The Coronation Stone

(from www.lifeandwork.org)

Ian Bradley reflects on the influence of Scotland on the coronation of King Charles III and the importance of the Stone of Destiny.

Although the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday will be an Anglican church service taking place in Westminster Abbey, it will not be without its Scottish elements.

In the last coronation in 1953 the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev James Pitt-Watson, was the only non-Anglican cleric to take part in the service, presenting the Bible to Queen Elizabeth II with the words: ‘Here is wisdom; this is the royal law; these are the lively Oracles of God.’ This role will be reprised by his successor, the Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, on May 6.

Charles III will be crowned while seated on the oak chair supposedly made on the orders of the English king Edward I to accommodate the sacred stone which he had looted from Scone Abbey, near Perth, in 1296. The Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, has featured in the coronation of nearly every English sovereign since 1307. Before that, it played a key role in the coronation of Scottish kings for at least 400 years.

This relatively insignificant piece of red sandstone carries a huge weight of religious symbolism. Legend has it that it started life as the stone pillow on which Jacob slept when he had his dream of the ladder leading up to heaven. Some stories identify it as the pillar beside which Abimelech was crowned king of Israel and Josiah made his covenant with the Lord.

The next chapter in the mythical history of the stone provides an origin legend for the Scots in the lost Israelite tribe of Dan. According to one version, Tea, the last survivor of the Davidic line, smuggled the sacred stone out of Israel. She transported it to Ireland where she married a local king and took the name Scota.

While in Ireland, the stone is said to have been sited at Tara, the holy hill on which Ireland's high kings were crowned. A piece of it was broken off and taken to Argyllshire, possibly by Columba. After residing on Iona for a time, it was taken to Dunstaffnage Castle near Oban. Around 840 it was moved to Scone, the capital of the new united kingdom of Picts and Scots established by Kenneth MacAlpin. Kings of Scotland were thereafter enthroned sitting on the stone at Scone, the last to do so being John Balliol in 1292.

It is in fact highly doubtful whether the stone on which Charles III will sit is the one which MacAlpin brought to Scone, let alone whether it originally came from the Holy Land. The sandstone of which it is made is of a type relatively common around both Scone and Dunstaffnage but unknown in the vicinity of Tara or in the Middle East. But we should perhaps not let hard facts get in the way of legend and myth. The Stone symbolises the sacred character and history of monarchy in the British Isles and illustrates the efforts which have been made to connect it with biblical narratives.

Ian Bradley is Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History in the University of St Andrews and author of the newly published book, God Save the King: The Sacred Nature of Monarchy 

This is an abridged version of an article in May's Life and Work. Buy here.