The Stone of Destiny, also called “Stone of Scone” or Lia Fàil in Scottish Gaelic, is a block of sandstone used during coronation rituals in Scotland in the Middle Ages. In 1296, King Edward I of England captured it during the conquest of Scotland. It is then kept at Westminster Abbey and used for English and British coronations. Backlash: in 1950, Scottish politician Bertie Gray suggested to a group of Scottish nationalist students the idea of recovering the stone and bringing it back to Scotland.
Led by Ian Hamilton, the little gang organizes one of the most daring heists in history and seizes the Stone of Destiny. A year later, however, they decided to return it. It was not until 1996 that the stone was returned to Scotland, to Edinburgh Castle, although it is still transported to London for each coronation of a new monarch. The problem? During the 1950 heist, the imposing piece of sandstone split in two.
At the time, the students recruited a mason named Edward Manley to join the two pieces, then placed the stone on the steps of the Scottish Abbey of Arbroath, to be collected by the authorities. End of story? Not really. During the repairs, 34 small fragments of the stone broke off. Collected by Bertie Gray, they were numbered and distributed to trusted friends, politicians and journalists. As explained by the media IFL Science, Professor Sally Foster decided to retrace the history of these fragments scattered all over the world.
“It’s not just any stone”
For the investigator, author of a study on the issue, “it’s not just any stone. When Scottish nationalists removed her from the coronation chair and took her from Westminster Abbey on Christmas morning 1950, it caused the border between England and Scotland to be closed for the first time in 400 years. Since the 14the century, almost all English, then British, monarchs sat on the stone during their coronation, in a gesture symbolizing the submission of the Scots.she explains.
To trace the journey of these pieces, Sally Foster conducted extensive archival research, interviewing curators, collectors and institutional experts. She also tracked down relatives of Bertie Gray and his circle of friends, managing to locate several fragments. For example, she discovered that part of it had been given to the nationalist student behind the theft, Ian Hamilton, who then placed it in a silver brooch given to his wife Sheila for her birthday.
Bertie Gray also gave another piece to an Australian tourist named Catherine Milne, as part of her mission to send the Stone of Destiny to every continent. After Milne’s death in 1967, his relatives donated the fragment to the Queensland Museum in Brisbane.
Even more surprising, former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond was also given a small piece of the stone, while another was incorporated into the horse-drawn carriage that the current King, Charles III, used during his coronation at Westminster Abbey in 2023. The piece was inserted into a wooden panel under the seat on which King Charles and Queen Camilla sat during the journey.
Despite his efforts, the path of all the fragments has not yet been completely reconstructed, as Sally Foster reports. She continues her research to locate them all. As for the 1950 robbery, neither Ian Hamilton nor his accomplices were ever prosecuted.
