William Wallace was a Scottish

Kingdom of Scotland

The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...

 master mason

Masonry

Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...

 and architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

. He served as King's Master Mason under James VI

James I of England

James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...

.

From 1615, Wallace is known to have been the leading mason working on the King's Lodgings at Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...

. On 18 April 1617 he was appointed King's Master Mason, holding this post until his death. Wallace was commissioned in 1618 to rebuild the north range of Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the...

, which had collapsed in 1605. He was responsible for design as well as building, and executed the new range in an Anglo-Flemish style, which he helped to popularise in Scotland.

He followed this with works to Winton House

Winton House

Winton House is a historic house set in a large estate between Pencaitland and Tranent in East Lothian, Scotland. The house is situated off the B6355 road approximately north of Pencaitland at - History :...

, near Pencaitland

Pencaitland

Pencaitland is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, about south-east of Edinburgh, south-west of Haddington, and east of Ormiston.The land where the village lies is said to have been granted by William the Lion to Calum Cormack in 1169, who gave the church, with the tithes and other property...

, for George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton

George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton

George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton was a notable Royalist and Cavalier, the second son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton and 6th Lord Seton, by his spouse Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Eglinton....

, which he undertook from 1620 to 1627. In 1621 he was made a burgess of Edinburgh, and later served as Deacon

Masonic Lodge Officers

This article relates to mainstream Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry. Every Masonic Lodge elects or appoints Masonic Lodge Officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work...

 of the Edinburgh Masons Lodge. From 1628 until his death Wallace was engaged on the design and construction of Heriot's Hospital

George Heriot's School

George Heriot's School is an independent primary and secondary school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, with around 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff and 80 non-teaching staff. It was established in 1628 as George Heriot's Hospital, by bequest of the royal goldsmith George...

, now a school, again in the Anglo-Flemish style. He was almost certainly the principal designer of the building, which was continued after his death by William Aytoun. One of Wallace's last works was carving the monument to John Byres of Coates in Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at...

, Edinburgh, unpaid for at his death, and his will also includes debts for works at Moray House.

In addition, Pinkie House

Pinkie House

Pinkie House is a historic house, built around a three-storey tower house located in Musselburgh, in East Lothian, Scotland. The house dates back to the sixteenth century, although it was substantially enlarged in the early 17th century, and has been altered several times since. Its location at...

 and the original, unexecuted, design for Drumlanrig Castle

Drumlanrig Castle

Drumlanrig Castle sits on the Queensberry Estate in Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway.The Castle is the Dumfriesshire family home to the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry...

have been attributed to Wallace on stylistic grounds, although no documentary evidence exists to confirm his involvement.