Image credit: The wub / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2016-09-17 ↗
William Wallace at Smithfield: The Place of His Execution in 1305
West Smithfield · St Paul’s → Newgate → Smithfield → Clerkenwell · Execution history / Scottish history / memorial
Story
Smithfield has served throughout the centuries as a market, a fairground, and a gathering place, but it was also a notorious site for public executions. One of its most famous condemned prisoners was William Wallace, the Scottish leader captured by the English and brought to London. On 23 August 1305, he was executed at Smithfield under the punishment prescribed for high treason. The small, modern memorial, installed in 1956 beside St Bartholomew’s Hospital, is unobtrusive and easily missed. It does not aim to pinpoint the exact spot of the scaffold to the metre, but rather serves as a historical marker within the broad Smithfield area where such events took place. It is common to find flowers, flags, or tributes left here by Scottish visitors. This spot encourages a new reading of the entire square. The Victorian market buildings and the hospital can make us forget that, for centuries, Smithfield was a huge open space at the edge of the City, perfectly suited for fairs, tournaments, livestock trade, and public punishment spectacles. Wallace is the most famous figure associated with these executions, but he was far from the only one who met his end here.
What to look for
Look for the inscription carved into the granite plaque. You will often see flowers or Scottish flags left by visitors. Also, notice the vast open space of Smithfield stretching out before you.
Secret detail
The memorial was installed in 1956, meaning it commemorates a medieval event but is a relatively recent addition to the urban landscape, not a historic relic or an archaeologically precise marker of the spot.
Where exactly
Find the granite plaque on the wall of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, on West Smithfield, near the hospital complex.
Orientation
Stand before the memorial, then turn towards Smithfield to appreciate the scale of what was once a vast open field.
Why it matters
This memorial reminds you of Smithfield's brutal history as a site of public executions and the complex relationship between England and Scotland. It highlights how the history of political violence overlays everyday life and commerce in the heart of the City.
Access & opening
Normally visible at all times; hospital works may temporarily obscure wall areas.
Free
We never show live status. Check opening hours before you go.
Accessibility
Public pavement.