On this day in history,
On this day in history, in AD 1305, Scottish warrior and outlaw Sir William Wallace arrived in London ahead of his "trial" and execution.
Wallace had been captured by the Scots near Glasgow earlier in the month and had been subsequently handed over to the English, who then brought him south to London. The route that the procession took is not known, but the journey south from Scotland lasted approximately seventeen days.
Wallace arrived in the capital on Sunday 22 August. The London in which he found himself was bustling, as many had turned out to see the hated Scot, but also because the popular Bartholomew Fair—which was held at Smithfield where Wallace would be executed—was just two days away.
Rather than being held in the Tower of London, as you might expect, Wallace was put up under heavy guard in the house of William de Leyre on Fenchurch Street. According to the Annals of London:
"In the same year on 22 August, Sir William Wallace, knight, born of Scottish birth, came to London; a multitude of men and women met him and he was put up in the houses of William de Leyre, citizen of London, in the parish of All Saints."
The reason Wallace was held in a house rather than the Tower might have been due to the large multitude that crowded the streets and thus made it difficult for the procession to reach its destination. After all, Wallace was hated in England and many were no doubt keen to catch a glimpse of the Scottish bogeyman. But it may have been King Edward"s intention all along. Wallace, who was described by the English as an "outlaw and a brigand", and "an ogre of unspeakable depravity who skinned his prisoners alive, burned babies and forced nuns to dance naked for him", was perhaps deemed to be undeserving of the Tower of London due to his alleged crimes and lowly "ignoble" status. It might also have been due to the fact that Wallace arrived in London the day before his execution and it was not necessary to hold him in the Tower for just one night.
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