Monday, 16th January
Hyslop Brings Wallace Letter Back to Scotland
Local MSP Fiona Hyslop has unveiled a 700 year old letter believed to have once been in the possession of William Wallace, in her capacity for Cabinet Secretary for Culture.
The letter has been held in England since being discovered in the Tower of London in the 1830s. It is now on long-term loan to the National Records of Scotland after an agreement was reached with The National Archives in Kew.
Fiona said:
“I am delighted to have played a part in bringing the Wallace letter back to Scotland.
“It is one of the few surviving artefacts with a direct link to William Wallace and a fascinating fragment of our nation’s history. To have it here in Scotland, where it can be viewed by the Scottish public, is very significant indeed.
“This summer, the Wallace letter and the Lübeck letter will be displayed side by side in a once in a lifetime opportunity to view together the only two surviving documents directly connected to William Wallace.
“I would urge my constituents across West Lothian to visit the Scottish Parliament to see this important piece of history for themselves.”
View an image of the Wallace letter at:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/williamwallace.asp
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Info:
The Wallace letter is from the French king to his officials at the Vatican mentioning Wallace, but we still don’t know what his business was with the Pope.
The famous Lübeck letter was sent in the name of William Wallace and Andrew De Moray shortly after the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and informed European trading partners that Scottish ports were once again open for business.