On the Trail of William Wallace by David R. Ross

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 where he was hanged, drawn and quartered. 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, where Wallace was captured.

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. 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) 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.Īt 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 fourth and last book in the series was On the Trail of Scotland's History, published in 2008. The third book in the 'on the trail of' series was On the Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie, published in 2001. It was followed by On the Trail of Robert the Bruce, 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.

Elspeth King mentioned that a book listing all the sites in Scotland related to the life of William Wallace had never been published this inspired Ross to write On the Trail of William Wallace, that was published in 1999 by the Edinburgh-based Luath Press. In the mid-1990s, during a lecture at the University of Glasgow that Ross was attending, Dr. Ross died on 2 January 2010 in his home in East Kilbride due to a heart attack. Ross was twice divorced and had a daughter named Kimberley, born in 1987.

On the Trail of William Wallace by David R. Ross