500-year-old history of Scotland on public display for the first time 

The St  Andrews Chronicles, one of the most important manuscript histories of Scotland, which sheds new light on William Wallace and the Stone of Destiny, is going on public display for the first time in its 500-year history.  

The St  Andrews Chronicles will be on display at the University of St Andrews Wardlaw Museum between Friday 21 November 2025 and Sunday 7 December 2025. 

It is a startling manuscript. Largely a handwritten copy of John Mair’s History of Greater Britain (1521)– one of the most influential and innovative histories of Scotland and England of the sixteenth century – it also contains an earlier hand-copied pamphlet, chronicling Scotland’s earlier history, including new information about William Wallace, the nation’s time under Guardianship, and even the Stone of Destiny. All of the manuscript’s material is in Latin, the common learned language of the time. 

The St  Andrews Chronicles was acquired at auction by the University last year after being sold by notable Norwegian collector Martin Schoyen, who bought it in 1990. Much of its journey is a mystery, but it was at Balcarres in the East Neuk of Fife near St Andrews in the sixteenth Century.  

The book is the size of an iPad and has joined the archive and rare book collection at the University of St Andrews. Built up over 600 years, the collection contains more than 200,000 rare books and many medieval and early modern manuscripts. The collection supports teaching and research at the University and elsewhere. 

The small book is bound in stamped leather over wooden boards and originally would have been fastened with a clasp. The stamps include an unidentified beast and a hound chasing a hare. The text inside is neatly handwritten Latin script, with capitals and decorations added in red. 

A special event featuring University Principal Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, herself an early Scots literature scholar, in conversation with Professor Dauvit Broun of the University of Glasgow and Rare Books Librarian in University Collections and Museums, Elizabeth Henderson, will explore the St  Andrews Chronicles, its journey to its current home and its profound significance for our understanding of Scottish identity, legacy and nationhood. 

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone said: ‘The St Andrews Chronicles manuscript is a unique and fascinating collection. It offers important insights into key events in early Scottish history, as well as a set of perspectives that remain resonant today, particularly around the debate over union or independence. It is a privilege both to host it and to share it.’ 

The event is part of the From These Parts: Scotland, Art and Identity  programme, accompanying the exhibition on view at the Wardlaw Museum which runs until February 2026. The programme explores the layered and evolving nature of Scottish identity through creativity, conversation, and community.

Rooted in the provocation  Where are you from?, it invites participants to reflect on belonging, place and heritage while recognising how this question can carry both curiosity and harm. The programme challenges traditional notions of ‘Scottishness’ and celebrates the diverse voices that shape Scotland’s past, present, and future.