Point 10

Wallace’s Well is named after the famous patriot and national hero, Sir William Wallace.

Following success by the English army at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, Wallace evaded capture for several years and in 1303 he visited Dunfermline, supposedly to St. Margaret’s Shrine, with his mother.

Tradition says that his mother would later die in Dunfermline on one of her son’s flights and that she was hastily buried at the spot in the Abbey’s graveyard marked by The Thorn Tree.

Wallace came to Dunfermline again shortly after this, probably to escape from the English spies. At this time the glen of Pittencrieff would have been a relatively large, dense woodland and it is believed that this area close to St Margaret’s Cave and Wallace’s Well  would have been his place of shelter.

Whilst work was being carried out on the Tower Hill in 1906, a cave was found close to the Tower Burn which is believed to be the site of Wallace’s Well. It had a small entrance and there was some evidence of it being used as a habitat. Further investigations were carried out as recently as 2013 when stone steps, which appear to lead from the entrance up the banking to the west and possibly towards the Abbey, were revealed.

Note: There are several routes to the Well, the one included here includes steep slopes and steps.