Scottish archaeologist to excavate William Wallace's Stirling camp

Scottish archaeologist Dr Murray Cook, working independently, has identified what he believes to be the medieval road walked by Wallace and Andrew de Moray's – usually known as Murray – army on the morning of their decisive battle against the English.
The feature – a sunken causeway sealed within an 18th-century estate – aligns with contemporary accounts and topography of the battle site. The surrounding area, known as Spittal Hill, was once home to a medieval hospital and could have served as the Scots' base camp, offering shelter, water and medical support.
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Now, a Crowdfunder has been launched by Cook alongside comedian and amateur historian Bruce Fummey to raise £2000 for an excavation to confirm the findings.
Cook, a research fellow at the University of Stirling and Stirling Council's archaeologist, plans to conduct an excavation in September, coinciding with the anniversary of the battle.
He believes the discovery is not only exciting for historians but also for heritage tourism. The site is close to the Wallace Monument and if confirmed, would benefit from existing visitor facilities like car parking and toilets — with the potential to become a major attraction.
"What we're talking about here is a landscape feature from 1297 that was upstanding when Wallace walked it, and is still upstanding now. That's astonishing," Cook explained.
The ditch on the right is what remains of the road (Image: YouTube) "Over 700 years of development and ploughing, and it survived — probably only because a wealthy East India Company landowner incorporated it into his estate. That's huge for heritage, for education, for tourism.
"If we metal-detect it, maybe we'll find traces of the camp — coins, artefacts, personal items. More data gives us a clearer understanding of the people and the place."
If historians know where the Scots camped, they may be able to understand how the battle unfolded, how far Wallace had to travel, what his line of sight was and where he could have planned to retreat to if needed.
The battle was an important victory during the Wars of Independence as it showed that the Scots could beat the English given the correct place and time.
"And there's always the potential for surprises. You find one thing, and it shifts the whole interpretation," Cook said.
"This is Wallace's greatest-ever victory. We don't have the bridge, the causeway or the English-occupied castle, Robert the Bruce destroyed it, and the river's changed. But this – this road – is still there. It's something concrete, tied to Wallace."
The English army is estimated to have had no more than 12,000 footmen and 3000 on horse, which outnumbered Wallace and Murray's combined force of around 8000 to 9000.
The two Scottish commanders set their men in position on the northern side of the wooden bridge over the River Forth at Stirling.
Confident they could easily beat their opponents, the English were led by their leaders over the bridge, with half of the army left behind to follow.
When Wallace and Murray saw how the English had divided, they led their entire Scottish force in a rampaging charge, with Wallace confronting the vanguard and Murray leading his men on horseback and on foot to surround the half of the English army that was over the bridge.
In panic, the English tried to turn back but the bridge collapsed under the weight of men and horses. The Scots forded the river downstream and routed the rest of the English army who either fled or drowned in the river.

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