IT was the bloody battle that changed the course of Scottish history and resulted in the loss of more than 10,000 lives.

But for almost 700 years, the exact spot in Stirlingshire where Robert the Bruce defeated the English at Bannockburn has remained unclear.

One leading historian stuck her head above the parapet last night and revealed what she

believes is the definitive site of the 1314 battleground, where Scotland's independence was won.

Fiona Watson, a senior lecturer at Stirling University's centre for environmental history, has spent the past month sifting through historical documents and letters from people all over the world with different theories.

Four possibilities emerged, and yesterday Dr Watson named the Dryfield of Balquhidderock - now part of the playing fields at Bannockburn High School - as the site where 30,000 soldiers met in one of Europe's biggest medieval battles.

She also pinpointed a ravine, described by contemporary chroniclers as ''an evil ditch'', in which many of the English

soldiers were pushed to their death, and part of a local bluebell wood popular with walkers.

The site, which is now likely to become a major tourist attraction, is about half a mile from the

current Bannockburn Heritage Centre, based near the Borestone, a historic battlefield marker, where Bruce is known to have camped with his troops.

Other historians had located the battlefield on carseland outside Stirling, where the Bannock Burn flows into the River Forth, and on a triangle of ground near the

Pelstream Burn.

But Dr Watson rejected those sites because their geographical features do not correspond with known historical events.

The carseland site, for example, is flat, and yet contemporary chronicles show the English died in a ditch, while the Pelstream site would have been too boggy for the English cavalry to advance.

Dr Watson, 35, said: ''A lot of people are likely to remain convinced by other theories, which I think are perfectly legitimate. But I am willing to stick my neck out and say Balquhidderock is where the Battle of Bannockburn took place.''

She added: ''Everyone agrees that the English army crossed the Bannock Burn and went down on to the carse. The question has always been what happened next.

''The crucial fact is that all contemporary chroniclers say that the English died in a ditch. There is no great ditch on the carse, but there is a ravine on my preferred site which would have stood between them and their escape.''

Dr Watson was brought in by Stirling Council to locate the battlefield after fears that a field earmarked for housing was the site.

However, those fears have now been laid to rest and it is hoped Dr Watson's 32-page report will end the controversy over proposed planning applications to develop other sites.

There is no conclusive archaeological evidence for the site of the battle, in which 10,000 English soldiers died on June 23-24, 1314, but Dr Watson has called on the council to mark the area with a walking trail.

''We need more than just a wee flag pole somewhere. It was a big event and how we mark the site needs to be discussed,'' she said.

David R Ross, an author and historian, whose book, On The Trail Of Robert The Bruce, was published last year, last night backed Dr Watson's findings. ''I always knew that other

writers who had covered that area just hadn't done their research right,'' he said. ''Although there is no contemporary evidence that actually tells you where the

battle was, there are loads and loads of clues and I just don't understand why so many people have missed them.

''The English chronicles of the time all talk about the great evil ditch, yet people have kept insisting the battle took place a mile away on the carse.''

The famous Scots victory was the biggest defeat of the English since the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and led to Robert the Bruce being recognised as the undisputed king of Scotland.

It was one of the defining points in Scottish history and helped to shape the road to independence from England in 1382.

Councillor Gillie Thomson, the council's planning convener, said: ''We recognise the national importance of the battle site and that is why we were anxious to find out exactly where it was.

''We will now be looking for guidance from council officers and the local community so we can mark the site in some way and look after it for future generations.''