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John Drummond Moray John Drummond Moray became a Trustee in 2018, following earlier term as a Patron. John is directly related to Andrew de Moray and has, since a teenager, been very interested in his Moray ancestry. The Abercairny (home of the Moray family, for over 700 years), in Latin Charters, describe them as 'de Moravia', meaning from Moray. John has thus, long supported any initiative for improved commemoration of his ancestor at Stirling Bridge, and on the 700th anniversary of the Battle planted what is now a large tree beside the bridge. John has made invaluable contribution to the Trust on historic aspects of their work and for a project he agrees is long overdue. John also lends his former professional expertise to Trust planning; after working for UK, American and Japanese Institutions, in the US and the UK, John established Scotland's first international capital market operation in George Street, Edinburgh. Following this period, he ran a number of international businesses. John says: "The feat of arms achieved by Andrew Moray and William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, 1297, was the first great victory achieved by the Scots in the Wars of Independence. Although Moray is perceived as being younger than Wallace, following his imprisonment in 1296 after the Battle of Dunbar, Moray escaped from Chester Castle, and proceeded to rally the north; while Wallace did the same in the south. Today, historians recognise that Moray and his patrimony were located both in the north and in the south of Scotland, (i.e. Ormond Castle on the Black Isle, and Bothwell and Dumsagard Castles near Glasgow), and arguably, as his father was the Justiciar (Chief Law Officer of the North), Moray was, in essence, the senior of the two patriots. Although Moray was to die of wounds he received at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, before his death he was co-signatory with Wallace of a historic trade agreement between Scotland and The Hanseatic League in Lubeck, and this is manifested in a Latin Charter which places 'Andreas de Moravia' first. I believe a joint statue of Moray and Wallace would go a long way to rehabilitate Moray who has hitherto been written out of history. Importantly, this project will not only contribute to the education of residents and visitors, it will also help create an increasingly vibrant tourist industry in a much greater catchment than the immediate area of Stirling". |