We're all intrigued with the history of William Wallace. In an Exhibit at the Scottish Parliament, visitors can actually SEE a 700-year old letter about William Wallace from Philip IV, the French King.
From the Scottish Parliament:
The only two original letters with a direct link to William Wallace have gone on display at the Scottish Parliament in a new exhibition.
The exhibition, entitled ‘Special Delivery: The William Wallace Letters’, runs until Saturday 8 September as the letters’ age and fragility mean they can only be shown for a short period of time.
Audio-visual screens and panels in the exhibition display help to tell the story of William Wallace and the struggle for power that took place across Europe in the early 1300s. They include work by seven Scottish school classes and two Dovecot Studios tapestries.
The Wallace Letter has been held in England since it was discovered in the Tower of London in the 1830s. It is now on loan to the National Records of Scotland after an agreement was reached with The National Archives in Kew. The Lübeck Letter is being loaned by the archives of the City of Lübeck, with the agreement of the Mayor and Council. It was last shown in Scotland in 2005, during the ‘For Freedom Alone’ exhibition at the Scottish Parliament.
Special activities planned around this exhibition
The NRS and Scottish Parliament Education teams are planning a comprehensive education programme at the Scottish Parliament to coincide with the exhibition including:
Friday 24th August – Debate (As part of the 2012 Festival of Politics, this is open to the general public and senior secondary pupils and teachers are invited to attend).
Thursday 30th August – National Glow Meet 14.00 – 14.45 Explore the exhibition and quiz the experts - Dr Alan Borthwick, Head of Medieval Records, National Records of Scotland and Dr Fiona Watson, independent researcher and author of 'Under the Hammer: Edward I and Scotland, 1286 - 1307'.
Friday 31st August 14.00 – 16.00 CPD for teachers including discussions with Dr Alan Borthwick and Dr Fiona Watson.
Monday 3rd – Friday 7th September 10.00 - 12.00 and 13.00 - 15.00. Workshops for upper primary and secondary schools, booking essential.
Scotland's Parliament sits at the foot of Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile in front of the spectacular Holyrood Park and Salisbury Crags.
For more information, please see:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/visitandlearn/45948.aspx
Written by Jessica Voigts
