Knightmare wrote:Is it possible...... and this is a long shot, but is it possible that the stone along with lots of others was quarried, loaded onto train wagons and intended for the buidling of the Wallace Monument in Stirling? The monument was built in the 1860's so its intirely feasible that the stones and building materials for the monument came from far and wide.
Impossible - everyone knows the Wallace Monument is made of paper mache!
I’ve been thinking about your Wallace Stone these past few days and I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here.
Now a hundred years ago, roughly the time this book was written, location was very important.
Words and descriptions even more so. People would have been very precise with regards location and place names etc. Maps were obviously available but few people would have had them. Therefore if someone said a place-name (Riggend in this case) then that's where they meant.
Now I know this area very well. I travel through Riggend every day on my way to and from work.
I’ve also been up and down your Brackenhirst Road many times for many reasons.
This Wallace Stone is not in or at Riggend. Riggend is a very small place, so if you kidnapped a Riggender (?) and drove them a mile or so west along that road (to the stone), they would definitely say they were no longer in Riggend. I would not suggest doing this experiment, just take my word for it. They’d say they were in Brackenhurst or Drumbowie.
To clarify, if this is the stone which Knox in his book wanted to refer to, he'd have said Wallace Stone at Brackenhurst or Drumbowie. The AA Battery directly across the road is known officialy as being at Drumbowie, even Glenmavis - never Riggend.
The Wallace Stone may indeed exist BUT....
If that stone is it, it's been moved to that position from Riggend at some point. Why? Seems unlikely.
or
That stone is a red herring and the real one is still “in situ” and forgotten about - at Riggend.
or
The stone you refer to could just be some kind of oddity and the story’s been built up round about it through the years, although I do not doubt Mel Gibson erm I mean William Wallace passed through the area as described on his way to Falkirk.
I'm not doubting your Wallace Stone exists but it's the fact it's simply not in Riggend that doesn't sit right with me. I'm sure Wallace must have sharpened his sword many times and if legend has it he did it using a big stone at Riggend then fine but we're not in Riggend as this (1904) map shows;
Has someone, years ago, simply read the book and went looking for a stone and found this one thinking that it fits the bill. Airdrie is not a huge place and probably a bit boring when this book was published in the 20’s. I’d imagine this story created a little bit of excitement and perhaps some of the locals went looking and found this stone and before you know it we are where we are now.
I've also heard this story has two documented sources. Knox's book is one but I think it is imperative you find the other. I’ve spent much time on line going through “Google Books” and stuff but can only find the reference in your “Airdrie – A Historical Sketch”.