WALLACE, Sir William, the name of one well known to the readers of British history, as the heroic defender of Scotish independence against the aggressions of Edward I. of England. He was the second of three sons of Sir Malcolm Wallace (or Walays) of Elderslie and Auchin-bothic, in the county of Renfrew, and not far from the town of Paisley. The earlier years of Wallace appear to have been spent at Dunipace, in Stirlingshire, in the society of his uncle, a wealthy priest, who gave him an education far above what was usual in those times, and whose strong love of liberty fostered his nephew’s youthful enmity against the English. The early rudiments of education thus acquired were afterwards strengthened by the instruction which he received at Dundee. At this period of life he also acquired those hardy and warlike accomplishments, which inured his frame to fatigue, and gave him a ready command of the weapons of war. His early hatred of the English led him into many brawls and adventures;^[1. See Henry’s Wallace, by Dr Jamieson; and Carrick’s Life of Wallace. ] but it was not till after the battle of Dunbar, when Scotland was completely overrun, that he first came prominently before his countrymen. In 1297, in a skirmish, in which several were killed, he slew with his dagger William de Hesilridge, the sheriff of Clydesdale. For this deed he was proclaimed a traitor, outlawed, and driven from home to the wilds and fastnesses of the country, where he joined himself to men whose fortunes were as desperate as his own, and his courage and higher rank made them choose him for their chief. From this time he was constantly engaged against the enemy with various results, but ultimately, as his adherents increased, and his plans became more matured, with decided advantage. This kind of guerilla warfare was of the utmost importance in his future proceedings. By it he became acquainted with the strongest passes and the best positions for defence in the country; his men were inured to a life of fatigue and privation, to feel the benefits of discipline and obedience, and to rest with the most perfect confidence in the abilities, courage, and great strength of their intrepid commander.

The success which attended his efforts induced him to undertake an enterprise of greater importance. By a forced march he surprised Ormesby, the English justiciary, at Scone, defeated his troops, nearly captured him, and took a rich booty. This exploit led Bruce and a number of the nobility to join him with their vassals; and the united forces, led by Wallace, cleared the country of the English. This intelligence reached Edward when about to embark for Flanders. An army of 40,000 foot and 300 horse was despatched into Scotland, under the command of Henry Percy, which on the 9th of July 1297 came up with that of the Scots, encamped at Irvine, consisting of nearly the same strength, and commanded by Wallace. Dissensions had however broken out among the leaders: the feudal barons, from pride and jealousy, would not submit to his orders, and they therefore entered into negociations with Percy, which ended in their submission to Edward. Sir Andrew Murray of Bothwell was the only man of rank who adhered to Wallace; and with a large body of tried and veteran followers, they retired indignantly to the north. Percy, considering that he had put an end to the revolt, retired to England; but Wallace and Murray, dividing their forces, carried on their operations against the English, and with such vigour, that in a short time all the strongholds north of the river Forth, except the castle of Dundee, were retaken. Wallace had just laid siege to that fortress, when his scouts informed him of the approach of a powerful force, under the command of the earl of Surrey, and Cressingham the treasurer. He instantly left the siege, to be continued by the citizens, and by a forced march took possession of the high ground on the river Forth, above Cambuskenneth, at Stirling, before the English forces reached the south side of the river. The Scotish army, [7:21:723] consisted of 40,000 foot and 180 horse, while that of the English amounted to 50,000 foot and 1000 heavy armed horse. On the morning of September 11, 1297, against the advice of those who knew the nature of the ground, Surrey ordered his troops to deploy over the narrow bridge; but when only half their number had passed, and before their ranks could be arrayed on the narrow peninsula which formed the field of battle, Wallace attacked them with his whole force, and nearly every soldier that crossed the bridge was either slain or drowned. This decisive defeat was followed by the expulsion of the English from the kingdom. To lessen the severity of a dreadful dearth and famine which now spread over Scotland, Wallace resolved on an expedition into England, not only to procure subsistence for his numerous army, but also to retaliate on that country the injuries which Scotland had received. He therefore proceeded as far as Newcastle, wasting the northern counties with fire and sword, sparing neither age nor sex, and carrying off a large and valuable booty. Soon after his return from this successful expedition, he was elected governor of Scotland, and, strengthened by this high title, he proceeded to regulate the affairs of the kingdom, which its exigencies required. So firm and determined was his rule, so beneficial his measures, that the powerful nobility were compelled to submit to his authority, while the lesser barons willingly supported him. This state did not long continue. Edward, in July 1298, at the head of an army of nearly 100,000 foot and 8000 horsemen, entered Scotland, while Wallace retired before him as he advanced, wasting the country, so as to make Edward depend on his own supplies. This plan of warfare reduced the English army to such straits that the king had to order an inglorious retreat. At this critical moment, when the military skill of Wallace predicted the most complete success, the treachery of two Scotish nobles, Patrick earl of Dunbar, and the earl of Angus, revealed to the English monarch the dispositions of Wallace. Edward immediately ordered his army to advance, and by a rapid night-march, came up to the Scotish army at Falkirk; and Wallace, with not one third the number of soldiers, was compelled by his position to fight at disadvantage, and was defeated with great loss. Shortly after this defeat, he resigned his high office as governor, and proceeded to France, apparently with the consent of the regents, with the expectation of obtaining assistance for Scotland from its sovereign. In this he was deceived, as, on arriving at Amiens, he was thrown into prison, and a letter was written by Philip to Edward, offering to send him to London. In this however there was more policy than sincerity; for Wallace was secretly released from prison, and furnished with letters, dated November 3, 1298, to the French agents at the court of Rome, ordering them to solicit Pope Boniface to give Wallace an attentive hearing regarding the affairs of Scotland. There is no proof that Wallace was at Rome, but certain it is that Boniface, in his bull to Edward, exhibited a knowledge of its history and affairs which he could only have derived from such a source as Wallace. This noble-minded patriot remained on the continent until late in the year 1303, when he returned into Scotland, and immediately commenced active operations in assisting those who still defended the liberties of their country. By his resolute career, he rendered himself so obnoxious to Edward, that when mercy was extended to the few remaining patriots on certain conditions, Edward excluded this great man, and set a reward of 300 merks on his head. By the treachery of a servant who waited on him, of the name of Jack Short, he was at length betrayed to Sir John Monteith, a Scotish baron, who captured him at night in bed in the house of a certain Ralph Rae, at Robroyston, in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, and for which he received from the English privy council a grant of land of the annual value of one hundred pounds. Wallace was conveyed to London, where he arrived upon Sunday the 22d of August 1305. On the following day he was tried in Westminster Hall, with mock splendour and ceremony, by the form of English law, but without the least regard to its justice. In accordance with the predetermined resolution of Edward, he was condemned to suffer death, and the sentence was executed the same day, with disgraceful and revolting cruelty.

Thus ended the career of this noble-minded patriot, but not without leaving a name which will ever be revered. He found his country overpowered and disorganized, her people disheartened, her nobles and leaders in prison, or in the pay of one of the ablest monarchs that ever swayed the English sceptre, himself without wealth or influence, and an outlaw; yet under all these disadvantages, his love of freedom and hatred of oppression, his fearless courage and perseverance, which nothing could subdue, his military skill, his political sagacity, his natural eloquence, and the ardour with which he animated his companions and followers, all conspired to restore confidence in his countrymen, and to free them from the invaders; and had it not been for the pride, jealousy, and treachery of her nobles, the measures that he pursued for organizing the strength and extending the commerce of the kingdom would have given it a stability, which the warlike power of the English, aided by the experience, military tactics, and judgment of her monarch, would not have been able to overpower. As it was, both he and his country suffered from the venality of those who by birth and power were her natural protectors.

His person was of the most perfect form, and of a stature approaching the gigantic. In strength he was superior to the strongest men of his day; and his frame was such, that it was capable of bearing the greatest fatigue. At his execution it is probable that he was not above thirty-five years of age.