Proposals to temporarily return a letter sent to William Wallace to England have been met with opposition in Scotland.
William Wallace (c.1270-1305) led Scotland’s armies in a campaign for Scottish independence at crucial battles such as the 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge. He was captured by the English and hung, drawn and quartered in London in 1305.
The ‘Wallace letter’, found on Wallace when he was captured, is the only remaining artefact with a direct connection to Wallace.
It is a 1300 letter written by King Philip IV of France to his agents in Rome, asking them to ask the Pope to “consider with favour our beloved William le Walois of Scotland”.
The letter has been on loan from The National Archives (TNA) in England to the National Records of Scotland (NRS) since 2012.
On Wednesday, the NRS said the letter would be returned to TNA and go on display there in 2027, before returning to Scotland from 2028 to 2031.
Saul Nassé, TNA’s chief executive and keeper of public records at TNA, said: "The Wallace letter speaks to our shared history, and this agreement provides an opportunity for anyone interested in the document to view it and to develop a deeper understanding of its historical significance."
However, David Reid, convener of the Society of William Wallace, told Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine: “The Society of William Wallace opposed the letter being sent to England as it is a crucially important cultural document to Scotland history and heritage.
“It belongs in Scotland where it is most significant, and the society refutes the comments made by The National Archives that this is shared heritage. The only link it has to England is that it was on Wallace’s person as he was dragged to London to be murdered.
“The letter should remain in Scotland as a document of national significance, and if The National Archives shared any decency and respect for history they would relinquish any such claim to this letter and begin process of repatriating it back to Scotland legally as a show of respect, rather than insisting on having it to display it in London in what can only be seen as a celebration of murdering Scotland’s national hero, which is only how it could be perceived as Wallace was only in London by force to be murdered for defending the sovereignty of Scotland.”
A petition calling for the letter to remain in Scotland has received over 6000 signatures.
