BIRTH, PARENTAGE, AND EARLY YEARS OF WALLACE.
Sir William Wallace was descended from a respectable family in the
west of Scotland. His father, who enjoyed the honour of knighthood,
was Laird of Elderslie and Auchinbothie, and married the daughter of
Sir Raynald, or, according to some, Sir Hugh Crawford, sheriff of Ayr.
The exact period when the ancestors of Wallace first settled in this
country, is a matter of uncertainty.[44] It is, however, very probable
that they were originally from Normandy; and those who support this
opinion, mention one Eimerus Galleius, as the immediate progenitor of
the Scottish family of this name. This person appears as a witness to
the charter of the Abbey of Kelso, founded by David I. about the year
1128, and is supposed to have been the father of Richard Wallace, one
of the witnesses to the charter of the Abbey of Paisley, founded in
1160, by Walter, High Steward of Scotland. From the Steward he received
a grant of a considerable portion of the district of Kyle, which he
named Richardton or Ricardtown, after himself. This Ricard or Richard,
who was the most powerful vassal of the Stewards in Kyle, granted to
the monks of Melrose the lands of Barmon and Godeneth, with their
pertinents; and this grant, as appears from the _Chart. of Melrose,
No. 127., Caledonia, III. p. 488_, was confirmed by the second Walter
the Steward. Richard was succeeded by his eldest son, also named
Richard, who appears to have altered, or softened down the name into
Walays. Respecting this last person, no particulars have been related,
except that he was cotemporary with Alan the High Steward, who died
about 1204. He was succeeded by his younger brother Henry Walays, who
acquired some lands under the Steward in Renfrewshire, early in the
13th century; which lands descended by inheritance to Adam Walays,
who is stated to have been living in the year 1259, and to have had
two sons, Adam and Malcolm. Adam, being the eldest, succeeded to the
family estate of Ricardtown. Malcolm, the father of our hero, received
the lands of Elderslie, and married, as we have already stated, the
daughter of the Sheriff of Ayr. Some writers assert this to have
been his second marriage; and farther, that by his first he had two
daughters, one of whom was married to Thomas Haliday or Halliday, who
held lands under Bruce in Annandale; while others maintain that he
had only two sons, Malcolm[45] and William, the former by the first
marriage, and the latter by the daughter of Sir Hugh Crawford. It is,
however, more than probable that these two sons were the issue of one
marriage; as Wyntown, who mentions the circumstance of his having
an elder brother, takes no notice of their being born of different
mothers. His elder brother is, by some, supposed to have been killed
along with his father, Sir Malcolm, in a skirmish with the English; but
this statement seems at variance with Wyntown’s couplet--
“Hys eldare Brodyre the herytage
Had, and joysyd in his dayis.”
_Vol. ii. p. 91._
From which it would appear, that the “eldare brodyre” outlived the
father, since he succeeded to “the herytage;” and though he may have
fallen by the hands of the English, it must have been subsequent to the
death of his father.
Sir William, the subject of our narrative, was born in the reign
of Alexander III. The precise year of his birth is not mentioned
in any record at present known to exist. It is usual, however, for
our historians to commence their accounts of him in 1297, as if he
had then, for the first time, burst forth upon the notice of his
countrymen, though they are represented as being already prepared
to place implicit confidence in his talents as a leader, without any
explanation of his previous deeds to merit the honourable distinction.
In the preface to _one_ edition of Blind Harry, he is stated to have
been about twenty-seven years of age at the time of his execution.
This, however, would imply a precocity of stature and strength, and
a maturity of judgment too miraculous not to be dwelt on at greater
length by those early writers who have handed down his story. If he was
twenty-seven in 1305, he would consequently be only nineteen in 1297.
Can it be supposed that a youth of that age, without influence, and
without fame, would have been able to persuade men, his superiors in
birth, years and experience, to array themselves under his banner, and
submit to his control? In the work of the Minstrel we are told
“Fourty and fyve off age, Wallace was cauld,
That tym that he was to [the] Southeron sauld.”
As this, however, is at variance with what is elsewhere stated in
the same work, it is probably an error of the transcriber, who may
have mistaken “thirtie” for “fourty,” as we find it is said, in “Buke
Fyrst,” in alluding to our hero, “Scotland was lost quhen he was bot
a child.” The term “child” here made use of, is not to be considered
as inferring that degree of infancy usually understood in our day,
but a youth acting, or able to act, as page or squire to some feudal
superior. That this is the Minstrel’s meaning, is evident from the
following lines,
“Yhit he was than semly, stark and bald;
And he of age was bot auchtene yer auld,”
an age inconsistent with his being 45 at the time of his death. If we
are to suppose that Henry dated the loss of Scotland from the solemn
surrender of the kingdom, and all its fortifications, to Edward on
the 11th June 1291, it will nearly correspond with the correction now
offered; and if his words are to be taken in the strict literal sense,
that he was thirty-five years of age on the day he was betrayed to
the English, it will follow, that he was born on the 5th August 1270.
Wyntown, who first introduces him to notice in the spring of 1297, says
that he had already distinguished himself in such a manner, as to have
excited the envy and animosity of the English soldiers. In accordance
with the above date, Wallace would then be in his twenty-seventh year;
which, considering that there was no open rupture to call forth the
fiery spirits of the age till 1296, was allowing him no more than a
reasonable time for spreading his fame among the English garrisons
stationed in Scotland.
1291. His early years are said to have been passed under the
superintendence of his uncle, a wealthy ecclesiastic at Dunipace
in Stirlingshire, from whom he received the first rudiments of his
education. This worthy man had been at great pains in storing his
mind with the choicest apophthegms to be found in the Latin classics,
particularly those where the love of liberty is most powerfully
recommended; and the efforts of the tutor were amply rewarded by the
_amor patriæ_ excited in the breast of the pupil. How long he remained
at Dunipace is uncertain; but he appears to have been at Elderslie in
1291, when the order for an universal homage of the people of Scotland
was promulgated by Edward, in his assumed character of Lord Paramount.
“All who came were admitted to swear fealty. They who came and refused,
were to be arrested, until performance; they who came not, but sent
excuses, to have the validity of their excuses tried in the next
parliament; they who neither came nor sent excuses, to be committed to
close custody.”[46] The family of Elderslie appear to have been among
the last class of recusants. Sir Malcolm, setting all the penalties
of non-conformity at defiance, resolutely refused to take an oath so
subversive of the independence of his country. Aware, however, that the
strength of his fortalice at Elderslie was insufficient to protect him
against the consequences of his refusal, he retired with his eldest son
to the fastnesses of the Lennox, while William, along with his mother,
sought the protection of a powerful relation at Kilspindie in the Carse
of Gowrie; and from this latter place he was sent to the seminary
attached to the cathedral of Dundee, to receive what farther education
the learning of the age afforded. Here he contracted a sincere and
lasting friendship with his biographer, John Blair, a young man at
that time of great promise, who, on finishing his studies, became a
Benedictine monk, and afterwards officiated as chaplain to his heroic
friend.
With this faithful companion, and other youths of similar dispositions,
Wallace used to lament over the degradation to which the country
was daily subjected; and, fired with indignation at the growing
insolence of the English soldiers, he formed an association among
his fellow-students for the purpose of defending themselves, and
restraining the wanton outrages of the intruders, by chastising their
aggressions whenever the parties were to be found in convenient
situations. This, from the licentious habits of the soldiery,
frequently occurred; and seldom were they allowed to escape, without
experiencing the effects of their vengeance.
In these juvenile bickerings, too unimportant to attract the attention
of those in authority, Wallace had frequent opportunities of displaying
that dexterity and strength, with which Nature had so amply endowed
him. In him, his companions found united all the qualifications they
could desire in a leader--a head to devise, and a hand to execute,
the most daring enterprises--a fertile imagination ever teeming with
stratagems--and a prudence and foresight which provided against all
contingencies; so that, when once he determined on any project, however
difficult, they were always confident of its being crowned with success.
It is not to be imagined that an association of young men, among whom
talents and bravery were distinguishing characteristics, would not
feel deeply interested in the momentous crisis to which their country
was approaching. The ambition of Edward, and his designs against the
independence of their native land, were too apparent to escape the
notice of any who had not an interest in appearing wilfully blind. The
subserviency of those who represented the aristocracy was, therefore,
regarded by their countrymen with feelings of humiliation and shame.
It happened unfortunately for their characters, as well as for the
safety of the country, that most of the nobility held possessions
on both sides of the Tweed; and their selfishness dictated a line of
policy extremely dangerous to the independence of Scotland. A wish
to preserve their estates in both countries inclined them to a ready
obedience to whatever side was most likely to gain the preponderance.
Edward, who, in addition to his conquests on the Continent, had annexed
the principality of Wales to the English crown, appeared to them, in
the distracted state of their country’s affairs, as very likely to
consolidate Britain under his powerful and energetic sway. Under these
feelings, they vied with each other in their endeavours to propitiate
the usurper by disgraceful compliances. The poorer gentry, however,
entertained sentiments of a different description, and watched the
progress of the submission respecting the succession with feverish
impatience.
1291. Since the surrender of the Regents on the 11th June, the
different towns and castles of Scotland had been garrisoned by English
soldiers. Between the military and the inhabitants, as might have been
expected, brawls were of no unfrequent occurrence--and in those which
came under the notice of our hero, he seldom remained an inactive
spectator. Gilbert de Umfraville[47] being removed from the command of
the castles of Dundee and Forfar, one Selby, the head of a freebooting
family in Cumberland, was appointed to succeed him. His son, a fiery
and impetuous youth, having too rashly insulted Wallace, the latter
struck him dead on the spot with his dagger; and, though surrounded by
the train of his insulter, effected his escape to the house of a female
dependent, who concealed him from his pursuers. Besides young Selby,
two or three others, who attempted to intercept him in his flight, were
either killed or severely wounded. The case, therefore, became one of
too serious a nature to be overlooked. The prudent management of his
preserver enabled him to quit the town without being observed. An act
of outlawry followed this slaughter; and Wallace was hunted from covert
to covert by the emissaries of the constable, who, eager to revenge
the death of his son, offered great rewards for his apprehension.
His success in eluding his pursuers was equal to the boldness of his
offence.[48]
After lurking among the woods and impenetrable recesses of the country,
till the heat of the pursuit had subsided, Wallace ventured to
communicate with his relations at Kilspindie. The anxiety of his mother
respecting his fate required to be relieved; and, in obedience to her
solicitation, to remove himself further from the scene of danger, he
agreed to accompany her on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St Margaret
at Dumfries. The dress required for this purpose afforded a suitable
disguise; and the respect paid by the English to a saint of the royal
blood of their country, insured, in those days of superstition, all the
facilities which their situation required.
While our hero was thus employed, his father, it would appear, had
become obnoxious to the English; but in what manner, we are left
entirely to conjecture. Whether they had endeavoured to apprehend him,
for disobedience to the order already alluded to, or if, driven from
his house and his resources, he found himself constrained to retaliate
upon his oppressors the injuries they had inflicted, are circumstances
respecting which all authorities are silent.
An unfortunate rencounter, however, appears to have taken place in the
district of Kyle in Ayrshire, between Sir Malcolm, at the head of a
few of his retainers, and a party of the English, under an officer of
the name of Fenwick; in which, after a gallant resistance, the Scots
were defeated and their chieftain slain. Blind Harry asserts, that the
brother of Wallace also fell on this occasion; but he is evidently
mistaken, as it has already been shown from Wyntown, that Sir Malcolm
was succeeded in his estate by his eldest son.
The death of his father was not calculated to lessen the animosity
which Wallace had hitherto entertained towards the English. Thirsting
for revenge, he spurned the offers of some of his relations, who
proposed to use their influence to get the act of outlawry recalled;
and having placed his mother under the charge of his uncle Sir Raynald
Crawford, he again betook himself to the woods.
The talents, strength, and dexterity of the young outlaw, soon
attracted to his fortunes a number of reckless and intrepid spirits,
inclined alike from habit and from circumstances, to prefer a life
of savage and unrestrained liberty, to the uncertain and degrading
protection of those, who, though wearing the mask of friendship,
were daily wounding their feelings, by their encroachments on the
independence of their country.
1292. As Scotland, at that time, abounded with game of every
description, Wallace and his companions found no difficulty in
maintaining themselves in their woodland retreats; from whence also
they could issue forth to surprise the English, and supply themselves
with those necessaries which their situation otherwise prevented
them from obtaining. However well disposed the regency and barons of
Scotland might have been to submit to the claims of England, it was
quite different with the nation; and the proceedings of Wallace,
though not sanctioned by the shadow of government which still lingered
in the country, were viewed by the poorer classes of the Scots, not
only with indulgence, but with approbation. From the prevalence of
this feeling, he derived many important advantages, and much useful
information respecting the movements of his enemies.
At this early period of his history, his conduct is said to have drawn
upon him the notice of Thomas of Ercildoune, otherwise named Thomas
the Rymer. This _shrewd_ observer of the “signs of the times,” so
highly appreciated his talents and hardihood, as to risk his prophetic
fame, then in its zenith, by pointing him out to his countrymen as the
man destined to restore the ancient glory of Scotland. His matchless
strength and acute wit, joined to the sagacity with which he gave
effect to his stratagems, tended, no doubt, to impress the seer with
this favourable opinion. Among the stories told of his early years, the
following are perhaps entitled to a preference, on account of their
being, as Lord Hailes observes, “characteristical.”
One day, having visited Ayr in disguise, his attention was attracted
by a crowd collected near the quarters of the military. In the midst
of a circle of his own countrymen, there stood an Englishman of huge
dimensions, playing off his raillery against the Scots, and offering,
for a groat, an opportunity of avenging any injury they might have
received from the English, by permitting the best among them to exert
their utmost strength in striking a blow upon his back with a pole
which he held in his hand; accompanying this absurd declaration with
certain ridiculous gestures and scurrilous language, while his mailed
companions, with arms akimbo, stood loitering around, laughing, and
enjoying the humour of their bulky buffoon. Wallace approached, and
tendered treble the sum for the permission offered. This was readily
agreed to by the jester, who winked to his companions as he prepared
to fulfil the conditions. The wary Scot had observed the trick; and,
grasping the pole above the place where it was intended to give way,
he let fall a blow with such good will, that the spine yielded to its
force, and the foolish witling sunk with a groan at the feet of his
companions. Instantly the swords of the English were out to revenge
the slaughter of their favourite. One of them, advancing towards the
offender, received a blow on the head, which laid him lifeless across
the body of the jester. Surrounded on all sides by the increasing
numbers of his adversaries, he plied his weapon with a rapidity and
a force which kept the most forward of them at bay. Over the steel
bacinet of a powerful trooper, the fatal pole was shivered to pieces.
Others, seeing him, as they imagined, disarmed by this accident,
rushed forward, expecting to overwhelm him with their numbers; but
on drawing his sword, which he had concealed under his dress, they
as quickly receded from the well-known power of his arm. Having, by
his trusty blade, cleared the way to one of the outlets of the town,
he was there attacked by two of the boldest of the garrison, who had
not before mingled in the fray. The object of one of them appeared to
be, to engage him in a little sword-play, and thus give his party an
opportunity of hemming him in, but Wallace, aware of the value of his
time, broke through the guard of his artful opponent, with a blow which
clove him to the teeth; while the other, in the act of retreating,
received a thrust through an opening in his armour, which, reaching
his vitals, laid him senseless by the side of his companion. Five of
the English soldiers had now fallen beneath the arm of the youthful
warrior; and the rest seemed so averse to come within his reach,
that he had time to gain a little copse in the neighbourhood, where
he had left his horse before he entered the town, and, bounding into
the saddle, the hardy trooper was soon beyond the reach of any fresh
assistance they might procure. Horse and foot were, however, soon on
the alert; but after a long and a fruitless pursuit, they were obliged
to return,--some of those who had already witnessed his prowess no way
displeased at their want of success.
The entire absence of any thing like fear, seems to have formed the
most prominent feature in the character of Wallace. Although he had so
narrowly escaped on the above occasion, and also aware of the ease with
which he could be recognised, yet it was not long before he ventured
back to the same place. The occasion was as follows:
A report had circulated about the country, that on a day named, a
celebrated English prize-fighter would exhibit on the esplanade at
Ayr, as a general challenger. An occurrence of this kind had powerful
attractions, in an age when every man required to know something of the
use of a sword. Scots, as well as English, became deeply interested
as the day of exhibition drew on; and Wallace, instigated partly by
curiosity, and partly by a wish to acquire information respecting
the numbers and the motions of his enemies, determined to be present.
Having equipped himself and fifteen of his companions with dresses
which concealed their habergeons, he proceeded to the scene of action.
Their horses they left in a place of safety outside the town, and then
made their entry from different directions, in such numbers as would
not attract the notice of their enemies.
In the midst of the crowd collected to witness the feats of the English
champion, Wallace stood, with his face partially concealed in his
cloak, to all appearance an unconcerned spectator, till he saw several
of his countrymen, who had been baffled by the superior dexterity of
their more practised antagonist, afterwards scoffed at, and otherwise
insulted by the English soldiery. The feelings which this conduct
excited were displayed on the fine expressive countenance of our hero,
in such a manner as did not escape the notice of the victor; and
the latter, flushed with his success, invited him to a trial of his
skill. Wallace readily accepted the challenge; and, drawing his sword,
prepared for the onset. The ease and grace with which he handled his
weapon soon convinced the English that their “bukler-player” had at
last engaged in a perilous enterprise. His art and agility appeared
unavailing against the cool self-possession of the Scot, who, after
a few passes, became the assailant; and a blow, which descended with
the rapidity of lightning, laid the arrogant gladiator dead at his
feet. This unexpected interruption of their amusement irritated the
English; but when they discovered, in the successful combatant, the
bold and audacious outlaw with whom they had been so lately engaged,
they eagerly crowded round, and endeavoured to prevent his escape.
Unappalled by the numbers with whom he was environed, he dealt his
blows in all directions with unerring and deadly effect, while his
followers, drawing their swords, attacked those who were nearest them
with a fury that spread consternation and uproar through the whole
assemblage.
The English, finding themselves assailed from so many quarters,
conceived that they were surrounded by a multitude of enemies.
Wallace, always first in the place of danger, according to the
homely, but expressive phraseology of Blind Harry, “_Gret rowme”
about him “maid_;” and the enemy had already begun to give way, when
an additional force from the castle made its appearance. The battle
was now renewed with redoubled fury on both sides; and the capture of
our hero being the principal object in view, he became the subject
of their most inveterate hostility. The few, however, who ventured
within his reach, soon paid the forfeit of their temerity. Having
collected his companions in a body, he fearlessly advanced into the
centre of the English, diminishing their numbers with every stroke of
his broadsword, while his followers pressed with determined ferocity
upon those who attempted to intercept him. From the increasing number
of his opponents, he at last became apprehensive of having his retreat
cut off, if the unequal contest were much longer protracted. Placing
himself, therefore, in front of the battle he ordered them to make
the best of their way, while he endeavoured to prevent the enemy from
harassing their rear. By incredible exertions, they at last regained
their post at the outside of the town; and, mounting their horses,
they were soon lost to their pursuers amid the shades of Laglane woods,
leaving about thirty of the English, among whom were three knights
belonging to Northumberland, dead upon the streets of Ayr.
These, and similar exploits, appear to have furnished employment to
Wallace, during the time that the English held possession of the
country under the nominal authority of the Scottish regency. It will
now, however, be necessary to revert to the proceedings on the Border.