Stone of Scone

TheStone of Scone(/ˈskuːn/;Scottish Gaelic:An Lia Fàil, meaningStone of Destiny, also calledclach-na-cinneamhuinn;Scots:Stane o Scone) is an oblong block of redsandstonethat was used in thecoronationofScottish monarchsuntil the 13th century, and thereafter in the coronation ofEnglishand laterBritish monarchs. The Stone measures 26 by 16.7 by 10.5 inches (66 cm × 42 cm × 27 cm) and weighs approximately 335 lb (152 kg; 23.9 st). A cross is roughly incised on one surface, and an iron ring at each end aids with transport.Monarchs sat on the Stone of Scone itself, until a wooden platform was added to theCoronation Chairin the 17th century.
The artefact was originally kept at the now-ruinedScone AbbeyinScone, nearPerth. In 1296, the forces ofEdward I of Englandcaptured it during Edward'sinvasion of Scotland. The Stone was subsequently used in the coronation ofEnglish monarchsand British monarchs for over 500 years.
In 1996, the stone was returned to Scotland, and kept inEdinburgh Castlewith theHonours of Scotland. The stone remains property ofthe Crownand is transported to London for use at coronations.Since March 2024, it has been on permanent public display inPerth.
In the 14th century the English cleric and historianWalter of Guisboroughidentified the previous location of the Scottish coronation stone as themonastery of Scone, three kilometres (two miles) north of Perth:
Various theories and legends exist about the stone's history prior to its placement in Scone. One story concernsFergus, son of Erc, the firstKing of the Scots(r.c.498– 501) in Scotland, whose transport of the Stone from Ireland toArgyll, where he was crowned on it, was recordedin a 15th-century chronicle. Some versions identify the stone brought by Fergus with theLia Fáil, inScottish Gaelic(orErse) originally rendered "Lia Fàil" and,after Twentieth Century alphabet revisions that saw theGrave accentreplaced with theAcute accent, "Lia Fáil" (Scottish Gaelicfor "stone of destiny", from "Lia", meaning "stone",and "fàil", meaning "fatal", and of the same etymology as EnglishFate).used atTarafor inaugurating theHigh Kings of Ireland. Other traditions contend that the Lia Fáil remains at Tara.(Inis Fáil, "The Island of Destiny", is one of the traditional names of Ireland.) Other legends place the origins of the Stone inBiblicaltimes and identify it as theStone of Jacob, taken byJacobfromBethelwhile on the way toHaran(Genesis28:10–22).This same Stone of Jacob was then supposedly taken to ancient Ireland by the prophetJeremiah.
Contradicting these legends, geologists have proved that the stone taken byEdward I of EnglandtoWestminsteris a "lowerOld Red Sandstone", which was quarried in the vicinity of Scone.Doubts over the authenticity of the stone at Westminster exist: ablogpost by retired Scottish academic and writer of historical fiction Marie MacPherson shows that they date back at least two hundred years.
A letter to the editor of theMorning Chronicle, dated 2 January 1819, states:
Dunsinane Hillhas the remains of a late prehistorichill fort, and this has historical associations with Macbeth, but no remains dating to the 11th century have been identified on the hill.
In 1296, during theFirst Scottish War of Independence,Edward Iof England took the stone as spoils of war and removed it toWestminster Abbey, where it was fitted into a wooden chair – known as theCoronation Chairor King Edward's Chair – on which most subsequent English and then British sovereigns have been crowned. Edward I sought to claim the status of the "Lord Paramount" of Scotland, with the right to oversee its King.
Some doubt exists over the stone captured by Edward I. TheWestminster Stone theoryposits that themonksatScone Palacehid the real stone in theRiver Tay, or buried it onDunsinane Hill, and that the English troops were tricked into taking a substitute. Some proponents of this theory claim that historic descriptions of the stone do not match the present stone.
In the 1328Treaty of Northamptonbetween theKingdom of Scotlandand theKingdom of England, England agreed to return the captured stone to Scotland; rioting crowds prevented it from being removed from Westminster Abbey.The stone remained in England for another six centuries. WhenJames VI of Scotlandassumed the English throne asJames I of England, he wascrowned at Westminster Abbey on the stone.For the next century, theStuartkings and queens of Scotland once again sat on the stone – but at their coronation as kings and queens of, and in, England.
On 11 June 1914, as part of thesuffragette bombing and arson campaignof 1912–1914,suffragettesof theWomen's Social and Political Unionplanted a bomb loaded with metal bolts and nuts to act as shrapnel next to the Coronation Chair and Stone;no serious injuries were reported in the aftermath of the subsequent explosion despite the building having been busy with 80–100 visitors,but the deflagration blew off a corner of the Coronation Chairand broke the Stone in half – although this was not discovered until 1950, when four Scottish nationalistsbroke into the church to steal the stoneand return it to Scotland.Two days after the Westminster Abbey bombing, a second suffragette bomb was discovered before it could explode inSt Paul's Cathedral.
The possibility that the Coronation Chair could be damaged or destroyed by German air raids during theSecond World Warresulted in it being moved toGloucester Cathedralfor the duration of the war. Concerns about the propaganda implications of the Stone falling into German hands led to it being hidden behind ancient lead coffins in a burial vault under Abbot Islip's Chapel, situated off the northambulatoryof the abbey.Other than the Dean,Paul de Labilliereand theSurveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey,Charles Peers, only a few other people knew of its hiding place. Worried that the secret could be lost if all of them were killed during the war, Peers drew up three maps showing its location. Two were sent in sealed envelopes to Canada, one to the Canadian Prime MinisterWilliam King, who deposited it in the Bank of Canada's vault in Ottawa. The other went to theLieutenant Governor of Ontario, who stored his envelope in the Bank of Montreal in Toronto. Once he had received word that the envelopes had been received, Peers destroyed the third map, which he had been keeping at his bank.
Peers later received a suggestion via the Office of Works that the Stone should be sent to Scotland for safekeeping:
On Christmas Day 1950, a group of four Scottish students (Ian Hamilton,Gavin Vernon,Kay Matheson,and Alan Stuart) removed the stone from Westminster Abbey, intending to return it to Scotland.During the removal process, the stone broke into two pieces.After burying the greater part of the Stone in aKentfield, where they camped for a few days,they uncovered the buried stone and returned to Scotland, along with a new accomplice, John Josselyn.
According to an Americandiplomatwho was posted inEdinburghat the time, the stone was briefly hidden in a trunk in the basement of the consulate's Public Affairs Officer, without his knowledge, then brought up further north.The smaller piece was similarly brought north at a later time. The entire stone was passed toGlasgowpoliticianRobert Gray, who arranged for a Glasgowstonemasonto repair it.
TheBritish Governmentordered a major search for the stone, but were unsuccessful. The stone was left by those that had been hiding it on the altar ofArbroath Abbeyon 11 April 1951, a property owned by theChurch of Scotland. Once the London police were informed of its whereabouts, the stone was returned to Westminster four months after its removal. Afterward, rumours circulated that copies of the stone had been made, and that the returned stone was not the original.
On 3 July 1996, in response to a growing discussion around Scottish cultural history, the British Government announced that the stone would return to Scotland, 700 years after it had been taken.On 15 November 1996, after a handover ceremony at the border between representatives of theHome Officeand of theScottish Office, the stone was transported toEdinburgh Castle. An official handover ceremony occurred in the Castle on 30 November 1996,St Andrew's Day, to mark the arrival of the stone.Prince Andrew, Duke of York, representing Queen Elizabeth II, formally handed over theRoyal Warranttransferring the stone into the safekeeping of theCommissioners for the Regalia.It currently resides in Perth.
As part of a consultation in 2019,theScottish Governmentasked the public for their views on the preferred location for public display of the Stone of Scone. Two options were proposed: featuring it as the centrepiece of a proposed newPerth Museum(a £23 million redevelopment of the formerPerth City Hall) or remaining at Edinburgh Castle in a major redevelopment of the existing display.
In December 2020, the Scottish Government announced that the stone would be relocated to the Perth Museum.The museum opened on 30 March 2024, with the stone as one of its main exhibits.
In September 2022,Historic Environment Scotlandannounced that the stone would temporarily return toWestminster Abbeyfor thecoronation of Charles III.It subsequently left the castle on 27 April 2023 in a procession led byJoseph Morrow, theLord Lyon King of Arms,arriving in Westminster Abbey on 29 April.After the coronation on 6 May, the stone was put on temporary display at the abbey before being returned to Edinburgh Castle later in the month.
On 15 November 2023, three members of environmental activist group This is Rigged smashed the stone's protective glass case, and spray-painted the words "Is Treasa Tuath Na Tighearna" (Scottish Gaelic for "The People Are Mightier Than A Lord") on the glass, alongside the group's logo. Edinburgh Castle was closed to the public for the rest of the day. The activists were arrested following the action, which they claimed was intended to pressure supermarkets to reduce food prices and the Scottish Government to fund a community food hub.In November 2024, two of the three pled guilty atEdinburgh Sheriff Courtto charges of malicious damage in connection with the incident.In December, the third protester also pled guilty to damaging the cabinet; his not guilty plea to a charge of breaching the peace was accepted.
In January 2024, a fragment of the stone, previously thought to have been lost, was found in a cupboard at the headquarters of theScottish National Party. According to Scottish cabinet papers released on 1 January, the fragment was given to the then first ministerAlex Salmondin 2008 by the son ofJohn MacCormick, who had been involved in the removal of the stone from Westminster Abbey.Sir John Elvidge, who wasPermanent Secretaryto the Cabinet at the time, told Salmond that he could keep the fragment. Salmond then passed it to the SNP for safekeeping.
Historic Environment Scotland subsequently carried out tests on the fragment, which established it was genuine "beyond reasonable doubt". In May 2024, it was announced that the fragment would be held by the Commissioners for the Safeguarding of the Regalia "on behalf of the Nation and the people of Scotland".
In January 2025, theBBCreported that a search was in progress for "up to 30" further missing fragments. These fragments were separated from the stone while it was being repaired shortly after the 1950 theft. Robert Gray, who oversaw the repair, passed them to the students who carried out the theft, as well as to "those he admired in the campaign for Scottish independence". The search is being undertaken bySally Fosterfrom theUniversity of Stirling; she has so far been able to confirm the locations of four of them.
The Stone of Scone is parodied as the Scone of Stone in Terry Pratchett'sDiscworldseries of novels, notably inThe Fifth Elephant.