. It was something he was familiar with, something he looked upon, and something Scots should be able to look upon too in this day and age. Kew have been approached many times regarding this matter. They get very evasive when this matter is raised. The wording on the letter is clear and it refers to William Wallace. They have even gone so far as to question whether it is the same William Wallace, why do we think it is connected etc? I get the distinct impression that they do not think we are capable of looking after such an artefact in Scotland, and it is better where it is, behind closed doors in a locked drawer in England. They have managed to lose the other documents that were on Wallace’s person, letters that could have enlightened us to much that is unknown about the man. I do applaud motions such as that asking for the Lubeck letter to be returned. They keep Wallace’s, and therefore, Scotland’s struggle to the fore of the public imagination. But my personal view is that the Safe-Conduct has relevance, and a very valid claim to be returned, due to the fact it is a Scottish possession. It is the one that the pressure should be on to be returned. Lubeck, as said, have looked after their letter and have looked after it admirably. I feel that the people in charge of our museums should be doing much more. I think they are of the feeling that they can basically turn up at Kew and ask to see such an item. They can don white gloves and look upon it, so what is the problem? But the time has come when our museum staff should be pressurising for the return of the many thousands of documents kept elsewhere in the world that are Scottish, and as what makes us Scottish is our shared history and experiences, much of the missing “brickwork” of that should be being put back in place. I hope you have all had a good New Year, and I look forward to catching up with many of you at this year’s meetings and commemorations. I remain, yours for Scotland, David R. Ross, Convenor. |
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WALLACE MONUMENT ON FACE BOOK |
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There's a rather interesting campaign going on over at FACEBOOK concerning the Wallace monument at Robroyston. A page has been set up in order to save the monument for posterity and to get Glasgow City Council to clean and maintain the site. As you may all know, the Society have been fighting our own campaign along with helping many others to get Cala and the council to protect this very important Wallace site. It's very easy to take part in this campaign so please do so and ask all your FACEBOOK buddies to join this very worthy cause as well. |
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PETER COIA - HEROES LAMENT |
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| One of the great things about being the webmaster here is that I sometimes get some very interesting things sent to me, one such thing is this song from Peter Coia who tells us "I wrote the song with Sir William Wallace very much in mind, 'Heroes Lament’ is a song that tries to remind us why brave heroes like Sir William Wallace gave their life and what they would be thinking now." Have a wee listen and let Peter know what you think by visiting his site HERE |
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SOCIETY DINNER 4th DECEMBER 2009 |
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There was a healthy wee turnout on a dreach Friday night for our annual Society dinner where we reflected on the years events and took some pride in another successful year. We were also there of course to listen to our guest of honour, the one and only, better than Elvis, Ted Christopher!! But first Society Convenor David R. Ross reflected on the year gone by and how Scotland is slowly but surely changing the way she thinks about herself as a nation and how independence might not be as far off as some would have us believe!! |
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THE SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE CONSTITUTION |
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The Society of William Wallace (henceforth to be known as “the Society”) is dedicated to preserving the memory of Sir William Wallace the great Scottish patriot, and has an interest in other aspects pertaining to Scotland’s history. Membership is open to all regardless of faith, nationality, sex or age and is a "not for profit" organisation. The Society is apolitical and is not influenced by any political parties whatsoever. Monthly meetings in Elderslie, Wallace’s birthplace, are intended for members to discuss Wallace and other historical related topics, and meetings occasionally have educational presentations. Committee members are openly and freely proposed and elected at the societies Annual General meeting, or Extraordinary General meetings and will not receive fees or |
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The Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of November. The Society organises an annual commemoration at Elderslie, and commemorations are also held at other Wallace related sites. |
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TO SEE OUR CONSTITUTION IN ALL IT'S GLORY CLICK HERE |
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WALLACE CONNECTIONS |
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We're always looking for your help!! There are monuments to William Wallace all over the world and we're looking for your photographs, the bigger the better!! A wee report on where the monument can be found would also be great. We had Society Convenor David R Ross show us the Wallace monument in Baltimore Maryland Usa now here Webmaster George Boyle presents the Wallace Monument at Loudoun Hill. Why not follow his example and send us your photos. We look forward to hearing from you. |
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DEFINITIVE PROOF THAT WALLACE WAS BORN IN ELDERSLIE, RENFREWSHIRE!! |
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| Over the years we've had all sorts of people including historians (who should know better) claiming that William Wallace was born in Ayrshire and not Renfrewshire!! To knock this scurrilous rumour on the head the Society has commissioned a second edition of the hugely popular book "William Wallace, His Birthplace And Family Connections" read it and be assured once and for all where Scotland's favourite son was born!! |
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS |
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In this section we're attempting to gather some older photographs of various sites and occasions that are connected to Wallace. We've been sent a few photos since our website's been up and running and we'd like to share them with you here. We'd like to thank everyone who has contributed. Where possible we've given full credit to the contributor and all photos are displayed assuming consent has been given. If you have anything you'd like to send us, please feel free to get in touch. |
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WALLACE CONNECTIONS: BALTIMORE USA |
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We're looking for your help!! There are monuments to William Wallace all over the world and we're looking for your photographs, the bigger the better!! A wee report on where the monument can be found would also be great. Here's our first contribution from Society Convenor David R Ross presented us with these photos of the Wallace monument in Baltimore Maryland Usa. Why not follow his example and send us your photos. We look forward to hearing from you. |
HISTORIC ROYAL CHARTER RESTORED |
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Perth 800 is a year long programme of events which will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Royal Burgh Charter to Perth by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1210. An ancient document that details the moment when King William the Lion of Scotland granted Royal Burgh status to Perth in 1210 has been restored. Experts at the National Archive of Scotland repaired and cleaned the historic parchment and reattached its official wax seal.
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| An exciting and ambitious programme on the themes of heritage, sport, arts and culture and the local economy will see more than one event a week being held throughout Perth and Kinross during 2010. An exciting and ambitious programme on the themes of heritage, sport, arts and culture and the local economy will see more than one event a week being held throughout Perth and Kinross during 2010. |
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CLICK IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE ON THIS STORY |
CLICK PERTH LOGO FOR DETAILS OF EVENTS |
WEAVERS COTTAGE KILBARCHAN |
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Our latest society meeting was held at the Weavers Cottage in Kilbarchan instead of our usual venue at Elderslie due to a special invite by Society member Chris, she's been weaving a blanket for the Burns Cottage in Alloway and she thought it would be a great idea for the society to add a few threads to this particular piece of history but alas it was not to be as the blanket had been finished earlier on in the day, bugger!! Chris and David welcomed us all to the cottage and were the perfect hosts, all society business was put on hold as it was decided that we should just enjoy our wee field trip to the max. Chris gave us a wee chat about the cottage itself and how it came to be in the National Trust's hands and the general history of the building itself, it turned out to be a a very informative and very interesting wee night. |
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STIRLING BRIG' COMMEMORATION 2009 |
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The 11th day of September is a special day in the hearts of many Scots who have an interest in our Nations History.
That day 712 years ago 1297 saw the might of a foreign invader defeated by the people’s army of Scotland raised and led by William Wallace and Sir Andrew of Moray. Scotland’s 11/09 now shares its place in History along with a most recent 9/11 where an act of Terrorism was carried out on the native soil of a Nation by those foreign to it. There can be no comparisons other than to say that Scotland’s 11/09 is a date remembered for its victory over those foreign to it. A victory over tyranny and oppression by the people’s army, a victory that was to send a message that the people of Scotland were not going to stand aside and take what a foreign power had planned for it. |
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WALLACE DAY ELDERSLIE 2009 |
| We hope you enjoyed this video by John Macintyre we'd like to thank him and all the groups who attended the march including Siol Nan Gaidheal, Crann Tara, Strathleven Artizans, The 1820 Society and all the foreign visitors who made the day what it was, thank you!! |
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After a week of torrential rain it was a real surprise that the day was bathed in glorious sunshine, the Big Yin upstairs is obviously very fond of us Scots and our favourite son, William Wallace!! |
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ROBROYSTON COMMEMORATION 2009 |
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This year’s commemoration was held on a windy dull Saturday the 2nd of August 2009, the nearest Saturday to the 5th. A very healthy crowd gathered around the Robroyston Monument to reflect once again on the tragic loss of one of Scotland’s favourite sons. Vice Convener of the Wallace Society Duncan Fenton led this years commemoration with a great speech, I've rarely heard Duncan in better form and the applause at the end said it all, Duncan spoke for us all this day!! We had a special guest with us this year, young Glen Wood who was so sickened by the state of the monument and the well here at Robroyston that he mounted his own personal protest. Duncan presented Glen with an honary membership of The Society Of William Wallace, well done Glen you deserve it. |
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GLEN'S PRIVATE PROTEST AT ROBROYSTON |
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I got an email about thirteen year old Glen Wood who was really upset at the state of the Robroyston monument and decided to do something about it, as you can see young Glen decided to mount a one man private protest!!! If this is a wee sign of what our kids are like then it makes me very optimistic for the future. Absolutely fantastic work Glen, we're so very very proud of you as would William Wallace be, keep up the good work. |
CLICK IMAGE ABOVE FOR FULL STORY |
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| © William Wallace Society 2007 |