See rare Wallace letter on St Andrew’s Day

A 700 year old letter of recommendation from the King of France for William Wallace is going on public display in a National Records of Scotland building in Edinburgh on St Andrew's Day.

The brief letter written in a form of Latin shorthand was sent to the king’s agents in the court of Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. 

Wallace’s mission in Europe is a mystery. King Phillipe IV asks the Pope to support the Scottish knight in "those things which he has to transact".

Head of medieval and early modern records at NRS, Alan Borthwick, said:

"While Wallace is known to have been in France in 1300 it is not known why. Some have suggested he may have been seeking support to have the deposed Scottish king, John Balliol, restored to the throne.

"What is certain is that this is a rare document and a wonderful opportunity for the public to see it in person. It is the first time it has been on display since 2018 and it is free of charge to visit."

The Wallace Letter will go on display at General Register House at 2 Princes Street in Edinburgh from 10 am until 3pm on St Andrew's Day, 30 November 2024. Two tapestries inspired by the only two surviving original letters known to mention Wallace will also be on display. Skilled weavers from the Dovecot Studios created the tapestries. The design of the tapestries took inspiration from the intricate lettering and historic parchment of the documents.

ENDS

Background

Wallace is most famous for leading the Scots in the defeat of the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. By 1305 Wallace was back in Scotland where he was captured, taken to London and executed.

Historians discovered the letter in the Tower of London in the 1830s. While no-one knows exactly how it got there experts think Wallace carried it with him. The fragile fragment is on loan to National Records of Scotland (NRS) from The National Archive.