Sir William Crawford is a character in The Wallace

The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace

The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace, also known as The Wallace, is a long "romantic biographical" poem by the fifteenth century Scottish makar of the name Blind Harry probably at some time in the decade before 1488...

, Blind Harry

Blind Harry

Blind Harry , also known as Harry, Hary or Henry the Minstrel, is renowned as the author of The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace, also known as The Wallace...

's epic poem about William Wallace

William Wallace

Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....

. He appears to be an unhistorical character, although there was a Crawford family in Ayrshire at the time of the Wars of Scottish Independence

Wars of Scottish Independence

The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....

, some of who may have been Sheriff of Ayrshire.

It is difficult to be sure what Blind Harry says about Crawford, since some of the sources which have been put forward are works which look like an uncritical regurgitation of Blind Harry, rather than direct references to his work or works about him.

Harry may state that Sir William commanded 400 cavalry to run the English forces out of Scotland after the Battle of Stirling Bridge

Battle of Stirling Bridge

The Battle of Stirling Bridge was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence. On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham near Stirling, on the River Forth.-The main...

 in September 1297.

Also possibly according to Harry, 1299 Sir William escorted Wallace to the court of King Philip IV of France

Philip IV of France

Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...

. While sailing from Scotland the Scots captured the pirate known as the "Red Reiver" (Thomas Longoville) and later gained his amnesty from Phillip in Paris. While in France they commanded the Scots Guard in two military victories over the English.