Following William Wallace's execution on 23 August 1305, his severed head was displayed on London Bridge—the first recorded head to be displayed on the structure.
Following William Wallace's execution on 23 August 1305, his severed head was displayed on London Bridge—the first recorded head to be displayed on the structure. The rest of his body was hacked into four pieces and displayed in four towns/cities in England and Scotland. One quarter was hung on a gibbet above the common sewer in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to the jubilation of those who had witnessed Wallace's brutal invasion of Northern England in 1297. Another limb was displayed in Berwick-upon-Tweed, a strategically important port and town. A third was displayed in Stirling, possibly on the bridge, the site of Wallace’s famous victory over the English in 1297. The last part was displayed in Perth (St John's Town). The distribution of Wallace’s body parts was intended "to put dread in and to warn all by-passers and observers."¹ There is no reliable historical evidence that suggests any part of his body was taken down and given a proper burial. His head wa