_01.jpg)
Posted on 09/01/2005 7:37:16 AM PDT by wagglebee
CROWDS of more than 1,000 flocked to Smithfield to mark the 700th anniversary of the death of Scottish hero William Wallace - also known as Braveheart.
The freedom fighter was hung, drawn and quartered outside the church of St Bartholomew the Great in 1305 after being betrayed by a Scottish knight in service to King Edward the First.
His life story was famously given a Hollywood makeover by actor/director Mel Gibson in 1995 for the film Braveheart.
But no national celebrations were planned to mark the 700th anniversary of his execution so author and historian David Ross, who wrote bestseller On The Trail of William Wallace, made a 19-day and 450-mile pilgrimage on foot from Robroyston in Scotland to mark the anniversary.
Mr Ross, 47, who lives in East Kilbride and is convener of the William Wallace Society, said: "My feet are still healing!
"I was walking for 10 hours a day. My longest day was 33 miles and I walked never less than 25 miles on all the other days. It was an experience never to be repeated!
"I lost a stone and a half in the first week and I'm a big guy - I weighed 17 and a half stone when I set off and I'm 6ft 5ins.
"People were flabbergasted that I'd walked so far but only 100 years ago it would have been commonplace. It shows how soft we've all become - but as a historian it was a very interesting insight."
The walk culminated in a six-mile procession of bagpipes which re-traced Wallace's final steps from the Houses of Parliament to Smithfield, followed by a remembrance service at the church.
Mr Ross said: "The responses of the average Londoner made the day for us. There were people giving us the thumbs up and taxi drivers honking at us. Everyone said how good the London police were. They escorted us with motorcycles, police horses and bicycles, but I don't think the horses liked the bagpipes!"
He added: "I've made a career out of writing about William Wallace and doing talks on him and I wanted to put something back - plus I thought, this is the 700th anniversary of the death of a national hero in Scotland, so if I did something that would grab the headline it would shame people into doing something to mark the occasion.
"I couldn't stand the thought of it passing without anyone doing anything."
He added: "There wasn't a dry eye in the church at the service. It may have taken Scotland 700 years to hold a funeral service for the man, but we can ensure that after seven centuries he knows he is not forgotten. This was the mourning that Wallace never had."
GGG (sort of) ping
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Thanks, sion! One of my VERY favorite movies...mostly because of the historical aspect of the man.
I was at the William Wallace Memorial in Sterling Scotland in June of 1998.
They have a replica of his sword that you can hold and swing around... it is almost 5 1/2 FEET long and weighs about 30 pounds. They mostly set the sword in place and let the knights impale themselves on it as they charged. The battle at Sterling is what first made Wallace famous... a narrow bridge over the river - nobody could get by him.
That is his actual sword in the case... from 1305.
It's hilt is wrapped in leather - kinda. He had a habit of cutting strips of flesh from his slain enemies and wrapping it around his sword handle.
William Wallace was something like 6'5"... a giant in his day.
Mel Gibson is 5'9"... not exactly comparable!
An admirer of the movie carved a likeness of Mel as Wallace out of a log... it was on display in the parking lot when I was there... it heard that later it was torched by an outraged Wallace supporter.
I can guarantee you that the actual sword did not weigh anywhere near 30 pounds. Swords of that size usually weigh in the neighborhood of 4 to 6 pounds. It would take a large, strong man to wield it effectively. A soldier trained in the use of such a weapon would be able to swing it with amazing speed and devastating impact. The replica may well weigh 30 pounds as many people who make replicas have no idea of what real swords used in the middle ages actually weighed. Anyone who tried to use a 30 pound sword in combat would have been quickly cut to pieces.
Anyone interested in the characteristics and handling of real medieval and renaissance swords should check out the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts. There is lots of data at their web site.
Did he yell FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOM the entire way?
Wallace's sword (the actual sword) which is on display in Scotland weighs 6 pounds.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1374058/posts
Ok, that is kind of cool!
Thanks. I hadn't seen the earlier thread and I see where ARMA is mentioned at least once. I have seen video of some of the sparring they do and it is a real eye-opener. They base their technique on surviving training manuals and combat with medieval swords is MUCH different from what we see on TV or in movies. Wallace was reputed to be a very great swordsman. Being able to wield such a large weapon with exceptional skill would have made him very deadly on the battlefield.
Now's the day, and now's the hour: See the front o' battle lour, See approach proud Edward's power - Chains and slaverie!
Wha will be a traitor knave? Wha will fill a coward's grave? Wha sae base as be a slave? - Let him turn, and flee!
Wha for Scotland's King and Law Freedom's sword will strongly draw, Freeman stand or freeman fa', Let him follow me!
By oppression's woes and pains, By your sons in servile chains, We will drain our dearest veins But they shall be free!
Lay the proud usurpers low! Tyrants fall in every foe! Liberty's in every blow! Let us do or dee!
-Bobbie Burns
http://www.myethnicpride.com/Scotland(Flag)264.jpg
Is that Wallace's skeleton, and if so, where does it rest?
The Corries sang a version of "Scots, Wha Hae". The song is enough to send chills up and down my spine.
It's his sword. I think it's at Stirling Castle in Scotland.
I don't think Wallace's skeleton exists any more...
The English King REALLY didn't like Wallace, so after they killed him (quite the gory story that) they quartered him and sent the 4 quarters to the 4 corners of the kingdom to be buried in secret. They didn't want any grave to be a rallying point in the future for another rebellion. I can't remember the names of the towns where they sent it.
His head they put on a pike on London bridge.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.