The rise of William Wallace

[eBob]

The following year, 1297, saw the start of Wallace's rise to prominence. According to local Ayrshire legend, two English soldiers challenged Wallace over fish he had caught. The argument escalated into a full-scale fight, with the result that Wallace killed the soldiers. The authorities issued a warrant for his arrest shortly thereafter. Whatever the truth of this story, it appears that Wallace had a long-standing hatred of the English, partially based on his father and elder brother's death at their hands in 1291. He definitely enters history when he killed the English Sheriff of Lanark, this was not an isolated incident but part of a generalised Scottish rising, although according to later legend this was to avenge the killing of his wife. He further avenged his father's death by winning battles at Loudoun Hill (near Darvel, Ayrshire) and Ayr. May found him fighting alongside Sir William Douglas in Scone, routing the English justiciar, William de Ormesby. Supporters of the growing popular revolt suffered a major blow when Scottish nobles agreed to terms with the English at Irvine in July, and in August, Wallace left his base in Selkirk Forest to join Andrew de Moray's army at Stirling. Moray had started another rising, and their forces combined at Stirling, where they prepared to meet the English in battle.

www.electricscotland.com/history/wallace.htm