Braveheart Scottish political landscape in the mid to late 1990s. In 1997, a 12-ton sandstone statue depicting Mel Gibson as William Wallace in "Braveheart" was placed in the car park of the Wallace Monument near Stirling, Scotland. The statue, which was the work of Tom Church, a monumental mason from Brechin, included the word "Braveheart" on Wallace's shield. The installation became the cause of much controversy; one local resident stated that it was wrong to "desecrate the main memorial to Wallace with a lump of crap". In 1998, someone wielding a hammer vandalized the statue's face. After repairs were made, the
James Stirling (1800–1876) James Stirling (1800–1876) James Stirling (3 March 1799, Methven – 10 January 1876, Edinburgh) was a Scottish engineer, and brother of Robert Stirling. He originally specialised railway engines and later in dock gates and weirs He was born at Cloag Farm near Methven in Perthshire, the son of Patrick and Janet Stirling. He originally studied divinity, intending to be a minister in the Church of Scotland. However, inspired by his brother Robert, he instead decided to be an engineer, and was apprenticed to Claude Girdwood & Co in Glasgow as a mechanical engineer. The company specialised in making cotton gins.