William Wallace (4)
I’ll bring my account of William Wallace to a close today. In September
1297, Wallace and his companion, Andrew de Moray, went to Stirling
Bridge. They were on the north side of the bridge. They had thousands
of soldiers.
The English had a much bigger army, however. They were under the
command of John de Warenne, the Earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham,
the treasure of the English governors in Scotland. They were waiting
south of the bridge.
De Warenne sent two priests over to where Wallace was. They were
offering forgiveness to the Scots if they put down their weapons.
Wallace refused the offer.
Matters went well for the English to begin with. The Scots stood where
they were. English cavalry crossed the bridge. They were followed by
infantry. Still, the Scots did not attack them.
But they were not idle. Wallace asked a group of spearmen to go down to
the river. When half of the English army had crossed, the spearmen
closed the bridge. Wallace’s soldiers attacked those who had already
crossed the bridge.
The English cavalry retreated, backwards. They were now among their own
infantry. There was uproar. The Scots won the day. It was said, of the
large number of English who crossed the bridge, that only three
survived. Cressingham was among the dead.
The Earl of Surrey reckoned they weren’t safe where they were. His army
fled to Berwick on the English side of the Border. That wasn’t all. The
English soldiers fled from the castles that they had held in the south
of Scotland.
William Wallace thus gave Scotland its [her] freedom. He was recognised as
the country’s governor. That wasn’t the end of the story, however. King
Edward of England, who was on the mainland of Europe, was very angry about
what happened. But I’ll leave the rest of the story to another day.
Uilleam Uallas (4)
Bheir mi an cunntas agam air Uilleam Uallas gu crìch an-diugh. Anns an
t-Sultain, dà cheud deug, naochad ʼs a seachd (1297), chaidh Uallas agus a
chompanach Anndra Moireach a Dhrochaid Shruighlea. Bha iad air an taobh
tuath dhen drochaid. Bha na mìltean shaighdearan aca.
Bha armailt tòrr na bu mhotha aig na Sasannaich, ge-tà. Bha iad fo stiùir
Iain Uarainn, Iarla Shurraidh, agus Ùisdean Cresingham, ionmhasair an
luchd-riaghlaidh Shasannaich ann an Alba. Bha iad a’ feitheamh gu deas air
an drochaid.
Chuir Uarainn dithis shagartan a-null far an robh Uallas. Bha iad a’
tairgsinn maitheanas do na h-Albannaich nan leigeadh iad sìos an armachd.
Dhiùlt Uallas an tagradh.
Chaidh gnothaichean gu math do na Sasannaich an toiseach. Sheas na
h-Albannaich far an robh iad. Chaidh marc-shluagh Shasainn tarsainn na
drochaid. Bha iad air an leantainn le saighdearan-coise. Fhathast, cha tug
na h-Albannaich ionnsaigh orra.
Ach cha robh iad dìomhain. Dh’iarr Uallas air buidheann de luchd-sleagha
dhol sìos don abhainn. Nuair a bha leth de dh’armailt nan Sasannach air a
dhol tarsainn, dhùin an luchd-sleagha an drochaid. Thug saighdearan Uallais
ionnsaigh air an fheadhainn a bh’ air a dhol tarsainn na h-aibhne
mu-thràth.
Chaidh am marc-shluagh Sasannach air ais, an comhair an cùil. Bha iad
a-nise am measg nan saighdearan-coise aca fhèin. Bha buaireadh ann. Chaidh
an latha leis na h-Albannaich. Bhathar ag ràdh, dhen àireamh mhòr de
Shasannaich a chaidh tarsainn na drochaid, nach d’ fhuair às beò ach
triùir. Bha Cresingham am measg nam marbh.
Bha Iarla Shurraidh dhen bheachd nach robh iad sàbhailte far an robh iad.
Theich an armailt aige gu ruige Bearaig air taobh Shasainn dhen chrìch. Cha
b’ e sin a-mhàin. Theich na saighdearan Sasannach bho na caistealan, a bha
air a bhith nan làmhan, ann an ceann a deas na h-Alba.
Thug Uilleam Uallas mar sin a saorsa a dh’Alba. Chaidh aithneachadh mar
riaghladair na dùthcha. Cha b’ e sin deireadh an sgeòil, ge-tà. Bha Rìgh
Eideard Shasainn, a bha air tìr-mòr na Roinn Eòrpa, gu math feargach mu na
thachair. Ach fàgaidh mi an còrr dhen sgeul gu latha eile.
