The Stone of Destiny

Cornell University Library (No restrictions or No restrictions), via Wikimedia Commons

Visitors to the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle are often awed by the Crown Jewels, but puzzled by a rectangular block of stone next to them. This lump of old red sandstone weighs about 152 kilos and measures about 670 X 420 X 265 mm. How could such an ordinary-looking stone be of such national importance, that it is put in the most prominent place of Scotland’s pride alongside its symbols of royalty? The Stone of Destiny – also known as the Stone of Scone, Coronation Stone, and Jacob’s Pillow – is one of the most mysterious and intriguing symbols in the world. For centuries kings and queens have been crowned and inaugurated on it, but unravelling its history is not easy.

We know for certain that the Stone of Destiny was stolen from Scotland by King Edward I in 1296, along with the Scottish crown and sceptre, and St Margaret’s Black Rood. The Stone ended up in Westminster Abbey in a place of honour and a wooden chair was built to house it in 1300. For 700 years kings and queens were crowned over it. But the Scots were deeply upset at the theft of their Stone.

In 1950 three Scottish students broke into Westminster Abbey and removed the Stone, taking it back to Scotland, but it was returned to Westminster! Immediately the Stone’s history took a prominent place in our national news and calls were issued for it to be permanently returned to Scotland and only be brought down to England for coronations.

At last, on St Andrew’s Day 1996, a procession walked up the Royal Mile from the Palace of Holyrood to St Giles’ Cathedral, where a service of remembrance and thanksgiving took place. Readings were given from Genesis about Jacob’s Pillow, and from John’s Gospel about Christ’s disciples, Andrew and Peter, in which Christ likened himself to the ladder of God reaching to heaven in Jacob’s dream, when his head rested on the stone as a pillow. Following the service the Stone of Destiny was taken up to Edinburgh Castle, where it remains today.

But why is there such a fuss over this Stone? Geologists reckon that it was taken from the sandstone rock in Perthshire, just a few miles from Scone, where it was once used for the coronation of earlier Scottish kings. How could this be linked to Jacob’s Pillow from Israel? The story of the Stone of Destiny is shrouded in the murk of mythology, legend and confusion, but we first hear of Scota in the 11th century, who was the daughter of Pharaoh Chencres of Egypt. According to the tale, she married a Scythian, who survived the destruction of Pharaoh’s Egyptian army in the Red Sea at the time of Moses. They fled from Egypt with an entourage and ended up in Spain, ‘taking with her the royal seat’. From Spain they travelled to Ireland, until, at last, their descendants immigrated to Scotland, bringing the chair with them. It was only one move further to mix up Scota’s marble throne with Jacob who the Bible says had come to Egypt, with an added legend of his stone pillow at the time of Joseph, to produce a myth full of symbolism and a prophecy that said:

‘Unless the fates are false,
the Scots will reign,
Where’er the fatal stone they find again.’