The Battle of Bannockburn is one of the most famous battles to be won by the Scots in Scotland, and was a turning point in both Scottish and British history. To ensure that our telling of this important story is as authentic and accurate as possible, we have elected an Academic Advisory Panel (AAP). The members of this voluntary Panel were invited by the National Trust for Scotland because of their knowledge of the subject, position and reputation. Their role is to ensure that the new interpretation is strong and academically sound, based on acceptable and authoritative research and thinking.

• Dr Fiona Watson

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Author, broadcaster and Historian; research fellow, University of Dundee; former Senior Lecturer in Scottish History and founding Director of the Centre for Environmental History, University of Stirling

  Academic credentials

  Historian, author and broadcaster, and former Senior Lecturer in Scottish History and founding Director of the Centre for Environmental History at the University of Stirling. Research Fellow at the University of Dundee. Author of report for Stirling Council on the possible sites of the Bannockburn historic battlefield (2000). Author of various publications on the Wars of Independence. Presenter on Radio 4's Making History.

• Derek Alexander

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Head of Archaeological Services for the Trust.

  Academic credentials

  Derek Alexander studied prehistoric archaeology at the University of Edinburgh and then an MPhil study on the ‘Later prehistoric and proto-historic settlement of west central Scotland’. On graduation, he worked in the University’s Centre for Field Archaeology, undertaking research and excavation. He joined the National Trust for Scotland in 2000 as the West Region Archaeologist with responsibility for providing advice on the archaeological aspects of all Trust properties in the region, conducting research projects and managing larger projects. Derek’s involvement with Bannockburn began in 2002 with a project to renew interpretation at the visitor centre. Since then he has led a successful series of archaeological guided walks of the Bannockburn battlefield, and carried out extensive research on the archaeology of the Scottish Wars of Independence, including Elderslie, the possible birthplace of William Wallace.

• Professor Edward J Cowan

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Professor (Emeritus) of Scottish History, University of Glasgow

  Academic credentials

  Emeritus Professor of Scottish History, University of Glasgow. Research interests include Viking Scotland, Scottish Wars of Independence, Scottish political thought, Scottish popular culture and the Scots overseas.

• Prof. Richard Oram

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Medieval Historian; Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling; Head of the Faculty of Arts & Director of the Centre for Environmental History and Policy at the University of Stirling. Member of the Scottish Government's Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland.

  Academic credentials

  Medieval Historian; Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling. Deputy Head of the School of Arts & Humanities. Former Director of the Centre for Environmental History and Policy at the University of Stirling.

• Prof. Michael Prestwich

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Professor (Emeritus) of History at Durham University

  Academic credentials

  Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Durham, specialising in the history of 13th and 14th century England. Has written many books and articles on the military, political and economic aspects of the period, with particular attention to the reign of Edward I, notably Edward I (1988); Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience (1966), and Plantagenet England 1225-1360 (2005). His most recent book, Knight (2010) is intended for a general readership.

• Scott McMaster

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Property Manager for Bannockburn Heritage Centre and The Royal Burgh of Culross.

  Academic credentials

  Scott has been the Property Manager for Bannockburn Heritage Centre and The Royal Burgh of Culross since 2008, and will be responsible for the operation of the new Bannockburn visitor centre when it opens to the public in 2014. A history graduate of Stirling University, he is the National Trust for Scotland’s internal specialist on the Wars of Independence. Formerly a living historian and learning officer, Scott’s in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience of medieval weaponry are regularly called upon to inform television documentaries and learning resources.

• Dr. Michael Penman

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Senior Lecturer, University of Stirling

  Academic credentials

  Senior Lecturer, University of Stirling. Member of the Scottish Medievalists, the Scottish History Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Scottish Medievalist specialising in the study of the Bruce dynasty. He is the author of The Scottish Civil War 1286-1357 (2002), David II, 1329-71 (2004, Saltire Scottish History Book of 2005) and a study of 'Bruce's Bones: Reputations, Poltics and Identities in 19th Century Scotland' [International Review of Scottish Studies, 34 (2009)]. Currently working on a publication on the last 15 years of Bruce's reign following Bannockburn, and on Lest Scotland Forgets, a project to record all of the nation's Great War Memorials and memorialisation.

• Dr Tony Pollard

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  Position / Academic role(s)

  Archaeologist, Director of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology, Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD)

  Academic credentials

  One of the leading battlefield archaeologists in the UK. Specialises in the archaeology of conflict. Has written numerous papers and articles on archaeology and military history and is the editor of several books on subjects such as the early prehistory of Scotland and the archaeology of death. Along with Neil Oliver he presented and starred in the successful TV series Two Men in a Trench and wrote two books accompanying the series.