Home / Scottish Clans - Histories, Tartans Crests and much more / Clan Wallace (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

Clan Wallace (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

By ScotsTee Shop

Wallace

Gaelic Name: Ullas

Clan Crest: Issuant from a crest coronet of four (three visible) strawberry leaves, Or, a dexter arm vambraced, the hand brandishing a sword, all Proper

Clan Motto: Pro libertate (For liberty)

Origin of Name: Volcae is a tribe from North Gaul.

Clan Badge: Oak

Lands: Ayrshire and Renfrewshire

Clan Chief:cIan Wallace Of That Ilk

⇨ View All Wallace Tartan Products

Wallace Clan History

The term Walensis is used to designate the Welsh in old Latin documents, but in Scotland it is more commonly used as a native name meaning a Strathclyde Briton and not, as is commonly assumed, a Welshman coming in the train of the Norman French. The name Wallace is derived from this Walensis.

The clan Wallace first appears in records in the twelfth century, holding extensive lands in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The Wallace family was founded by Richard Walensis of Riccarton.

The Wallace clan's motto is "Pro Libertate - for liberty," and no member of the family embodies that ideal more than Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, the great Scottish patriot.

Wallace, William (1274-1305)

After years of infighting and no clear heir to the Scottish Crown, Edward I of England was "invited" to govern the country. His nobles and soldiers abused the people of Scotland, as evidenced by laws such as "Prima Nocta," which allowed the English governor of each area to have sexual relations with a local bride on her wedding night. Under such tyranny, a young Scotsman, William Wallace, found his life in danger after a brawl with some English soldiers in Lanark's market place in 1297.

Despite the fact that he had escaped, the Sheriff of Lanark murdered a girl who had assisted him. The girl was thought to be his wife, a relationship kept hidden due to Prima Nocta. Wallace exacted his vengeance that night, killing the Sheriff. The sparks lit by the new outlaw sparked the nation's passions. When he joined forces with another rebel, Andrew de Moray (or Murray), they had a following that would soon frighten the King of England.

Edward I is confident. The Earl of Surrey, Viceroy, led an English army to Stirling to apprehend the troublemakers who had been attacking English installations. Instead, at Stirling Bridge, he lost half his army. Wallace's most trusted lieutenant, Andrew de Moray, was killed.

The noblemen of Scotland remained unwilling to support Wallace, preferring to talk rather than act. They saw England's support as a safe financial plan for themselves, which Wallace was threatening to disrupt. People's suffering was not taken into account. Meanwhile, Wallace and his growing army from all over Scotland retook Berwick and raided Northumberland.

Wallace made two mistakes at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298.

First, he met the English on their terms, fighting their superior forces in a pitched battle despite the fact that it had been his guerrilla fighting that had brought him so far. Second, he considered the word of the Scottish nobles to be valuable. He escaped the slaughter and fled to Europe to gather support.

He returned without success and was betrayed by the nobles again in 1305. He was hanged, disemboweled, and beheaded after appearing at Westminster Hall for a quick trial for treason against a king he never acknowledged. His head was affixed to a post at London Bridge, and his limbs were sent to Stirling, Perth, Berwick, and Newcastle for display.

— In the centuries that followed Scotland's war for independence, the Wallace family left a cultural and political imprint on the country. The Anglo-Scottish Border Wars, which raged throughout the 15th century, pitted the Scottish against the English. General John Wallace led the Scots to a decisive victory over the English forces of the 2nd Earl of Northumberland at the Battle of Sark in 1448.

After a Wallace married the heiress of Sir John Lindsay of Craigie, the Wallaces inherited the Craigie estate from the Lindsays sometime in the 1600s. The senior branch of the clan is descended from the Wallaces of Craigie.

Castle Huntly

Captain James Wallace served under General Robert Monro during the occupation of Clan Gordon Huntly Castle in 1640. During the Civil War, another Wallace was the royalist Sir Hugh Wallace, who raised a regiment to fight against Cromwell's army.

Sir William Alexander of Menstreis attempted to promote the Nova Scotia area as a Scottish colony in the latter half of the 17th century by making a number of Scotland's nobility Barons of Nova Scotia, including Hugh Wallace of Craigie in 1669. Hugh married Esther Kerr, the Laird of Little Dean's daughter. Unfortunately for the couple, their only son suffered from cerebral palsy, and upon the death of Sir Hugh, his brother's grandson, the Rev. William Wallace of Falford was made the second Baronet. The Rev. was a well-known and respected lawyer who rose to the position of Lord Justice Clerk, Scotland's second highest ranking judge.Sir Hew Wallace of Wolmet became the 4th Baronet after his brother, the 3rd, died, leaving behind a daughter.Sir Thomas Wallace, the 5th Baronet's only son, died young, and his estates were passed down to his daughter, Frances. In 1760, Frances married John Dunlop of Dunlop (a friend of Robert Burns). Sir John Dunlop, Dunlop's eldest son, inherited the title and became the 6th Baronet of Craigie, also taking the surname Wallace.

In the nineteenth century, the Wallaces of Cairnhill, a cadet branch who had lived in Jamaica for several generations, became the clan's chiefly line. Through marriage, that family inherited the Clancaird and Busbie estates in Ayrshire. In 1888, Captain Henry Wallace of Busbie and Clancaird claimed Clan Wallace's chieftainship. During WWI, Robert Wallace of the Ilk was awarded both the Belgian and French Croix de Guerre, and his son, Malcolm, rose to the rank of Colonel in the army, having served in WWII, Korea, and Borneo. In 1991, his brother, Ian, succeeded him as the clan's 35th chief.