HISTORY experts have uncovered the remains of a medieval church on the site
where the real life Braveheart is thought to have been made Guardian of
Scotland following the defeat of the English more than 700 years ago.
The shock discovery – which archaeologists at first believed would only be a
16th century church – was made at the Kirk o’ the Forest in Selkirk where in
1297 William Wallace and Andrew de Moray were given the title after leading
a small Scottish force to victory over Edward I’s large army at the Battle
of Stirling Bridge.
Wallace – played by actor Mel Gibson in the 1995 film Braveheart – led
Scottish rebels to victory at Stirling after the English invasion 17 years
earlier.
A ceremony is believed to have taken place shortly after the battle and the
remains of a medieval chapel have now been located in a study of the ruins
of the Borders town’s 18th century Auld Kirk church.
Dr Chris Bowles, Scottish Borders Council’s archaeologist, commissioned the
study carried out by the University of Durham and the Selkirk Conservation
Area Regeneration Scheme.
He said: “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.
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“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.
“Wallace went on to become the legendary figure he remains today.”
Council leaders hope the discovery will lead to a tourism boost for Selkirk.
Planning boss Ron Smith said: “This is a fascinating discovery and
further strengthens the links between William Wallace and Selkirk. Working
with the community, we hope to be able to make the most of this discovery.
“Thanks to the geophysical study of the site we can almost pinpoint where
Wallace would have stood when he was made Guardian of Scotland. I hope it
will be possible to install information and interpretation boards for
visitors.
“This discovery adds to the historic attraction of Selkirk, and of the
Borders as a whole, and will surely draw in even more visitors.”