A question about William Wallace.

**highlander_Daz** · 22nd November 07, 02:04 PM

might be worth mailing the society see if anyone has ever proved they are related to Wallace. I very much doubt it. its like saying that all Camerones are related to Black Taylor of the Axe, some might be some most likely are not, same as the MaccyD's and Somerlad. some of these clan guys stretch things very tight with family connections, and its always the most romantic and glamourous connection. Robert the Bruce must have spent every minute of every day "entertaining" women judging by the number of people who swear they are descended from him, !

**Rampant Lion** · 22nd November 07, 02:16 PM

I'm not overly interested in trying to determine if William Wallace is connected/related to Clan Grant because I don't believe he is. The burden of proof is on the other side of the argument.

**cessna152towser** · 22nd November 07, 02:39 PM

According to Scotland and her Tartans, by Alexander Fulton, Wallensis was a latin name for a Briton of Strathclyde. Richard Wallensis obtained the lands of Riccarton (Richard's Town) near Kilmarnock and he was a great grandfather of Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie, near Paisley, who was father of William Wallace. I have also seen reference to Wallace being interchanged with Welsh, as a descriptive surname for anyone from Wales. To this day there are lots of people around the Paisley and Kilmarnock areas with the surname Wallace. I know that I had a great great great grandfather named Robert Wallace who was a weaver in Paisley two hundred years ago but before that it is just not possible to trace my Wallace line as there are little or no written records of ordinary working people in Scotland in earlier times. So unless your ancestors happened to be well heeled landowners or peers of the realm, you aren't going to be able to trace your ancestral lines back any further. So much as its a romantic notion to think of people called Wallace as being descended from the great Scottish patriot, I always take anyone who claims to be a descendent of William Wallace with a big pinch of salt,

**highlander_Daz** · 22nd November 07, 02:41 PM

its a pity we cant find a genuine descendant/ relative for a DNA project,

this one about genghis khan is very intersting,

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...4_genghis.html

16 million descendants !!!! busy man indeed still was before the invention of televison.

**fluter** · 22nd November 07, 03:29 PM

Mike, well spoken.

Is anyone else having trouble seeing the images Mike has linked?

Sometimes I have been able to bring them up if I log in to the CLS forum and play around a bit...

**macwilkin** · 22nd November 07, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by highlander_Daz

might be worth mailing the society see if anyone has ever proved they are related to Wallace. I very much doubt it. its like saying that all Camerones are related to Black Taylor of the Axe, some might be some most likely are not, same as the MaccyD's and Somerlad. some of these clan guys stretch things very tight with family connections, and its always the most romantic and glamourous connection. Robert the Bruce must have spent every minute of every day "entertaining" women judging by the number of people who swear they are descended from him, !

We used to say the same thing about Robert E. Lee at the Civil War battlefield where I worked with all of the supposed descendants coming in -- how on earth did he ever have time to fight a war? :mrgreen:

T.

**Mike1** · 22nd November 07, 05:55 PM

Todd, there is a certain fellow that you 'know' well (he has been active on a Heraldry site you frequent, is from Canada and is the chair of a clan society) who has the position that Wallace was a mere myth. Since there is no evidence of any birth records, the man is nothing more than a Scottish myth and never actually existed.

If I've given you enough clues to identify the auld git, you are doubtless banging your head against the desk as you read this.

It is going to be more than a little difficult to make a bloodline connection to a man who was born in either 1270 or 1276, in either Elderslie or Ellerslie, who may or may not have married Marion Braidfute, etc., etc.

Blind Harry may have woven a fanciful tale, the veracity of which can not be proven.

Interestingly enough, the little girl that played the part of Murron MacClannough in Braveheart was in Lanark to portray Marion Braidfute during The Homecoming. There was a brazier at the foot of the walk leading to St. Kentigern's from the street that we used to light our torches for the march and she was lighting the brazier, just as we took the Spirit of Wallace coffin up to the church. There are images of her, located here and here.

(I'm linking to these images, as I do not have permission to hot-link them from the photographer.)

While Ross has long been known as 'Big Davy', I find he's not actually so tall.

The tall fellow, wearing the white shirt, in this image and in this image would be yours truly.

Here is an image of the pall bearers taking the coffin up the walk ahead of us. The gentleman standing on the left was Ross' road support, during the actual Walk for Wallace. He drove the van and prepared the meals whilst they moved southward.

A rather eerie image of another pal, piping us to the church.

I likely have some more images of the day floating about here, if anyone is interested in seeing them.

**Mike1** · 22nd November 07, 06:15 PM

Todd, here's one that will likely bring about a chuckle.

See the small boy in the white shirt looking back, over his shoulder?

He's looking directly at none other than Michel LaFosse.

There were several bodyguards around us and I can only wonder at how much they would have enjoyed a second opportunity to be in such close proximity to Carol and myself. Had they only known, eh?

There are so many stories that could be told about the day. Some good and some not so good, but overall it was a day I shall never forget.

**ccga3359** · 22nd November 07, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Mike1

Todd, there is a certain fellow that you 'know' well (he has been active on a Heraldry site you frequent, is from Canada and is the chair of a clan society) who has the position that Wallace was a mere myth. Since there is no evidence of any birth records, the man is nothing more than a Scottish myth and never actually existed.

Interesting position. Not that I'm going to jump all over this, even I know that even if records don't exist, doesn't mean the man didn't. It's also easier to argue that with no evidence than have to produce the same to counter that. Where does myth end and fact begin in regards to William Wallace?