Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022

Part Two – Andrew de Moray

Some stories are difficult to begin at all, so scant are the details. If William Wallace is a historical mystery, his co-leader at the Battle of Stirling Bridge is an enigma further still.

Andrew de Moray was born the son of a nobleman in the north east of Scotland. The Morays possessed extensive territory in this part of the highlands and were one of the few noble families to resist the relentless ambitions of Edward I.

Moray would be unexpectedly pushed into the spotlight as figurehead for his father’s lands. The elder Sir Andrew Moray languished in English captivity in the Tower of London while the son, considered of lesser importance, was imprisoned in the north of England.

Moray continues to revolt

At some point during the winter of 1296-97, the younger Moray must have made a daring escape, for he was back in the north east and his father’s lands prior to meeting a certain William Wallace.

The Moray strongholds remained resolute, holding firm against any attempts to complete Edward’s occupation of Scotland. Even as other families fell, cowed by threats of their lands being confiscated, the north-east pushed back, defiant.

The north-east of Scotland became a hotbed of sustained rebellion, some resistance no doubt instigated personally by Andrew de Moray. Meanwhile, men flocked to Wallace in the lowlands, his own opposition to Edward’s rule growing in strength.

A joining of two forces

In this story, it almost seems fate that the two rebels would meet. With their forces combined, and their superior knowledge of highland terrain, their chance of defeating the might of Edward’s army increased, however slightly.

But that famous battle is a tale best kept for another time.

The loss of a champion

Andrew de Moray’s own story would end tragically short. Victory came at the cost of his health and later his life. But his name endured, recorded in the deeds of history and also through the life of his infant son, also Andrew Moray. With the death of the elder Sir Andrew in 1298, the lordship of Petty passed to this young grandson, possibly upon his first breath.

Andrew de Moray was among those who embody the quieter, almost invisible chapters of Scotland’s stories, the tales that ended too soon or would never be told. Moray must have been in his prime, and even in a time of violence and war, he was a young man with potentially years left ahead of him.

Sometimes stories can lead us to reflect on what might have been, what was lost. For William Wallace, this was a close ally and friend. And for Scotland, one of its champions.

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