THOUSANDS of people have signed a petition calling for a 700-year-old letter asking the Pope to support William Wallace to stay in Scotland rather than be sent back to England.
The brief letter written in a form of Latin shorthand was sent to the French King’s agents in the court of Pope Boniface VIII in 1300.
Wallace’s mission in Europe remains a mystery, but in the note, King Phillipe IV asks the Pope to support the Scottish knight in “those things which he has to transact”.
The document has been on loan to The National Records of Scotland for 14 years, but it is scheduled to be returned to The National Archives in Kew, England, in September.
The petition – which states "this letter isn't just a piece of parchment; it symbolizes freedom, resistance, and the spirit of Scotland's fight for sovereignty" – has been signed by more than 2500 people at the time of writing.
"For us in the Society of William Wallace – the leading organisation dedicated to the promotion of Wallace’s life, the sites associated with him, and Wallace in general – it's just not acceptable," David Reid, convener of the society since 2024, told The National.
"When I came into the position as convener, it was known that the Wallace letter was on short notice. It had been here for over a decade and there was a risk it would be sent back. From my point of view, that’s not acceptable. I took the stance that if the society didn’t exist tomorrow, for whatever reason, who would be here to fight for it?
"The answer is nobody. There is no replacement. There is no governing body that would stand to protect it."
Wallace is famous for leading the Scots in the defeat of the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. He later spent time in Europe but by 1305 was back in Scotland where he was captured, taken to London and executed.
Historians discovered the letter in the Tower of London in the 1830s, and while no-one knows exactly how it got there, experts believe Wallace carried it with him.
"The London archives’ perspective is that the letter was sent to William Wallace by the King of France, and that the letter ended up in England because it was intercepted, which they say makes it fair game for them by international standards.
"Scotland’s point of view is that it was handed to Wallace in the court of King Philip in France. If it weren’t for the French antiquities people weighing in, it would have been a different story. They supported the view that it would have been given to him, not sent independently, and that it was taken from his person after he was captured in London in 1305.
"So the argument is that it belonged to Wallace, it was on his person, and therefore should have been returned to his family.
"So the claim that it should be in The National Archives in London, in our opinion, is very weak. It has no cultural basis there. There’s no evidence they’ve ever exhibited it while it’s been in their collection. There’s no argument, in our minds, for it to stay there."
Reid is also calling for an asset transfer – like seen with the Stone of Destiny – to Scotland.
"The petition we’ve got going is primarily to raise awareness, because we’re in a time‑sensitive situation. The loan period expires in September. We weren’t willing to sit on our hands and hope for quick action.
"We were advised, including by former Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson, that to gain traction we’d need to submit a parliamentary petition at Holyrood. We did. It was knocked back, with the committee saying we hadn’t done enough groundwork."
This petition is part of the groundwork, as well as a meeting with former culture secretary Angus Robertson and writing to every MSP ahead of the election. The parliamentary petition has been resubmitted for consideration.
The group are seeking a meeting with newly appointed Culture Secretary Mairi McAllan to discuss the issue, as well as proposals for a "Wallace Day" to celebrate the legacy of the Scot.
"As I said to Angus Robertson, Scotland is one of the few nations in the world where its national hero is sidelined into the shadows to such a degree," Reid shared.
"I mentioned countries like France, the Philippines and the United States, where national heroes are publicly recognised, have their own days, appear on banknotes or government emblems. Here, it comes across as if we’re either embarrassed or ashamed. That’s the wrong message."
When the letter arrived in Scotland in 2012, culture secretary at the time Fiona Hyslop said: "I am delighted to welcome the Wallace letter back to Scotland. It is one of the few surviving artefacts with a direct link to William Wallace and a fascinating fragment of our nation's history.
"To have it here in Scotland, where it can be viewed by the Scottish public, is very significant indeed."
Due to the age and fragility of the document, it has only been exhibited three times while it has been in Scotland – the most recent being on St Andrew's Day in 2024.
When asked about whether the exhibitions had been appropriately marketed, an NRS spokesperson said: "The exhibition in 2024, along with the previous displays of the letters, was widely promoted through our communications channels and to media, and many visitors have enjoyed the opportunity to view the document."
The spokesperson added: “The letter is part of a wider collection at TNA and archives are responsible for preserving collections as coherent wholes – their collective significance is often greater than that of any individual item. Both NRS and TNA have a duty to uphold best practice and safeguard the integrity of archival materials.
“NRS has created two high quality facsimiles made by an expert craftsperson. They will stay in Scotland as a lasting legacy of the loan and will be available for local exhibition to reach wider audiences.”
A statement from the The National Archives in England reads: "As the official archives for the UK Government, we hold a range of records that are part of our shared history across the whole of the United Kingdom, including Scotland. The Wallace letter has been on loan to National Records Scotland since 2012.
"The loan of the Wallace letter to NRS by The National Archives (TNA) has been agreed until September 2026. We aim to build on the work done at National Records Scotland and widen access to this important record."
