Today in History

April 11, 1951

The Stone of Scone is Returned to Scotland

The Stone of Scone, sometimes called the Stone of Destiny, is a 330-pound rock made of sandstone that has for centuries been used in the coronation of Scotish, English, and British monarchs. The Stone of Scone figured into the coronation of Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scotland, in 847 AD. It was fitted into the throne upon which the monarchs sat.

Edward I of England captured the stone in 1296 and had it removed to Westminster Abbey in London. There, it was fitted into a wooden throne on which all subsequent English sovereigns have been crowned with the exception of Queen Mary II. Many times negotiations centered on the stone's return to Scotland, but history and circumstance prevented its return.

On Christmas Day, 1950, the stone was stolen from Westminster Abbey. Road blocks and border patrols were set up around England. On April 11, 1951, the stone was found on the altar of Arbroath Abbey, the home of the 1320 AD letter of a Scottish abbot who famously wrote "as long as a hundred of us remain alive, we shall not on any condition be subjected to English rule."

The stone was returned to Westminster Abbey later that year. However, in 1996, the Stone of Scone was officially returned to Scotland by the British governement. Today, it is housed in Edinburgh Castle.

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