AncientPages.com - The Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 is today remembered as a significant event in the history of Scotland. The battle was the First War of Scottish Independence. On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and legendary Scottish hero Sir William Wallace defeated the combined English forces.
A survey of the site may have pinpointed the location of the Kirk o' the Forest
Afterwards, a ceremony was held in front of gathered nobles and clergy in the Kirk o' the Forest in Selkirk. Sir William Wallace was appointed Guardian of Scotland.
Archaeologists have now found ruins of a medieval church that could be the place where freedom fighter Wallace and Andrew de Moray were given the title after leading a small Scottish force to victory over Edward I's English army.
The Medieval chapel is located in a ground study of the ruins of the Borders town's 18th century Auld Kirk. Experts were expecting to find a 16th century church on the site but made a much older discovery.
"Ruins of the Auld Kirk date from the 18th century, but we knew this had replaced earlier churches on site from the 12th and 16th centuries.
It has been widely acknowledged that this was the site of the Kirk of the Forest where Wallace was made Guardian of Scotland following his and Andrew Moray's defeat of the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.
William Wallace Statue, Aberdeen
We had been expecting the geophysics survey to uncover a 16th century church that we know to have existed and which was a replacement to the medieval church, but the only evidence in the survey is in relation to the medieval church.
The association between Wallace and the local area is quite well documented, with Wallace using guerilla tactics to fight the English from the Ettrick Forest, and the Scottish nobles made Wallace Guardian of Scotland in recognition of his military successes.
See also:
Sir William Wallace: Brave Scottish Knight And Legendary Hero
Picts: Facts And History About Mysterious People Of Northern Scotland
"Wallace went on to become the legendary figure he remains today," Dr Chris Bowles, Scottish Borders Council's archaeologist, commissioned the geophysical study carried out by the University of Durham and the Selkirk Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme said.
Gary Stewart, convenor of the Society of William Wallace, hailed the discovery as "a rare physical link to the hero".
He added: "This is a fantastic discovery, and another piece in the jigsaw of Wallace's life.
"It lets us know the exact place where Wallace was appointed as Guardian."
AncientPages.com
