The Stone of Destiny

The Stone of Scone, more commonly known as the Stone of Destiny, has quite the tale for a slab of sandstone. It has traveled to many lands, been viewed as a symbol of Scottish independence, used as the foundation for the coronation of monarchs, stolen, then stolen again, and was finally returned to its ancestral home.

Origin

There are many legends surrounding the stone and where it was actually constructed.

One Celtic tale describes how the stone was once used as a pillow by the biblical Jacob as he rested in Bethel and had visions of angels climbing the ladder to Heaven. Supposedly, after this holy event, it then traveled to Egypt, Sicily, Spain, and was placed upon the hill of Tara in Ireland around 700 BCE.

It was used during the crowning of the ancient kings of Ireland until it was taken by the Celtic Scots to Scotland. Finally, it was moved to the village of Scone around 840 CE — hence the name, The Stone of Scone. Kenneth MacAlpin, King of the Picts and considered the first King of the Scots, was crowned upon the stone. It was commissioned to be made into the seat of a royal coronation chair, which is where his successors were crowned for the next 400 years.

The Stone’s Migration

John de Balliol was the last Scottish king crowned upon the stone in 1292. In 1296, England invaded Scotland and the stone was moved, under the direction of King Edward I, to London. In 1307, the stone was built into a special throne in Westminster Abbey. This became a symbol that the Kings of England would rule as kings of Scotland as well.

Stories say that originally there was a piece of metal attached to the stone. It was translated as saying:

Unless the fates be faulty grown

And prophet’s voice be vain

Where’er is found this sacred stone

The Scottish race shall reign.

This was especially taken to heart by the Scots in 1603, when after the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England, she was succeeded by King James VI of Scotland, who then became James I of England. It was said by loyal Scots that the prophecy has been fulfilled, as James was crowned on the Stone of Scone.

English monarchs continued to be crowned upon the stone due to its significance. It was so treasured that, during WWII, it was secretly buried under the Abbey for safekeeping and a plan to locate it in the future was sent to the Canadian Prime Minister. Luckily, it was kept safe and returned to the Coronation Chair after the war. It was believed that the stone was safe at this point.

And it was — until 1950.

The Plot Thickens

It was Christmas Eve, 1950. Four students from the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, loaded up in two separate cars and prepared for the long drive to London. It was wickedly cold, neither vehicle had a heater, and it was a 20-hour ride. They arrived at Westminster Abbey during the early morning hours and prepared themselves for what would later be known as one of the most famous thefts in England’s history.

Kay Matheson stayed in one of the vehicles with the engine running in order to make a quick getaway if needed. Ian Hamilton, Alan Stuart, and Gavin Vernon pried open a door with a crowbar and headed towards the Coronation Chair, which encased the Stone of Scone.

Keep in mind that not only was the Coronation Chair built specifically to hold the stone in place, but that the stone itself weighs 336 pounds (152 kg). Somehow, while coming up with their plan, none of the four perpetrators had considered how heavy the stone actually was and how difficult it would be to remove it from the small rectangular space it was housed in.

While attempting to remove the stone from the chair, they succeeded in breaking the oak chair itself. As they were removing the stone, they dropped it and it landed on one of the men’s feet, breaking two of his toes. Horrifically, the stone also broke into two uneven pieces.

Hamilton lifted the smaller piece, rushed it outside, and placed it into the back of the car that Matheson was waiting in. It was then that he was sure that any luck that they had left had surely ran out as a policeman pulled up. Thinking quickly, he wrapped his arms around Kay and kissed her passionately. When the policeman questioned what they were doing there, Hamilton and Matheson pretended to be a couple that were unable to locate a place to stay for the night.

After the policeman had left, Matheson left the scene with the first piece of stone, while Hamilton returned to the Abbey. After finding that his friends had bolted, he placed the larger portion of the stone onto his coat and pulled it to the second car where he loaded it into the trunk. Vernon and Stuart then reappeared and then they commenced with their escape.

The Discovery

The nightwatchman of the Abbey discovered the damaged chair and missing stone very soon thereafter and called the police. Roadblocks were set up on all roads leading out of London, and the borders of Scotland and Wales were closed. Having left earlier than the men, coupled with being a female alone in a car, Matheson was able to successfully navigate through the roadblocks.

Hamilton, Stuart, and Vernon decided that it would be a better decision to hide their piece rather than taking the chance of being caught with it while going through a roadblock. They buried the stone in an empty field in Kent where they would return to fetch it later once the heat had died down.

They eventually did return to the site to recover the second section of stone and hauled it back to Scotland. As soon as they crossed the border, the four friends doused the stone in whiskey as a homecoming ritual and soon after had the stone repaired to its original state.

The Mystery is Solved

Unfortunately for the four conspirators, the investigators were pros. They began by visiting libraries in Scotland and asking if any patrons had recently shown any interest in The Stone of Scone. When they visited Glasgow’s Mitchell Library, they discovered that Ian Hamilton had checked out every single book the library owned that referenced Westminster Abbey. The police began putting the pieces together and eventually came up with the name of the four suspects.

Investigators thoroughly searched Kay Matheson’s family farm for the stone, several times in fact. Shockingly, while being questioned, none of the four confessed to the crime. However, they realized that they had accomplished their overall goal, which was bringing awareness of Scotland being considered subordinate as far as status within the United Kingdom. They decided to contact two councilors, D.A. Gardner and F.W.A Thornton, both of which had a reputation of being favorable towards Scottish nationalism, and meet them at the ruins of the Abbey of Arbroath.

The two councilors agreed to the meeting and on April 11, 1951, they waited at the entrance of the Abbey. They then helped three of the students to carry the heavy stone in a wooden litter to the place where the high altar once stood. The students left and the councilors contacted the police to report that they had located the stolen Stone of Scone. When police arrived, they quickly transported the stone to the Forfar Police Headquarters where they locked it inside a cell for safekeeping.

No charges were ever brought against the four Scottish students who pulled off one of the most legendary thefts in history.

The stone was returned to Westminster and placed back inside the Coronation Chair. Queen Elizabeth the II of England / I of Scotland sat above the stone during her coronation ceremony in 1953.

The Return of the Stone

The Stone of Destiny was officially returned to Scotland on November 30, 1996, which happens to be St. Andrew’s Day. St. Andrew’s Day honors the patron saint of Scotland.

Prior to its arrival at Edinburgh Castle, where it is currently displayed, the stone was taken to a “secret location”. That location, we now know, was the Conservation Center in Edinburgh. Here, it was gently steam cleaned to rid the stone of the layers of dust and debris that had accumulated over the decades. This cleaning uncovered details about the stone that were previously unknown, such as tool marks and incisions that are still uninterpreted.

Hopefully, one day we will unlock all of the secrets that the Stone of Destiny holds. For now, it remains displayed with other royal relics in Edinburgh Castle, only to return to England on the basis of it being “borrowed” by the crown. It will temporarily be transported back to Westminster Abbey in the event of a coronation ceremony of a British monarch, which could be in the very near future.

Sources

http://ultimatehistoryproject.com/an-infamous-theft-the-stone-of-scone.html

https://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-stone-of-scone

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Stone-of-Scone

https://scone-palace.co.uk/palace-grounds/stone-of-destiny

***Note: This story was previously published on Medium.com by the author***