Post by Elly on May 31, 2005 12:17:00 GMT 10
THE WALK FOR WALLACE 2005
From the Society of William Wallace web site:
David R. Ross, current convenor of the Society of William Wallace, will commemorate the memory of Wallace, by walking from Robroyston near Glasgow, to London, on the 700th anniversary of the actual event.
Wallace was captured on the 3rd of August 1305, and arrived in London on the 22nd of that month, the journey taking 19 days. On the 23rd, he was taken to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the current Houses of Parliament, where his sham trial took place. He was taken outside and tied to the tails of horses to be dragged the 6 miles through the city to his murder at Smithfield.
Therefore the same dates in 2005 mark the 700th anniversary.
Although David is undertaking the walk to London alone, anyone wishing to join him to walk the route through London that Wallace was dragged, should meet outside Westminster Hall (gate at north side of Houses of Parliament. e.g. opposite side from the river) at noon on 23rd of August 2005. The walk will take approx. 2 hours, arriving at Smithfield around 2 pm, at the monument outside St. Bartholomew's church and hospital to his memory.
I do not need to stress the solemnity of this occasion, and what it will mean to Scots, commemorating their national hero, to walk the actual route that was the final chapter of his life. Anyone taking part will show their bond with Wallace, and it will show that they stand with him in their desire for freedom for themselves and their fellow countrymen and women.
He died alone and thinking his cause was lost.
Let us show him that he is remembered with honour.
David's own thoughts:
I will be leaving the monument to Wallace's capture at Robroyston in Glasgow at 8AM on August 3rd 2005. The route is some 450 miles, and I will arrive in London, at Westminster Hall where Wallace was tried, on 22nd August 2005. On the 23rd August, the 700th anniversary of Wallace's execution ( a Tuesday) I will leave Westminster Hall at noon ( Westminster Hall is the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament, and it was built in the late 1000s - it has not changed since Wallace's day) and walk the route that he was dragged through the streets of England's capital. If people wish to join me for this historic section of Wallace's last hours, then they are more than welcome.
The walk will end at the Church of St Bartholomew the Greater, the oldest church in London, and there will be a commemoration of Wallace, very like a funeral service, starting there at 3pm. This will last about an hour and a half. As St Bartholomew's was the last thing Wallace saw ( he was executed in front of this church) it is a fitting place to hold this event. It may have taken Scotland 700 years to hold a funeral service for the man, but we can ensure that after 7 centuries he knows he is not forgotten. There was no-one there for him on the day, and that is a situation that will be rectified in 2005. This will be the mourning that Wallace never had.
In late 1299, Wallace decided to travel abroad and try and enlist foreign help. He travelled to France, and to Rome, hoping that the Pope would exert influence to try and curtail English deprivations in Scotland.
He returned to Scotland in 1303, only to find that the English had tightened their grip and that he must start from scratch to try and regain his countries liberty. The fight back began, but the odds were very much stacked against him. Wallace was eventually betrayed and captured at Robroyston near Glasgow, on 3rd August 1305. He was taken first to Dumbarton Castle, where his sword was left behind, then he was taken south to London. He arrived in London on the 22nd August. The crowds were so great, so eager to see this Scottish "murderer", that he had to be kept the night in a house in Fenchurch Street. The next morning he was taken to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament, where his sham trial took place. He was allowed no defence, but he managed to shout above his accusers that he was " A Scot, born in Scotland, and did not recognise England as his sovereign nation"
He was tied to the tails of horses, and dragged through the streets of London for 6 miles, eventually arriving at Smithfield Elms. Here he was hung, then cut down while still alive. His stomach was opened and his entrails were pulled out and burnt before him. His heart was then ripped out, ending his life. His body was cut to pieces, his head stuck on a spike on old London Bridge. The parts of his body were sent north to dishonour the Scots. Longshanks thought by giving him such an ignoble death that the Scots would forget Wallace, and there were religious connotations too. Wallace would have no body to rise on Judgement Day, and so be damned forever.
But Sir William Wallace needs no tomb. His memory lives on in the heart and souls of Scots, every generation recognising his devotion to his native soil, and he will be remembered by Scots men and women till the end of time.
Walk for Wallace Poster
From the Society of William Wallace web site:
David R. Ross, current convenor of the Society of William Wallace, will commemorate the memory of Wallace, by walking from Robroyston near Glasgow, to London, on the 700th anniversary of the actual event.
Wallace was captured on the 3rd of August 1305, and arrived in London on the 22nd of that month, the journey taking 19 days. On the 23rd, he was taken to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the current Houses of Parliament, where his sham trial took place. He was taken outside and tied to the tails of horses to be dragged the 6 miles through the city to his murder at Smithfield.
Therefore the same dates in 2005 mark the 700th anniversary.
Although David is undertaking the walk to London alone, anyone wishing to join him to walk the route through London that Wallace was dragged, should meet outside Westminster Hall (gate at north side of Houses of Parliament. e.g. opposite side from the river) at noon on 23rd of August 2005. The walk will take approx. 2 hours, arriving at Smithfield around 2 pm, at the monument outside St. Bartholomew's church and hospital to his memory.
I do not need to stress the solemnity of this occasion, and what it will mean to Scots, commemorating their national hero, to walk the actual route that was the final chapter of his life. Anyone taking part will show their bond with Wallace, and it will show that they stand with him in their desire for freedom for themselves and their fellow countrymen and women.
He died alone and thinking his cause was lost.
Let us show him that he is remembered with honour.
David's own thoughts:
I will be leaving the monument to Wallace's capture at Robroyston in Glasgow at 8AM on August 3rd 2005. The route is some 450 miles, and I will arrive in London, at Westminster Hall where Wallace was tried, on 22nd August 2005. On the 23rd August, the 700th anniversary of Wallace's execution ( a Tuesday) I will leave Westminster Hall at noon ( Westminster Hall is the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament, and it was built in the late 1000s - it has not changed since Wallace's day) and walk the route that he was dragged through the streets of England's capital. If people wish to join me for this historic section of Wallace's last hours, then they are more than welcome.
The walk will end at the Church of St Bartholomew the Greater, the oldest church in London, and there will be a commemoration of Wallace, very like a funeral service, starting there at 3pm. This will last about an hour and a half. As St Bartholomew's was the last thing Wallace saw ( he was executed in front of this church) it is a fitting place to hold this event. It may have taken Scotland 700 years to hold a funeral service for the man, but we can ensure that after 7 centuries he knows he is not forgotten. There was no-one there for him on the day, and that is a situation that will be rectified in 2005. This will be the mourning that Wallace never had.
In late 1299, Wallace decided to travel abroad and try and enlist foreign help. He travelled to France, and to Rome, hoping that the Pope would exert influence to try and curtail English deprivations in Scotland.
He returned to Scotland in 1303, only to find that the English had tightened their grip and that he must start from scratch to try and regain his countries liberty. The fight back began, but the odds were very much stacked against him. Wallace was eventually betrayed and captured at Robroyston near Glasgow, on 3rd August 1305. He was taken first to Dumbarton Castle, where his sword was left behind, then he was taken south to London. He arrived in London on the 22nd August. The crowds were so great, so eager to see this Scottish "murderer", that he had to be kept the night in a house in Fenchurch Street. The next morning he was taken to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament, where his sham trial took place. He was allowed no defence, but he managed to shout above his accusers that he was " A Scot, born in Scotland, and did not recognise England as his sovereign nation"
He was tied to the tails of horses, and dragged through the streets of London for 6 miles, eventually arriving at Smithfield Elms. Here he was hung, then cut down while still alive. His stomach was opened and his entrails were pulled out and burnt before him. His heart was then ripped out, ending his life. His body was cut to pieces, his head stuck on a spike on old London Bridge. The parts of his body were sent north to dishonour the Scots. Longshanks thought by giving him such an ignoble death that the Scots would forget Wallace, and there were religious connotations too. Wallace would have no body to rise on Judgement Day, and so be damned forever.
But Sir William Wallace needs no tomb. His memory lives on in the heart and souls of Scots, every generation recognising his devotion to his native soil, and he will be remembered by Scots men and women till the end of time.
Walk for Wallace Poster