Editing Stone of Scone (section)

==Origin and legends==
[[File:Stone of Scone replica.jpg|thumb| Replica of the Stone of Scone in front of a much later chapel]]

In the 14th century the English cleric and historian [[Walter of Guisborough]] identified the previous location of the Scottish coronation stone as the [[Scone Abbey|monastery of Scone]], {{convert|3|km|mi|0|spell= on|abbr=off}} north of Perth:

{{verse translation
|lang=la| Apud Monasterium de Scone positus est lapis pergrandis in ecclesia Dei, juxta magnum altare, concavus quidem ad modum rotundae cathedrae confectus, in quo futuri reges loco quasi coronationis ponebantur ex more.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Skene |first=William Forbes |url=https://archive.org/details/coronationstone00unkngoog |title=The Coronation Stone |publisher=Edmonston & Douglas |year=1869 |location=Edinburgh |publication-date=1869 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/coronationstone00unkngoog/page/n26 11] |author-link=William Forbes Skene |access-date=5 February 2016}}</ref>
|At the monastery of Scone, in the church of God, near to the high altar, was placed a large stone, hollowed out as a round chair, on which future kings were placed for their coronation, according to custom.}}

Various theories and legends exist about the stone's history prior to its placement in Scone. One story concerns [[Fergus I|Fergus, son of Erc]], the first [[King of the Scots]] ({{reign | {{circa | 498}} | 501}}) in Scotland, whose transport of the Stone from Ireland to [[Argyll]], where he was crowned on it, was recorded<ref>Andree, Paul H III (2008): Israelology - The Birthright, House of Israel, Kingdom, and Sons of God, ISBN 0615203612, p. 163.</ref> in a 15th-century chronicle. Some versions identify the stone brought by Fergus with the [[Lia Fáil]], in [[Scottish Gaelic]] (or ''Erse'') originally rendered "Lia Fàil" and,<ref>{{cite book |last=Dwelly |first=Edward |date=1994 |title=Faclair Gaidhlig Gu Beurla Le Dealbhan/Dwelly's Illustrated Gaelic to English Dictionary |edition=12 |location=Glasgow, Scotland |publisher=Gairm Publications |page=588 |isbn=1871901286 |quote=†lia-fàil, -e, s.f. The stone on which the Scottish, and as some say the Irish kings used to be crowned, now in the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey, also called clach-na-cinneamhuinn.}}</ref> after Twentieth Century alphabet revisions that saw the [[Grave accent]] replaced with the [[Acute accent]], "Lia Fáil" ([[Scottish Gaelic]] for "stone of destiny", from "Lia", meaning "stone",<ref>{{cite book |last=Dwelly |first=Edward |date=1994 |title=Faclair Gaidhlig Gu Beurla Le Dealbhan/Dwelly's Illustrated Gaelic to English Dictionary |edition=12 |location=Glasgow, Scotland |publisher=Gairm Publications |page=587 |isbn=1871901286 |quote=†lia, s.f. [&**m.] Stone, great stone. †2 Hunger. 3‡‡Welting. 5‡‡Hog, pig. 6**Stream.}}</ref> and "fàil", meaning "fatal", and of the same etymology as English [[Fate]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Dwelly |first=Edward |date=1994 |title=Faclair Gaidhlig Gu Beurla Le Dealbhan/Dwelly's Illustrated Gaelic to English Dictionary |edition=12 |location=Glasgow, Scotland |publisher=Gairm Publications |page=404 |isbn=1871901286 |quote=†fàil,** a. Fatal. 2 Generous, liberal. see Lia fàil.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=O'Reilly |first=Edward |date=1864 |title=AN IRISH-ENGLISH DICTIONARY, WITH COPIOUS QUOTATIONS FROM THE MOST ESTEEMED ANCIENT AND MODERN WRITERS, TO ELUCIDATE THE MEANING OF OBSCURE WORDS, AND NUMEROUS COMPARISONS OF IRISH WORDS WITH THOSE OF SIMILAR ORTHOGRAPHY, SENSE, OR SOUND IN THE WELSH AND HEBREW LANGUAGES. |edition=A NEW EDITION, CAREFULLY REVISED, AND CORRECTED. |location=Dublin |publisher=James Duffy |page=226 |quote=fail, s. f. the hiccough; a rim or border round the edge of a pot, bucket, etc.; a ring, a wreath, a ring, a collar; company, society ; fate ; a place ; an inclosure, a fence ; a circle; adj. fatal; generous; s. f. a den, a resting place.}}</ref> used at [[Tara, County Meath|Tara]] for inaugurating the [[High King of Ireland|High Kings of Ireland]]. Other traditions contend that the Lia Fáil remains at Tara.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Danvers |first=Frederick Charles |url=https://archive.org/stream/covenantorjacob00danvgoog#page/n242/mode/2up |title=The covenant; or, Jacob's heritage |publisher=William Henry Guest |year=1877 |pages=226–233 |author-link=Frederic Charles Danvers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Petrie |first=George |year=1839 |title=On the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill |url=https://archive.org/stream/jstor-30078991/30078991#page/n137/mode/2up |journal=The Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy |publisher=Royal Irish Academy |pages=159–162}}</ref> (''Inis Fáil'', "The Island of Destiny", is one of the traditional names of Ireland.) Other legends place the origins of the Stone in [[Bible|Biblical]] times and identify it as the [[Stone of Jacob]], taken by [[Jacob]] from [[Bet-El|Bethel]] while on the way to [[Haran (biblical place)|Haran]] ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 28:10–22).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genesis 28:10–22 |url=https://bible.org/seriespage/35-runaway-bribe-genesis-2810-22 |access-date=24 February 2018 |publisher=Bible.org }}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This same Stone of Jacob was then supposedly taken to ancient Ireland by the prophet [[Jeremiah]].<ref>[[iarchive:englandremnantj01glovgoog|'England, the Remnant of Judah, and the Israel of Ephraim' by F.R.A. Glover (Frederick Robert Augustus Glover)]].</ref>

Contradicting these legends, geologists have proved that the stone taken by [[Edward I of England]] to [[Westminster]]<ref>'The Stone of Destiny: Symbol of Nationhood' by David Breeze and Graeme Munro</ref> is a "lower [[Old Red Sandstone]]", which was quarried in the vicinity of Scone.<ref>John Prebble, ''The Lion in the North''.</ref> Doubts over the authenticity of the stone at Westminster exist: a [[blog]] post by retired Scottish academic and writer of historical fiction Marie MacPherson shows that they date back at least two hundred years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marie MacPherson |date=29 November 2013 |title=The Stone of Destiny |url=http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-stone-of-destiny.html |access-date=30 August 2014 |website=English Historical Fiction Authors |publisher=Google Inc}}</ref>

A letter to the editor of the ''[[Morning Chronicle]]'', dated 2 January 1819, states:

{{Blockquote|On the 19th of November, as the servants belonging to the West Mains of [[Collace|Dunsinane-house]], were employed in carrying away stones from the excavation made among the ruins that point out the site of [[Macbeth, King of Scotland|Macbeth]]'s castle here, part of the ground they stood on suddenly gave way, and sank down about six feet, discovering a regularly built vault, about six feet long and four wide. None of the men being injured, curiosity induced them to clear out the subterranean recess, when they discovered among the ruins a large stone, weighing about 500 lb [{{convert|500|lb|disp= output only}}], which is pronounced to be of the meteoric or semi-metallic kind. This stone must have lain here during the long series of ages since Macbeth's reign. Beside it were also found two round tablets, of a composition resembling bronze. On one of these two lines are engraved, which a gentleman has thus deciphered. – 'The sconce (or shadow) of kingdom come, until Sylphs in air carry me again to Bethel.' These plates exhibit the figures of targets for the arms. From time immemorial it has been believed among us here, that unseen hands brought Jacob's pillow from Bethel and dropped it on the site where the palace of Scoon now stands. A strong belief is also entertained by many in this part of the country that it was only a representation of this Jacob's pillow that Edward sent to Westminster, the sacred stone not having been found by him. The curious here, aware of such traditions, and who have viewed these venerable remains of antiquity, agree that Macbeth may, or rather must, have deposited the stone in question at the bottom of his Castle, on the hill of Dunsinane (from the trouble of the times), where it has been found by the workmen. This curious stone has been shipped for London for the inspection of the scientific amateur, in order to discover its real quality.<ref name="The" />}}

[[Dunsinane Hill]] has the remains of a late prehistoric [[hill fort]], and this has historical associations with Macbeth, but no remains dating to the 11th century have been identified on the hill.<ref>[https://ancientmonuments.uk/125397-dunsinane-hill-fort-carse-of-gowrie-ward#.YqLEYSV4WEc Dunsinane Hill, fort], ancientmonuments.uk, accessed 10 June 2022</ref>