About, page 4

De Moray, it is argued, was himself a noble with all of the right connections. Without him, Wallace, the former outlaw, was dangerously exposed, as much at risk from the political intrigues of his fellow Scots nobles who felt that they possessed the right to exercise power as from military reprisals by the English. It was only after Wallace gained a knighthood and the office of Guardian of the Realm that it seems he became sufficiently sure of his position of personal authority to issue documents in his own name.

There is no doubt that had Andrew Moray lived, his contribution to the campaign of 1297 was so great that it is inevitable that he too would have been knighted and also appointed Guardian.

A few months after his death his widow bore him a son, also named Andrew. His child would also play a decisive role in resisting English attempts to control Scotland, going on to support Robert the Bruce in the campaign for freedom.

Andrew de Moray’s achievements in one summer were immense. In the summer of 1297 he single-handedly masterminded a campaign to clear northern Scotland of English soldiers and administrators. The list of castles that he captured or razed would be immense. He also was the joint-commander, and perhaps the tactical mastermind, of the Scottish army which achieved a spectacular victory at Stirling Bridge on 11th September 1297.

Yet a combination of his early death in battle and his association with William Wallace, whose reputation has smothered the name all of those associated with him, has meant that the name of Andrew de Moray is largely unknown in Scotland today.