Wallace had originally undertaken his ‘Description’ at the request of Sibbald, who was planning a general atlas of Scotland.
‘An Account from Orkney,’ by James Wallace, was sent to Sibbald, who was collecting statistical information regarding the counties of Scotland.
In 1700 Wallace's botanist son James published under his own name ‘An Account of the Islands of Orkney,’ (London, Jacob Tonson).
Wallace left in manuscript, besides sermons and miscellaneous pieces, “A Harmony of the Evangelists,” “Commonplaces,” a treatise of the ancient and modern church discipline, and anti-Catholic writings.
He married Elizabeth Cuthbert, and had three sons, James, Andrew, Alexander, and a daughter Jean.