David Robertson Ross (28 February 1958 – 2 January 2010) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

author and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. He published eight books, most of them mixing elements of

Scottish history The recorded history of Scotland begins with the Scotland during the Roman Empire, arrival of the Roman Empire in the 1st century, when the Roman province, province of Roman Britain, Britannia reached as far north as the Antonine Wall. No ...

and

travel literature The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. History Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered a ...

. He was for many years, until his death, the elected

convenor The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

of The Society of William Wallace, an association dedicated to studying and commemorating the life and the personality of

William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...

. In 2005, for the 700th anniversary of Wallace's capture and subsequent

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

, Ross undertook a 450-mile walk in Wallace's honour. He was a strong supporter of

Scottish independence Scottish independence (; ) is the idea of Scotland regaining its independence and once again becoming a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. The term Scottish independence refers to the political movement that is campaignin ...

Personal life

David Robertson Ross was born on 28 February 1958 in

Giffnock Giffnock (; ; , ) is a town and the administrative centre of East Renfrewshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies east of Barrhead, east-southeast of Paisley and northwest of East Kilbride, at the southwest of the Greater G ...

East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire (; ) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood (district), Eastwood district of the Strathclyde region. The northeastern part of the council area is close to Glasgow and ma ...

. At the age of 5 his family moved to

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...

(

South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...

), where he attended Halfmerk Primary School and East Kilbride High, which he left in 1974 with six "O" levels. At the age of about 15, he became interested in the novels of

Nigel Tranter Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on history and architecture, both fiction and non-fiction. He was best-known for his popular and well-researched historical novels, covering centurie ...

, that inspired him to grow an interest in the history of Scotland, as he realised that the history curriculum in British schools was told from an

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

-centric perspective that ignored (or nearly so) the individual histories of the other countries and regions forming the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. At 17, with his

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

, he started visiting the locations of the main events of Scottish history - all this while working in the

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

. David R. Ross was twice

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

d and had a daughter, born in 1987.

Death

Ross died on 2 January 2010 in his home in East Kilbride due to a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Books

In the mid-1990s, during a lecture at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

that Ross was attending, Dr. Elspeth King mentioned that a book listing all the sites in Scotland related to the life of

Sir William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of S ...

had never been published; this inspired Ross to write ''On the Trail of William Wallace'', that was published in 1999 by the

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

-based Luath Press. It was followed by ''On the Trail of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

'', written with the same style - a list of all the sites related to the life of the man who became King Robert I of Scotland as visited by Ross on his motorcycle. The third book in the "on the trail of" series was ''On the Trail of

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

'', published in 2001. The fourth and last book in the series was ''On the Trail of Scotland's History'', published in 2008. Outwith the "on the trail of" series - but still linked to Scottish history and places - Ross published ''A Passion for Scotland'' in 2003, a generic (but deeply heart-felt) history of the country; ''Desire Lines: A Journey Around Scotland and Through Her History'' (2004), in which Ross guides the reader "off the beaten path" and to the less renowned corners of Scotland; ''For Freedom: The Last Days of William Wallace'' (2007)Ross, David Robertson, (2007).
For Freedom: The Last Days of William Wallace
'. Luath Press, 155 pps. in which he recounts the last week in the life of the hero, from his capture to his execution, and the repercussions of those events in history, and ''James the Good: The Black Douglas'', dedicated to the story of the Scottish hero and soldier, in 2008. At the time of his death Ross was working on a book about the role of women in Scottish history, which might be completed by his daughter Kimberley.

The Society of William Wallace

David R. Ross was, until the time of his death, the elected convener of The Society of William Wallace, a non-political organisation aimed to uphold the memory of the Scottish folk hero. He was a key speaker at the yearly events organised by the society, specifically the William Wallace Memorial Days held in Elderslie (allegedly Wallace's birthplace) and in

Robroyston Robroyston () is a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, located around northeast of the city centre. To the north, it directly adjoins Auchinairn (part of Bishopbriggs) in the neighbouring East Dunbartonshire local authority area. The Glasgow neighbo ...

, where Wallace was captured.

Walk for Wallace

In 2005, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the capture and subsequent execution of William Wallace, Ross undertook a 450-mile solo march along the path most likely taken by Wallace from the location in which he was captured to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where he was hanged, drawn and quartered. He left Robroyston (now a suburb of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

) on 3 August 2005, the anniversary of the date in which Wallace was taken by

John de Menteith Sir John Menteith of Ruskie and Knapdale (c. 1275 – c. 1329) was a Scottish nobleman during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is known for his capture of Sir William Wallace in 1305 and later joined with King Robert I of Scotland and ...

, after the yearly function organised by The Society of William Wallace to reach London on the evening of the 22nd of the same month - the same date in which Wallace entered the English capital city. His only support was a van in which he slept and took his meals. His walk and the subsequent memorial service are narrated in the DVD ''Walk for Wallace'' and are referred to in his book ''For Freedom''.

William Wallace memorial service

As William Wallace never received a funeral or a proper burial (as was then the custom for those accused of

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

), David R. Ross and The Society of William Wallace organised, on 23 August 2005 (the 700th anniversary of Wallace's execution), a full memorial function to commemorate the life of the Scottish hero. Ross, who had reached London from Robroyston on foot the previous evening, gave an opening speech in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, in the same room in which Wallace was summarily tried and condemned to death under accusation of high treason, before leading a six-mile march to Smithfield where, near the church of

St. Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

, Wallace had been executed. Under the plaque commemorating Wallace, Ross gave one more speech before a short exhibition by the band Clann An Drumma. Inside St. Bartolomew church, then, a full memorial service was held before an empty

coffin A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English. A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...

symbolically holding Wallace's spirit. Short speeches were given by the same David R. Ross, the then-leader of the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond ( ; 31 December 1954 – 12 October 2024) was a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure in the Scottish nationalist movement, he was Leader of the Sc ...

and historian Fiona Watson, with

Ronnie Browne Ronald Grant Browne (born 20 August 1937), known as The Voice, is a Scottish musician and songwriter, who is a founding member of The Corries. Biography Browne was born in Edinburgh to John Albert 'Bertie' Browne, a truck d ...

The Corries The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. The group was a trio from their formation until 1966 when founder Bill Smith left the band but Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne contin ...

performing a version of ''

Flower of Scotland "Flower of Scotland" (Scottish Gaelic: ''Flùr na h-Alba'', Scots: ''Flouer o Scotland'') is a Scottish patriotic song commonly used as an unofficial national anthem of Scotland. Written in the mid-1960s by the folk musician Roy Williamson, ...

'' and Ted Christopher playing ''Coming Home'', a song he had composed specifically for the occasion. All those present were then invited to leave a memento of some kind inside the coffin, that was later brought back to Scotland and laid to rest in

Lanark Lanark ( ; ; ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a populatio ...

, in the St. Kentigern church where allegedly Wallace got married.

Campaign for the return of the Wallace safe conduct letter

David R. Ross was also at the front in the successful campaign to have a safe conduct letter that had been issued to Wallace by King

Philip IV of France Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. Jure uxoris, By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre and Count of Champagne as Philip&n ...

in order to allow him safe passage in order for him to meet the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

, returned to Scotland. This letter was eventually returned to Scotland on 12 January 2012 and will be on display to the people of Scotland at a free exhibition which ran from 10 to 31 August at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

Tributes

After David R. Ross's death, The Society for William Wallace decided to include his image in its new flag in permanent memory. This flag was displayed for the first time on 21 August 2010, at the William Wallace Memorial Day in Elderslie. A group of members of The Society of William Wallace - USA, during a visit to Scotland, erected a

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

in his memory near

Loch Lochy Loch Lochy () is a large freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. With a mean depth of , it is the third-deepest loch of Scotland. Geography Located southwest of Loch Ness along the Glen Albyn, Great Glen, the lo ...

. The Argentinian

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for example ...

band

Skiltron Skiltron is a folk metal band formed in Buenos Aires in 2004 by Emilio Souto. Since 2018, the band has moved to Europe (Finland, Spain and France). Skiltron are considered one of the few Southern American metal bands to fuse Heavy metal music, ...

released the tribute song ''On the Trail of David Ross'' on their 2013 album ''Into the Battleground''. The song makes specific mention of the Walk for Wallace. Other tributes to him can be found on the websites of crime writer Lin Anderson and of the band Albannach. An official tribute was also paid by

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, David R. 1958 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Scottish historians Scottish nationalists 21st-century Scottish historians People from East Kilbride