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The Stone of Destiny/Scone:
The Stone of Destiny (Gaelic: Lia Fail) is said to have been the very pillow on which Jacob (Jacob's Pillow) slept when he had his vision of the ladder. After his dream, Jacob, set the pillow up as a pillar and anointed it with oils. According to Jewish tradition/legend Jacob's Pillow became the pedestal of the ark in the Temple. The Stone of Destiny was brought from Syria/Egypt over to Spain and then on to Eire/Ireland. It is said that St. Patrick blessed the Stone before it was used in the crowning of the Irish Kings. When the Irish kings of Dalraida moved their capital over to Scone (pronounced Scoon) in Scotland they brought with them the Stone of Destiny. The Stone was used in the coronation of Scottish Dalriadic and Pictish kings (last used in Scotland for the coronation of John Balliol in 1292) on the westerly Isle of Iona and later installed at the Abbey of Scone where it remained until 1296.
Edward I of England (known as the "Hammer of the Scots") removed the stone of Destiny following an invasion of Scotland in 1296 (the Stone was viewed as a symbol of Scottish sovereignty). Edward installed the stone in Westminster Abbey and in 1301 a Coronation Throne (pictured right) was built with the Stone of Destiny enclosed within it. In 1328 peace was made between England and Scotland with the Treaty of Northampton in which it stated that the Stone of Destiny was to be returned to the Scots. However Edward III failed to fulfil the agreement and the stone remained in Westminster Abbey. The Coronation Throne at Westminster Abbey, with the stone in place, was used in all the coronations that followed including the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 (though Scottish nationalists would declare that Queen Elizabeth should have been crowned Queen Elizabeth II of England and Wales & Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland (Scotland never, previously, had a queen called Elizabeth - though the union of the crowns in 1603 makes this point rather confusing to say the least!).
The Stone of Destiny has attached to it a multitude of myths and legends which date back to before the stone arrived in Scotland and continue right up to the present day with many believing that the Stone in Edinburgh Castle is a fake! [The photo to the left is one taken prior to 1950 when it was removed in a daring raid by Scottish nationalists and hidden in Arbroath for a couple of months. Compared to the photo (top) there are some marked differences - more later on this subject].
One legend has it that the original Stone of Destiny remained in Ireland and was distinctly different to the one we see today. The original is said to have been made of white marble carved intricately with decorative figures - the stone we see today is made of plain sandstone. Over the centuries several replicas of the stone have been made and many believe that the monks at Scone, unwilling to part with such an important relic, passed over a fake to Edward I who would not know the difference. To make this stunt even more insulting some say that the stone given to Edward was nothing more than a medieval cover for a septic tank. This is not as daft as it first sounds. The Abbey at Scone (pictured right with a replica stone where the original would have been) was an important place. The monks there had been given the important job of ensuring the safety of one of Scotland's most important relics. These monks would have been fully aware that Edward I would soon return to London and it would be highly unlikely that they would set eyes upon him again. The risks were great but so was the solemn duty to protect the stone. Many today believe that the true Stone of Destiny will be returned to the people of Scotland when Scotland again rules itself separately from England.
To make this story even more interesting it is supported by a tradition given to Seton Gordon (Author of "The Highways and Byways of Central Scotland") by the Earl of Mansfield (who had owned the lands of Scone for over 300 years). In this tradition/legend it is said that
around the time of 1800 a young farmer was wandering around the site of Mac Beth's Castle where he discovered a fissure in the hillside which had been uncovered by a recent violent storm. Upon investigation the farmer and a friend discovered a chamber within the hillside with a blocked stairway and a "slab of stone covered with markings and supported by four stone legs". Some years later the two men heard the tradition that the monks of Scone had removed the Stone of Destiny to a safe place replacing it with a stone of similar size and shape from Annety Burn and that it was this replacement that King Edward I of England carried off in triumph. Unfortunately, upon returning to the earlier scene, the men were unable to find the opening in the hillside (it may have been covered over again in another landslide following a storm).
On Christmas Day, 1950, four Scottish students with nationalist sentiments committed a daring raid. They broke into Westminster Abbey and managed to prize the Stone of Destiny from under the Coronation Throne. They placed the stone in the trunk of their car and drove to Scotland placing the relic at Arbroath Abbey. Although the "crime" was discovered immediately and the whole of the British press had it as their main story the stone was not discovered, draped in a Saltire, until a couple of months had passed. This led to the most modern conspiracy theory concerning the stone. Many believe that the students had enough time and motive to create a further replica of the stone which was to be returned to Westminster in place of the original. The original is said to have been spirited away to a secret location in the north of Scotland.
Some of the legends are amusing. One belief is that the replica stone at Scone is in fact the ORIGINAL.
On St Andrews Day, 30th November 1996, Scotland's coronation stone, the Stone of Destiny, was installed in Edinburgh Castle and newspapers and television declared "The Stone of Destiny comes back to Scotland". A grand ceremony took place with 10,000+ people lining the Royal Mile to watch the procession of dignitaries and troops escort the stone from Holyrood Palace to the castle. The scene was certainly spectacular and included flybys of military aircraft and a twenty-one gun salute fired from the Half Moon Battery of Edinburgh Castle. A service was held at nearby St Giles cathedral where the Moderator of the Church of Scotland (the Right Reverend John MacIndoe) said that the return of the stone would "strengthen the proud distinctiveness of the people of Scotland". Inside the castle a full ceremony (pictured left) was held in the Great Hall. The Scottish Secretary of State Michael Forsyth ceremoniously received it from Prince Andrew, who was representing the Queen.
The public can now view the stone which is behind armored glass and a sophisticated security system.
HOWEVER: There were points which should be taken into consideration.
1. Firstly the whole ceremony did little to improve the historically bad relations between Scotland and England. The Scottish people were insulted when the Union Jack was displayed at the highest point rather than the Scottish flag the Saltire (St Andrews Cross) - the, rather poor, explanation was that the Union Jack had to fly because Prince Andrew (2nd son of Queen Elizabeth II) was inside!
2. The Stone of Destiny remains the property of the Crown and is on LOAN to Scotland and will be returned for future coronations.
3. The Conservative Prime Minister of the day, John Major, was facing the worst ever support for the Conservative party in Scotland EVER (Scotland had suffered the ILLEGAL poll tax forced upon them by the previous conservative PM Margaret Thatcher). The "return" of the stone on the 700th Anniversary of it's removal was seen as a poor attempt at increasing party popularity.
4. The Stone of Destiny had been STOLEN from Scotland by an English King.
5. It seems likely that the stone on display is a FAKE. The Stone is of sandstone with a tint of red similar to that of the local sandstone.
Further reading:
Lia Fail - The Stone of Destiny - Interesting page about the return of the stone with a nationalist view
The Truth about The Stone of Destiny - An alarming article but well worth a read and a 20mb movie that is 1 hour long
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