Face of Robert The Bruce reconstructed showing Scottish king had leprosy

A reconstruction of the face of Robert The Bruce. Photo / University of Glasgow

Robert the Bruce really did suffer from leprosy, scientists have concluded after reconstructing his face from his skull.

For years, historians have argued about whether the 14th century ­Scottish king was infected with the disease, with some believing there was a ­medieval cover-up so he would not have to relinquish the throne, while others suggest he was the victim of a smear campaign.

Recently, experts at the Robert The Bruce Heritage Centre said it would have been impossible for him to attend mass, hold court, or drink from his ­local well - all of which he did - if he had suffered from the illness.

But a new project to reconstruct his face by the University of Glasgow and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has found that his skull shows the telltale signs of leprosy, including a disfigured jaw and nose.

Professor Caroline Wilkinson, director of the Face Lab at LJMU, who also reconstructed the face of Richard III, said:

"We could accurately establish the muscle formation from the ­positions of the skull bones to determine the shape and structure of the face. We produced two versions - one without leprosy and one with a mild representation of leprosy. He may have had ­leprosy, but if he did it is likely that it did not manifest strongly on his face."

Bruce's skull was unearthed during excavations at Dunfermline Abbey in 1818 and a plaster cast was taken for the Royal College of Surgeon's Hunterian Museum in London.

The illness is not specifically mentioned in documents from the period, nor do contemporaneous historians mention a disfigurement.

Images of Bruce, such as the statue at Bannockburn unveiled in the 1960s, and a terracotta model unveiled two years ago in the National Portrait Gallery, have always portrayed the king without the condition.

However records do recall that Bruce suffered from a mystery ­ailment which laid him low several times during his reign, and ­probably killed him.

In Ulster in 1327, he was said to be so weak that he could only move his tongue. The new reconstruction shows Bruce with a large, squarish head, supported by a muscular neck and stocky frame, suggesting he was a seasoned warrior.

The Scottish King, who ruled from 1306 until his death in 1329 aged around 55, launched campaigns throughout Scotland, England and Ireland, including the battle of ­Bannockburn in 1314 where he ­defeated the armies of Edward II.

No reliable visual depictions of Robert the Bruce were made when he was alive and written records tell us nothing about his appearance so it is the first time his face has been seen for more than 700 years.

The project was led by Dr Martin MacGregor, a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow, who was ­inspired by the recent reconstruction of the face of Richard III.

"The case of Richard III revealed how far the technology had advanced and I saw an opportunity to apply the technology to the Hunterian skull held here at Glasgow," said Dr MacGregor.

"The skull was excavated in 1818-19 from a grave in Dunfermline Abbey. After the excavation the original skeleton and skull were sealed in pitch and reburied, but not before a cast of the head was taken.

Several copies of the cast exist, including the one now in The Hunterian, but without the original bone we have no DNA."

Professor Wilkinson added: "In the absence of any DNA, we relied on statistical evaluation to determine that Robert the Bruce most likely had brown hair and light brown eyes."

"This is the most realistic appearance of Robert the Bruce to-date, based on all the skeletal and historical material available."