PRIDE OF BANNOCKBURN Tartan Ribbon 25mm 1" x 25m 27½yd Start Price GBP 12.95 Current Price GBP 12.95 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, August 23, 2008 End Time Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Location Lanarkshire, Scotland See more about 'PRIDE OF BANNOCKBURN Tartan Ribbon 25mm 1" x 25m 27½yd' Description Here's a great chance to buy a full 25-metre (27½ yards) trade reel of 25mm (approx 1 inch) width of the brand new Pride of Bannockburn tartan ribbon at a fraction of retail price.   Every Scot knows the date . . . 24th of June, 1314 . . . King Edward II of England marched his huge army into Scotland on the pretence of relieving Stirling Castle, but with the real intention of meeting and destroying the Scottish army in the field. His 3,000 knights and 16,000 foot soldiers, along with foreign mercenaries, left a trail of cruelty and destruction on the march North and were guilty of what we would nowadays consider war crimes / ethnic cleansing, such as at Berwick on Tweed where everyone they could find was murdered and the corpses left hanging out of their windows as a "message" for rebellious Scots who may pass through that important border trading town. Unfortunately for him, the "message" was heard by a certain King Robert I of Scots (Robert the Bruce), whose army was no more than a third the size of the English. The armies met just outside Stirling at the famous Bannockburn. We've all seen the film but the truth is no less impressive . . . . . . it started when the English knight Sir Henry de Bohun, a nephew of the Earl of Hereford, caught sight of the Scottish king, lowered his lance and charged. The Scots army were lined up and watched as de Bohun's huge war horse thundered towards King Robert, mounted on a small palfrey, wearing no armour and armed only with a small battleaxe. There was considerably anxiety in the ranks as it seemed certain the Scots king would be killed even before the battle started proper, but the Bruce stood up in his stirrups and struck so hard with the battleaxe that it cleaved the English knight's helmet open. The Scots commanders rebuked him for his recklessness but Bruce's only regret was that he had split the shaft of his favourite axe... outnumbered and outarmed, the Scots ranks were given a massive and crucial boost in confidence.  This famous incident came to symbolise the war itself - the one side large, heavily armed but lacking aglility while the other was smaller, but highly mobile and open to opportunity. The English army was annihilated with some 11,000 of the 16,000 foot soldiers killed by the end of the battle. In fact, most of the survivors to reach Carlisle were Welsh spearmen who, arguably, were perhaps not as willing to fight and die for the English king. The victory of the Scots army strengthened Robert Bruce's position and within 10 years Scotland's fight for independence was recognised. For those who like their history with a twist, interesting comments by a monk who witnessed and chronicled the battle has only fairly recently been more fully understood . . . at the crucial point in the battle with the English heavy horse thundering towards the Scottish lines, the command was given and the Scots raised huge sharpened pikes and spears (again, we've all seen "Braveheart") but this action alone was not enough to save them from the English horse. As the chroncile says: the front ranks opened to allow the Scots horse on to the field, wearing their white mantles. The important points are (1) what "Scots horse"? Mounted knights were hugely expensive and each knight required a small team of foot attendants; it cost a fortune to equip and run a single knight - the middle ages equivalent of a stealth bomber. Scotland really didn't have very many of these knights at all! (2) the rules of heraldry and chivalry were not just vague concepts - they were strictly adhered to and the only knights allowed to wear white mantles / surcoats were those who belonged to the Order of the Knights Templar. There is no historical argument on this point. The Knights templar were, without question, the best trained and mos experiened fighting force in ther world at that time. If anyone was able to face off the English horse, then it would be them.  OK - so could there have been such a connection? Actually - yes - because following the disbandment of the Order and the arrests of Templars throughout Europe (Friday 13th October 1307), many sought refuge in Ireland and Scotland. Why?... because Robert the Bruce had been excommunicated, so the Pope's influence did not extend to Scotland at this time. In return for sanctuary in Scotland, the legend is that the Templars vowed to deal to fight for Bruce whenever the need arose. This legend has survived in parts of Scotland for 700 years but only recently have historians been able to confirm the significance of knights wearing white mantles and of Templars actually living on the West coast.  If you ever get the chance to visit Scotland's far West coast you will find Templar graves dotted throughout the area... I've seen them everywhere from the Mull of Kintyre, up through the famous Kilmartin glen and churchyard and even North to the Isle of Skye. The idea of Knights Templar turning the tide of the battle in favour of the Scots is not nearly as daft as it may at first sound.   The Pride of Bannockburn tartan reflects the pride of the nation in this pivotal historic event. The tartan shows the greens and purples of the heather covered moor, the blue of the wide open skies of Scotland, and the white overcheck honours the mysterious Scottish knights (whoever they were) who helped secure the Scottish victory and, ultimately, our nation's independence.   Available in 7mm, 10mm, 16mm and 25mm widths on 25m trade reels or available in 1m, 5m and 10m lengths if you prefer - please see our eBay Shop for all options or don't hesitate to contact us direct with any questions. Top quality woven polyester-based ribbon with stitched edges... please don't confuse with the cheap printed ribbons often sold on eBay! We are members of the Scottish Tartans Authority and the ribbon is manufactured by members of the Scottish Tartans Society... so, in other words, this is the Real McCoy!!! Supplied straight from stock, sent in protective packaging to anywhere in the world. We have nearly 40 different tartan ribbons available in up to 8 different widths, so if you can't find what you're looking for, or if you require different a width or different quantity please contact us and we will do our level best to help. Check our feedback for yourself . . . 18,000+ customers can't all be wrong!  :o) Fast delivery worldwide, straight from stock . . . please check out our feedback record for yourself and buy with complete confidence! Also... if you use a lot of tartan ribbon and are interested in receiving a FREE samples sheet and pricelist, please e-mail us with your name and postal address.  Some of the most competitive TRADE prices in the UK are also available to bona fide trade customers, crafters, card, cake and favour makers, and anyone else who buys trade quantities. Please contact us for full details.    *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     * I M P O R T A N T    I N F O R M A T I O N    O N    P & P  /  S H I P P I N G  .  .  . (answers to most of the commonly asked questions about postage, packing, timescales, delivery, insurance etc are all here) Here's the boring (but necessary) bit . . .  a range of delivery options is available: please choose the one that best suits your timescale... in other words please don't opt for 2nd class post because it's the cheapest and then ask us to "send urgently for my wedding this weekend". We ship by the method you choose - end of story. Please also consider using Recorded Delivery as fewer parcels go missing this way. The package may be too large for a letterbox so, if no-one is at home, your local sorting office will hold on to it for a few days for you to collect or to re-arrange delivery. If you feel your order is late, please contact your local Royal Mail Sorting Office first, as in 90% of cases of reported "non delivery", the parcel turns up at the Sorting Office! If they say they don't have it, please contact us and we'll do our best to trace it for you. Please remember what Royal Mail quote (often slightly different from what eBay advises!). This is taken from www.royalmail.com   UK Customers: We "post items on your behalf"... in other words, it's the same as you posting something to yourself so choose the level of speed and safety you require as any risks you take are yours. 2nd class post - Royal Mail try to deliver most 2nd class post by the 3rd or 4th working day after posting 1st class Recorded Delivery - Royal Mail try to deliver all mail by 2nd working day after posting (most within 1 working day). Recorded Delivery does not make delivery any faster, but purely provides a signature upon delivery, making it a little safer than standard post. Special Delivery - Royal Mail guarantee to attempt delivery by 1pm the 1st working day after posting. If late they will refund postage costs. APC / Fastway Carriers - we reserve the right to occasionally (depending upon parcel weight and destination) to send the order by carrier. This is at least as fast and as safe as by Royal Mail.     Postal Insurance:   It's important you know how this works... if something should go wrong this is the information we will both rely on to sort out a replacement or refund for you. By buying from us you are agreeing to these conditions. We get Certifcates of Posting for every item and you can see from our feedback that we're honest eBayers but, occasionally, something goes missing in the post. We highly advise taking out Postal Insurance for the tiny amount it costs but we cannot force you, so it's important that you understand what happens with any lost parcels with and without Postal Insurance...   Postal Insurance applies per order and not per item.   With Postal Insurance - should an item go missing we can process the claim immediately and can send a replacement item without having to wait on Royal Mail settling the "lost mail" claim. As long as you report the non-delivery officially through eBay and agree to follow our requests (such as contacting your local Royal Mail Delivery Office before lodging a claim), we can normally arrange free replacements for you within 48 hours of reporting the problem. In exceptional circumstances we can refund you in full. We'll discuss the details in the unlikely event you need to claim but the main thing to remember is that with Postal Insurance we can send you replacements almost immediately.   Without Postal Insurance - if an item goes missing we will help you claim from Royal Mail (remember we "post items on your behalf"). Royal Mail do not class an item as "lost" until the 15th working day after the date of posting which means you need to wait 3 weeks (15 working days) before you can claim... it can then take them another 2-6 weeks for Royal Mail to process your claim and refund you. We cannot refund you or send a free replacement until the Royal Mail claim is settled, otherwise you could be refunded twice. In the meantime you are free to buy a replacement item. There's no point arguing with us about this should the situation arise - this is the agreement you make with Royal Mail every time you post something.         Non-UK Customers: Air Mail takes around 3-5 working days for most European destinations and up to 10 working days for the rest of the world. Additional delays due to Customs at point of entry into your country and delays by your own national/domestic postal service do not form part of this timescale. Standard Air mail does not offer any tracking facility. Airsure is another Royal Mail service which is slightly faster than standard Air Mail and has the added protection of on-line tracking. If you choose this option we will email you once the package has been shipped, giving you the consignment number. This allows you to trace it through www.royalmail.com.   Please check our feedback... you can see we're honest eBayers so if you have any problems at all please contact us and we'll do our best to help. Our showroom number is 08456 589 100 (local rate) from within the UK, or +44 (0)1555 890111 from outside the UK. *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     * Please visit our eBay shop for lots more wedding and sugarcraft bargains ! ! ! T h a n k s   f o r   l o o k i n g  !  !  ! Pay instantly with your debit or credit card through PayPal. Sellers Add a Map Counter to Your Listings. Fast. Simple. Pay with PayPal: Get a MyStoreRewards invitation for cash back On 08-Jul-08 at 00:51:35 BST, seller added the following information: Place a Bid!