The Stone of Scone

Scone, the ancient royal city, pobably the capital of the old Pictish kingdom, is about two miles north of Perth. Geographically it is at the centre of Scotland. At Scone, in the heartland of Scotland, were the first  recorded Councils or Parliaments of Scotland . Here Scotland's legendary kings like Macbeth and Malcolm, his successor, were crowned. In 1651 the last Coronation took place at Scone Palace. King Charles II was crowned on Moot Hill. Today a tiny Presbyterian church is on Moot Hill. A replica of the stone is next to it (photo above).

 

Malcolm
So thanks to all at once, and to each one,
Whom we invite to see us crown'd at Scone.
(William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act V, Sc. IX)

An unusual feature of the Coronation at Scone was that those attending the ritual carried the earth of their own lands inside their boots, which they emptied after  the ceremony. The Abbey, which was destroyed in 1559, was said to have stood on the mound formed by the earth.

The Stone of Scone, also called the sacred Stone of Destiny, was thought to have been  Jacob's pillow on which he rested at Bethel. It was purloined by Edward I in 1296 and taken to Westminster Abbey. There the Stone was incorporated in the Coronation Chair which was used for the coronation of all monarchs. In 1953 Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on the Stone. In 1996, after 700 years, the Stone was brought back to Scotland. The 152 kilo yellow rock joined the Scottish regalia in a closely-guarded museum in Edinburgh Castle.

 Scone Palace, opposite Moot Hill, is a 16th century mansion which was extended in the 19th century. It is the home of the Earl and Countess of Mansfield who seek to maintain the historic house and the surrounding Estate that is also famous for its 100 -acre Wild Garden and its historic Pinetum where Douglas Firs and Sequoia Redwoods, planted at the beginning of the 19th century, are still growing. Some are more than 50 metres high.

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