Legendary Turning of the Bull Lives on Through Monument
On a
day that began like any other, William Rule saved Scotland’s beloved
King Robert Bruce from death by wrestling a charging bull to the
ground in the Caledon woods on the borderlands of Scotland and
England. As a reward for his feat, William was given lands in Bedrule
and dubbed Sir TURN-E-BULL (Turnbull). Centuries of persecution drove
countless members of the Turnbull Clan out of their beloved homeland
and forced many more to change their names in an often-futile effort
to escape execution. The Turnbulls became Trimbles, Trumbulls,
Turnballs, and Trumbles. The names may have changed, but the legacy
has remained as strong as the man who turned the bull.
That
legacy is now going to be preserved not only in the mouths of
storytellers, but also through the Turning of the Bull
monument, which will find a home at the newly constructed Hawick
Heritage Hub. The monument depicts William Rule in the throws of
turning the bull, the fateful moment in 1313 that changed Scottish
history. For, if the bull had prevailed and killed Robert Bruce, there
there
may not have been the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Declaration
or Arbroath in 1320, or the treaty of Northampton in 1328.
The
Turning of the Bull monument and the Hawick Heritage Hub are
part of the nationally recognized Heart of Hawick Project, designed to
bring thousands of international visitors and genealogy pilgrims to
the borderlands in Scotland.
The
making of the monument has been sponsored by the Turnbull Clan
Association to honor its border ties. “As
part of our heritage search we want something we can touch and feel
more than a museum. A pilgrim does not just go to a place, that place
needs to be a centre, an object, a building, a stone or a monument,”
Wally Turnbull, president of TCA, said. “A physical symbol is required
to represent both the beginning and the end of the journey, indicating
that the circle is complete. To the heritage tourist this physical
object serves exactly the same purpose as does a shrine to the
religious pilgrim. This monument is an important destination for all
whose search leads them to the borders.”
At
present, the Turnbull Clan Association is raising funds to fulfill its
sponsorship of the monument. Nationally acclaimed artist Angela Hunter
has already begun work on the preliminary stages of the Turning of
the Bull monument, which is expected to be unveiled at the 2009
Hawick Reivers Festival.
For more
information contact:
Wally Turnbull
President, Turnbull Clan Association
Tel. (+1) 919.361.5041
president@turnbullclan.com
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