Wallace Sword

Wallace Sword

The Wallace Sword is an antique claymore purported to have belonged to William Wallace (1270 – 1305), a knight and Scottish patriot who led a resistance to the English occupation of Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence. It is said to have been used by William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and the Battle of Falkirk (1298).

The blade of the sword measures 4 feet 4 inches in length (132cm) and including the handle 5 feet 6 inches (168cm)cite web
url=http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/wallace/sword.htm|title=ALBA - The Sword of Sir William Wallace|accessdate=2008-07-18 |publisher=Highlander Web Magazine
] . The breadth of the blade varies from 2.25 inches at the guard to 0.75 inches before the point. The sword weighs 6 lb (2.7 kg). It has been estimated that to be able to wield the sword Sir William Wallace must have been more than 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) tall.

History

After William Wallace's execution in 1305 Sir John Menteith, governor of Dumbarton Castle received the sword in August of that year. Two hundred years later, in 1505, accounts still survive which state that at the command of King James IV of Scotland, the sum of 26 shillings was paid to an armorer for the "binding of Wallas sword with cords of silk" and providing it with "ane new hilt and plomet" and also with a "new scabbard and a new belt". This repair would have been necessary because Wallace's original scabbard, hilt and belt were said to have been made from the dried skin of Hugh Cressingham, one of the English commanders at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

No other written records of the sword are found for a further three centuries until 1875 when a letter from the War Office informs that the sword, in 1825 was sent to the Tower of London to be repaired where it was submitted to a Dr Samuel Meyrick by the Duke of Wellington for examination.

A Dr. Meyrick was an expert authority on ancient swords but he estimated the age of the sword by examining the mountings only, which as we know were replaced early in the 16th century. Thus he concluded that the sword could not date from earlier than the 15th century. However he did not take into the account of the blade which must have been of some importance for James IV to have it bound in silk and give it a new scabbard, hilt and belt and it was also described then as the "Wallas sword".

Today William Wallace's sword can be viewed at the Wallace Monument near Stirling in Scotland. The sword was recovered from Dunbarton by Charles Rogers, author of "The Book of Wallace". Rogers, on 15th October 1888 renewed a former correspondence with the Secretary of State for War, with the result that the Major-General commanding forces in North Britain was authorized to deliver the weapon to his care for preservation in the Wallace Monument.

Historical accuracy

There is legitimate reason to question the claim that this sword belonged to William Wallace. The sword is more consistent in proportion and appearance with a zweihander a primarily 16th century weapon; though it does not share the blade geometry of typical zweihanders. The sword does not fit the Oakeshott typology of medieval longswords. The blade does not possess a fuller — a near universal feature of blades with this type of cross-section (lenticular) [http://swordforum.com/fall99/sword-of-william-wallace.html Sword Forum essay] except in processional swords of the Renaissance. The blade length is a full foot longer than longswords typical for the period.

References

*"The Book of Wallace" by Rev Charles Rogers, D.D, L.L.D
*"Scotlands Brave" by Darren Loudoun.

External links

* [http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/wallace/sword.htm The William Wallace Sword]
* [http://swordforum.com/fall99/sword-of-william-wallace.html Sword Forum essay]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wallace Monument — Not to be confused with the National Monument of Scotland in Edinburgh. The monument The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a tower standing on the summit of Abbey Craig, a hilltop near Stirling in Scotland. It …   Wikipedia

  • Sword and planet — is a subgenre of speculative fiction that features rousing adventure stories set on other planets, and usually featuring Earthmen as protagonists. Though there are works that herald the genre such as Percy Greg s Across The Zodiac (1880) and,… …   Wikipedia

  • William Wallace — For other people named William Wallace, see William Wallace (disambiguation). Sir William Wallace …   Wikipedia

  • Clan Wallace — Crest badge …   Wikipedia

  • The pen is mightier than the sword — is a metonymic adage coined by Edward Bulwer Lytton in 1839 for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy .cite book title=Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy: A Play in Five Acts. publisher=Saunders and Otley, Conduit St. location=London year=1839… …   Wikipedia

  • Bill Wallace (martial artist) — Bill Wallace Born William Louis Wallace December 1, 1945 (1945 12 01) (age 65) Portland, Indiana, US Othe …   Wikipedia

  • he who lives by the sword dies by the sword — Other weapons may be substituted for the sword, as in quot. 1997. With allusion to MATTHEW xxvi. 52 (AV) All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword; Cf. 1601 A. MUNDAY et al. Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington L1 Alas for woe: but… …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • Bill Wallace (martial arts) — Bill Wallace (December 1, 1945) is an American martial artist, best known as Bill Superfoot Wallace or simply Superfoot , a notable kickboxer of the 1970s.Fact|date=June 2007 Background Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana, and began his study… …   Wikipedia

  • William Ross Wallace — (1819 – May 5, 1881) was an American poet best known for writing The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World .Wallace was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1819.Wallace s obituary in The New York Times lists his place of birth as …   Wikipedia

  • GRENFELL, SIR FRANCIS WALLACE —    Major General, late Sirdar of the Egyptian army, born in London; distinguished himself in Zulu, Transvaal, Egyptian, and Nile expeditions (1885 1892), and commanded forces in Egypt (1897 98); was presented by the Khedive with a sword of honour …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”