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The Scottish Wars of Independence: a titanic struggle over the fate of the Scottish nation which made heroes of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, and saw many clashes that have gone down as among the most significant in the country's history. None, however, were to be quite as momentous as the epic Battles of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn.
In this book, archaeologist Dr Murray Cook revisits these critical campaigns with reference to his many excavations around the area and the exciting historical discoveries that are still being unearthed to this very day. He explains the background of the battles and the personalities involved, describes the action that took place on those fateful days, and discusses the far-reaching impact the Wars of Independence had on the future of Scotland.
Bannockburn and Stirling Bridge culminates in a five-stage walk around Stirling and the surrounding area in which the author describes the ways that the Wars of Independence shaped the city's destiny: an influence which can still be witnessed today through the many different historical sites and archaeological finds located throughout the vicinity. He brings the past alive with detailed illustrations drawn from the tumultuous events of bygone centuries, and encourages his readers to seek out the nation's vibrant history for themselves.
About the author
Dr Murray Cook is Stirling Council's Archaeologist and is from Leith originally, though he also lived and went to school in Edinburgh. He lives in Stirling with a long-suffering wife, three teenage girls and two pesky but loveable cats. He has undertaken numerous excavations across the region and published over 40 books and articles. He won a Stirling's Provost Award in 2018 for his work for the Council, where he has helped raise over £300,000 to be spent on community archaeology and research and has even got invited to see the Queen at Holyrood Palace, along with a few hundred others! He has appeared on several TV programmes, and has sometime even been paid! He writes a regular column in the Stirling Observer and runs Stirling Archaeology, a Facebook page dedicated to Stirling's fantastic heritage!Murray studied at Edinburgh University worked first for AOC Archaeology, rising from subcontractor to Commercial Director. His PhD dissertation, which has a rather long and boring title, was based on 10 years of research in Aberdeenshire on settlement patterns between 2000 BC and AD 1000.He is an Honorary Research Fellow at Stirling University, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, runs an occasional course at Forth Valley College on Stirling and likes to do it in ditches (archaeology, that is!). He also co-runs regular training digs open to all under the name Rampart Scotland, and is an associate lecturer at Forth Valley College.Archaeology is at first glance an off-putting word, easy to say but hard to spell, and Murray has been called the Council's Archivist and Architect before. But he believes that archaeology should be open to all, it is our shared past and it belong to everyone, so barriers should be removed. On this basis Murray runs a series of free walks, lectures and digs through the year to allow people to explore their past - and it's open to everyone.
