A letter taken from Sir William Wallace by his English captors over 700 years ago is to remain in Edinburgh for two more years after an agreement was made to extend its loan from London.
The fragile letter known as the “Wallace Safe Conduct” is considered one of the most important Scottish artefacts as it was with the freedom fighter when he was captured in 1305.
Written in Latin and dated 7 November 1300, the message from King Philip IV of France to his agents in Rome commands them to assist the Scots hero in his business before the Pope.
Discovered in the Tower of London in the 1830s, the document is now officially part of the collection of The National Archives (TNA) in Kew, though it has been on loan to the National Records of Scotland (NRS) since 2012.
The current loan period was set to expire, but a new agreement has now been reached to keep it in Edinburgh until at least September 2026.
An NRS spokesperson said: “The loan of the Wallace letter to the National Records of Scotland is being extended by The National Archives until September 2026.
“Making collections accessible to everyone is a priority and we are delighted to work in partnership with The National Archives on this historic document.”
Because of its age and fragility, the letter can only be displayed for limited periods of time and it has spent much of its time in Scotland in safe storage.
It went on public display for the first time in six years to mark St Andrew’s Day on November 30 last year. More than 250 people queued to see it while it was on show for just five hours.
The letter is one of only two surviving documents with a personal connection to Wallace. The other is the “Lubeck Letter” that he and Andrew de Moray wrote to German merchants to encourage them to resume trade with Scotland following their victory over the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297.
Wallace left Scotland for France in 1298, after his defeat to the English King, Edward I, at the Battle of Falkirk.
He travelled to the court of King Philip IV in an effort to persuade him to support the Scottish Cause against Edward.
The letter shows he was in France in 1300 and suggests that he intended to visit Pope Boniface VIII, although it is not known whether he reached Rome.
English records state that Wallace was carrying a safe conduct letter from the King of France when he was captured.
The letter was returned to Scotland in 2012 after a team of medieval historians and academics from Scotland, England and France all agreed it was original and likely to have been in Wallace’s possession when he was taken to London before being hanged, drawn and quartered for treason on 23 August 1305.
Gary Stewart, of the Society of William Wallace, which has campaigned for the letter to be kept in Scotland, said: “I’m pleased that the loan period has been extended.
“This letter is a rare direct link to Scotland’s national hero and belongs in Scotland.”
Translation of the letter by King Philip IV to his agents in Rome:
“Philip by the grace of God, King of the French, to our beloved and faithful agents appointed to the Roman Court, greetings and favour. We command you to request the Supreme Pontiff to consider with favour our beloved William le Walois [Wallace] of Scotland, knight, in those things which he has to transact with him. Dated at Pierrefonds on Monday after the feast of All Saints. [7 Nov 1300].”
