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Home , Coronation Chair, Holyrood (cross), Lulach, Stone of Scone, William the Lion

I I. E CORONATIOTH N STONE WILLIAY B . M. SKENBF , ESQ., LL.D., VlCE-PKKSIDEN . . TS .

The Legene Coronatioth f o d n Ston f Scotlandeo , formerl t Sconeya , Westminsten i anw dno r Abhey intimatels i , y connected wit fabuloue hth s histor Scotlandf y o wandering s it tale f eo Th . s from Egyp Sconeo t d an , of its various resting-places by the way, is, in fact, closely interwoven with that spurious history which, first emerging in the controversy with regarding the independence of , was wrought into a consistent narrative by Fordun, and finally elaborated by Hector Boece into that formidable lisf mythio t c monarchs swayeo wh ,e sceptrdth e over the Scottish race from " the Marble Chair" in Dunstaffnage. The mists cast aroun e trudth e histor f Scotlanyo thiy b ds fictitious narrative havbeen greaw a en no i , t measure, dispelled. Modern criticism s demolisheha e fortth d y kings whose portraits adore e wallth nth f o s gallery in Holyrood, and whose speeches are given at such wearisome lengte page e legenStonth e th th f Boecen h i s f o Destinyt f eo do Bu . , or Fatal Chair, has taken such hold of the Scottish mind, that it is less easily dislodged from its place in the received history of the country; and there it still stands, in all its naked improbability, a solitary waif from f myt o d fable a an h se , e witth h which modern criticis s hardlmha y venture o meddlet d d whican , h modern scepticis t caveno o ds t mha question s stili t lI believe. d tha e stons peculiarlth t wa e y connected with the fortunes of the Scottish race, that it was preserved for many generations at Dunstaffnage, and that it was transferred from Argyllshire e nintScono t th hn i e century, whe e Scot th ne sai havo ar st d e con- quere Pictise dth h nation. THE COEONATION STONE. 69 Buhistore th t y with which this legen s connectedi d havin beew gnno rejected as unquestionably spurious, it is surely an inquiry of some interest to what exten pary f thio an t s legen s realli d t i y r historicalfa w ho r o , must shar same eth ee popularly-receivefateTh . d accoun e stonth f eo t may be shortly stated in the words of Pennant:—" In the church of the abbey (of Scone) was preserved the famous chair, whose bottom was the fatal stone e palladiuth , e Scottisth f mo h monarchy e stoneth ; , which had first served for his pillow, was afterwards transported into Spain, where it was used as a seat of justice by Gethalus, contemporary with Moses t afterwardI . Dunstafihago t sy founwa s dit Argyllshiren i e , continued e Coronatiotherth s a e n Chair e reigtilth lf Kennetno h II., who securo t , empires ehi , remove Sconeo t t di . Ther t i remainede d an , t i ever n i y Scottish monarc inaugurates hwa d e yeatilth l r 1296, when Edward I., to the mortification of North Britain, translated it to "West- minster Abbey witd , an accordin,h it ancieno gt t prophecy empire th , f eo Scotland." ' The latter part of this account is unquestionably true. It is true that such a stone was preserved at Scone; it is true that Scottish monarchs were crowned upon it; and it is true that in 1296 Edward I. removed it Westminsteo t seee b nn undeca r e Abbeysead th ran t , is , wherw no t ei Coronatioe oth f n Chair. Fordun has left us a detailed account of the of Alexander III. at Scone, in the year 1249. He did not live to continue his histo- rical narrative beyond the reign of David I, but in the MS. preserved at Trinity College, Cambridge, are the materials collected by him for the remainder of his history, in which this account is contained, and it has been introduced, with some variations, by Bower, in his continuation of Fordun's s beehistoryha n t I littl. e notice Scottisy db h historiansd an , , ver bit refeo y d yo thos t ro inaccuratel ewh y represented, r excepM y b t Eobertson in his " Scotland under her Early Kings," who is always accu- rate; but he has taken his account from. Bower's altered version, instead of fro oldee mth r t forcontainei f me Cambridgo th n di . IneMS order to follow the description, it will be necessary that I should first produce to you ancient Scone. remaine Th ancienf so t Scone, suc thes ha l containeyal aree ar , d within 1 Pennant's Tour in Scotland, vol. iii. p. 116. 0 7 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MAEC , 1869H8 .

the present park of the-Palace of Scone, which extends along the east bank of the from about a mile north of Perth for a considerable dis- tance. Fro rivee mpare th rth k extends wit hgentla e ascent towarde sth north and east, till it reaches the road from Perth to Bridge of Isla. Throug soute hth h par tpare oth fksmal a l strea burr mo n flows inte oth Tay throug hravina e calle e Friars e nortdTh th n h' o Den sidd f o ean , this ravine were situated the old abbey and the royal city of Scone. The present approach from Perth, now called the Queen's Drive, crosses this ravin bridgea y entered b an , broasa d terrace throug hgata e termee th d Terrace Gate, till it reaches the north-east front of the present Palace of Scone, situated about 300 yards from the Den. The present palace faces rivere th , which here runsouth-easterla n si y direction. Abou yard0 10 t s from the south-east corner of the palace is an old burying-ground, and in 1841, in altering one of the terraces, the foundation of a small room or cell was found between the burying-ground and the palace, and within 20 yards of the former. It was surrounded by stone seats about 15 inches broad, and might be from 10 to 12 feet in dimension. It was probably abbee parth f yo t buildings. Abou yarde nort0 7 th tn f a thio ho s t s i s oval-shaped rising groun r hillocko d , called popularl Mooe yth t Hilf o l Scone, and having on the top a flat area of about 100 yards by 60; this was the ancient Mons PlacMi of the Begiam Majestatem, and the Collis Credulitatis Mounr o Belief e Chronicleso tth f o f . Abou yard0 e 20 t du s east of the north-east front of the present palace is an ancient gateway still preserved, and 30 yards east of it stood an ancient cross, now removed to another site. From this gateway proceeded walls, built on the foundation of other walls, which seem to have enclosed these posses- abbee sion Mooth e f wels th yso a s ta l e sout HillTh lina h. n ewalo s i l wit ease hth tburying-grounde walth f o l . The ancient palace of the abbots, with the abbey and abbey church, was entirel t fire the o se t 1559n y burnd i o mdestroyeb an wh ,t mo a y db e groundtheth m o t thert bu ;littl s ei e reaso doubo nt t thae presenth t t palace is built on the site of the old palace. The rebuilding of the palace was commence firse th t y Commendatodb r afte Eeformatione th r Eare th , l of Gowrie d extendean , d completean d r DaviSi y db Murray, whon o , forfeiture th Eare th Gowrif o f l o e 1600n ei , receive lande dgrana th f so t abbee oth f f Sconeyo , which were erected inte lordshioth f Sconpo n i e . THE CORONATION STONE. 71 1605. This building was replaced by the present palace in 1803. In 1624 Sir David .Murray took down the few remaining fragments of the e abbee wallth th f f o yso churchp to d erecte e churcw an ,th ne n da o h Moot Hill. The old gateway appears also to belong to his period. We know from the old descriptions that the cimiterium lay on the north side e e abbeyMooo th th fbetweed d tan , Hill an d thae abbe t an i nth ,t y churc immediatels hwa ycimiterium.e westh f e burying-grouno t th f I d founcimiterium,d w whicol no de s e sami hth ther th s a es t wouli e i d determine the site of the buildings; but it contains no gravestones as old Reformatione asth sits it inconsistens ei d an , descriptionsd tol wit e th h , whil e remain e stonth e th f eo s wal d seatan l s seem evidentl havo yt e forme abbee d th par f yo t buildings e abbe situateds Th .y wa , therefore, l probabilityal n i , betwee presene walnth d ol l te sout palacth f d ho an e e ancienth e nort almosd th t an gaten h , O it sidt . f undeeo e Moorth t Hill, was the cimiterium or burying-ground, and, at the west end of cimiterium,e th e abbeth y church. Outsid f thio e s wall extendind an , g along the Friars' Den, was the royal city of Scone, the site of which is marked by an avenue which still preserves the name of the Chantor Gate, leading from wha calles i t Gallowe dth s Knowe e soutth t ha , end, across ravinee th , til t reachei l e roath dgat d ol leadine e fro easte th mth o gt , which it joined 50 yards from the gate. Through this avenue proceeded road ol d e froth m Perth.1 Fordun's descriptio coronatioe th f no f Alexandeo n r followss IIIa s .i . After narrating the death of Alexander II. at Kerreray, on Thursday, the yea e Julyf th o r n h i ,1249 8t proceede h , s thus:—"Alexanderf o n so e ,th 1 cimiteri"n I partx oe e oriental! eccleaiEe."—Fordu Heame,na vol. iii. 758. " Super monte partx me e boreali monasterii ejusdem extra cymyterium."—Act. Part. Scot. i. 216. In the Chartulary of Scone are two visitations of the monastery by the Bishop of St Andrews in 1365 and 1369 (pp. 137-139), which mention the ecclesia, the claustrum, the dormitorium, the refectorium, the capitulum, the infirmitorium, and the clausura monasterii, within whic femalo n h s admittedewa . They also mentioe nth s villatabernceit Sconae d d bothce;d an an d amon an e feu-rightth g s granted after the Eeformation is one to "Peter Jat and Alisoun Scharpe, his spous, of that tenemen f lano t d upo e south-eisth n e tchantourgait, th par f o t 3 Apri1 l 1586."— . 232.(P ) . - In Slezer's " Theatrum Scotise" is a view of Scone from the south, looking north which shows the position of the buildings in 1693. 72 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1869. e aforesaith d King Alexander f eigho y t bo yeara , s old, cam o Scont e e wit hnumbe a earls e th f , o rbarons knightsd e followinan , th n o , g Tues- day 13te th July,f ho . There were presen venerable th t e fathers David de Bernham, Bishop of St Andrews, and Galfridus, , a man graciou mann si y things bot o clerght d laityyan , carefu n thingi l s tempora d showeo spiritualan lwh e d on ,himsel f amiabl allo t e , both nobles and poor,-but terrible to malefactors. There, was present also the Abbosame th f eo t 'monaster f Scone-yo ; and, behold soos a , thes na y were assembled, there arose a great' dissension among the nobles. Some of them wished not to make him king on that day, but only a knight, say- unluckn a s thag wa y accounin t n i te dayo saidthis d th t san f wa ;no , o t unlucky day t becausbu , e Alan Durward t thata , ' time Justiciarl al f yo Scotland, wishe thawit n y e knightlo da th htgir o dm t dhi y swordo T . whom submitting, the Lord Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteath, a man eminent and prudent in council, replied, saying that lie had himself seen d oftea knight ha t a kin nd no hearg an t , consecratef ye o d s wa o dwh king wer o t knighteswh no s being consecrated addedd an , , saying, thaa t country withou kina withouts gwa t doubt lik e midse eshith a th f n po ti billows without a rower steersman. He had also always loved the late king, of pious memory, and this king on account of his father. He pro- posed, therefore, to elevate this boy as speedily as possible to the , as it was always hurtful to arrrangements already made to defer them. On his advice, the bishops and the abbot, as well as the nobles and the whole clergy and people, gave their consent and assent with one voice to his being made king. '• And it was done that the same Earl Walter Comyn, when he heard this, and the whole clergy, the Earls Malcolm Earl of Fife, and Malise Earl of Stratherne, and other nobles uniting with them, they immediately led the future King Alexander to the cross, which stands in the eimi- terium or churchyard at the east end of the church ; and, having there .placed him in the -regal chair, decked with silk cloths embroidered with gold, the Bishop of St Andrews, the others assisting him, consecrated him king, the king himself sitting, as was proper, upon the regal chair—that stone—ane th , is earle othed dth san r nobles placing vestments undes hi r feet, with bent knees, befor stonee eth Thi. . s ston reverentls ei y preserved in that monastery for the consecration of kings of Scotland; nor were any THE3 7 CORONATION STONE.

of the kings in wont to reign anywhere in Scotland, unless they had, on receivin name gth kingf eo , first uposa t n this royal ston Sconen ei , which was constituted "by ancient kings the " sedes superior " or principal seat, sayo tha t f Albania o s ,i t . And, behold, everything being completeda , certain Scottish moimtaineer, suddenly kneeling befor e thronth e e with bent head, salute mother-tongus kine hi d th n gi thesn ei e Scottish words —Benac e AlbaE e hd n Alexander Alexanderc Ma , Williamc Ma , c Ma , Henri, Mac David, and thus, repeating the genealogy of the Scottish kings, rehearsed end.'e theth mo t ' Fordun's description is so graphic, we can almost picture the scene. A Scottish July day ; the cross in the cimiterium; before it the fatal stone, covered with gold embroidered cloths; e boy-kingupoth t ni s sid hi et a ; the two bishops and the Abbot of Scone ; before him the great barons of Scotland, kneeling before the ancient symbol of Scottish sovereignty; e eageth r Highland Sennachy pressing forwar o uttet ds barbarouhi r s Celtic gutturals ; in the background the Mount of Belief, covered with a crow peoplf do e gazinsoleme distance th th n go n ni bluee scend eth an ' e; e Grampiansrangth f eo , broke npase onlth sy ythrougb hy whicTa e hth emerges to pass before them on the west, and where the Abbey of Dun- keld lies nestled, whose abbot, the founder or Stammvuter of his race, had, by his marriage with the daughter of the last king of Scottish race, placed his descendants in the " Marble Chair." 1 Fordun a Hearne, vol. iii. p. 757. Bower, in his continuation of Fordun, in whic materiale hth s lefForduy b t largele nar y interpolated greatls ,ha y altered this description. He makes the meeting solve the difficulty as to the knighting of the king, by the Bishop of St Andrews both knighting and crowning him. He is then crowne anointedd dan d hae coronatioth an s, n oath .administere himo t d , "prius Latine postea Gallice; e " th cimiterium, o d aftet e coronatio an "d th r le s i e "nh and placed on the stone merely to receive the address of the Highland Sennachy. shortn I assimilatee h , e coronatioth s Normae thath o n t f o t n king f Englanso n di the church reduced an , " e scene cimiteriuth s th n ei unmeaninn ma "o t g ceremony. historianr Thosou f eo havo swh e notice e coronatiodth l folloal t nwa Bowes hi n i r description ; but Alexander was in real fact knighted by Henry, king of England, Scotco n 1251n i d han , kinactualls gwa y crowne d anointean d d prio Davio t r d II., who was the first to receive the more solemn inauguration in consequence of an application by Robert I. to the Pope. If the two descriptions were placed in parallel column t wouli s d sho e extenwth o whict t h thes d writerol e s falsified history whe t suitei n d their n onl purposethay ca n matterysa i e t W . s touching the controversy with Scotland, English writers were equally unscrupulous. 74 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAKCH 8, 1869. The next coronation on the fatal stone was attended with more humili- ating circumstances. John Baliol was crowned at Scone, and immediately after his coronation did homage to the King of England as his over-lord. William Kishanger thus describe Chronicles hi n i t si , written about 1327: —" John de Balioll, on the following feast of St Andrew's, placed upon regae th l stone, which Jacob placed unde s hearhi d whe wene nh t from Bersabe Harano et s solemnlwa , y crowne e churce canonth th n f di ho s regular at Scone j"1 and there is preserved a warrant by Edward I., by which, as over-lord of the , on the narrative that "Duncan, son and heir of the late Duncan, Earl of Fife, was under age, and could not perform a certain function in the new creation of the King of Scotland—that of placing him in his royal seat at Scone, incumbent upon him according to the usage of the kingdom of Scotland—he assigned to John de St John to place, in the name of the said heir, John de Balliol, King of Scotland, to whom he had judicially restored that kingdom in his royal sea t Sconeta , accordin aforesaie th o gt d usage."2 William Eishanger also records that Edward I.overrud , afteha e h rn Scotlan 1296n di h o , his return from the north, ' passed by the Abbey of Scone, where having taken away the stone which the Kings of Scotland were wont at the time of their coronatio foe thronera us o nt , carrie Westministero t dt i , directing made priesb e chai e th o e t th f t to ri celebrant.' "3

" Johannes de Balliolo, in festo Sancti Andrew sequent!, collocatus super lapidem 1 regalem, quern Jacob supposuerat capiti suo, dum iret de Bersabee et pergeret Aran, ecclesin i a Canouicorum Kegulariu Scone md e solemniter coronatur."—Will. Kisli- — anger's Chronica t Annales,e . 135p . 2 " Seiatis quod, cum Duncano filio et lieredi Duncani, quondam Comitis de Fif infra setatem et in custodia nostra existenti, qusedam certa offlcia, in nova creatione regis Scotise, de ponendo ipsum in regiam sedem suam, apud Scone secundum con- suetudinem dicti regni Scotise, incumbant t accepimusu , , facienda. Nos nolentes prsefato Duncano c infrsi , a setate eustodin i t me a nostra existenti, prayjudiciun mi hac parte aliqualiter generari, ratione minorig setatis ejusdem hseredis assignavimus dilectu t mfldelee m nostrum Johanne Sancte md o Johann ponendumd a e; , nomine ipsius hseredis, dilectum et fidelem nostrum Johannem de Balliollo regem Scotisa (cui Regnum illud judicialiter reddidimus) in regiam sedem suam apud Scone secun- dum consuetudinem prsedictam. Teste Bege apud Norham xxi. die Novembris." —Bym. Feed. i. 785. redeund"n I o autem, tranaivi r Abbathiape t Sconee md ; ubi sublato lapido equ 3 Eeges Scotorum, tempore coronationis, soleban thronoo pr i ut t, usque Westmonas- THE5 7 CORONATION STONE.

Hemingford says, " At the Monastery of Scone was placed a large stone e churcth n f i Godho , neae greath r t altar, hollowe t lik ou da roune d chair, in which future kings were placed, according to custom, as the place of their coronation." And again, "in returning by Scone [the king] ordered that stone s beewhichn i , ha ns a said, e Scote kingth th , f sso were wont to be placed at their coronation, to be taken and carried to , as a sign that the kingdom had been conquered and resigned."1 Harding, in his Metrical Chronicle, says— And as he came home by Skoon away, The regal there of Scotland than he brought, And sen t forthi t Westmynstro et , ay r efo To ben ther ynne a chayer clenly wrought, r massFo e preste sitto s t wha n oughtey m nhe , Whiche yit is there stondyng beside the shryne, chaiea n I oldf o r e tyme made ful fyne.2 The Scottish chronicle l agresal assertinn ei same gth e fact. So much of the legend being unquestionably true, let us see how far earliee th rtale parth e f wilo t l bea tese examinationf th ro t . Starting with the stone at Scone in the thirteenth century, and playing traditionars it ycoronatioe parth n kingstrace s i t u th histors t f eit n o le , y back, examining the form of the legend at each stage of our progress. We may take Hector Boece as giving it in its latest and fullest form : Boece's history was written in 1527, and in 1531 it was translated by John terium transtulit ilium, jubens inde fieri celebrantium cathedram sacerdotum."—Will. Bish. Chron. p. 163. 1" Apud Monasteriu Scone md e positus erat lapis pergrandis in ecclesia Dei,juxta magnum altare, coucavus quidem ad modum rotundse cathedrse confectus, in quo futuri reges loco quasi coronationis ponebantur ex more. " In redeundo per Scone, prsecepit tolli et Londoniis cariari, lapidem ilium, in quo, ut supra dictum est, reges Scotorum solebant poni loco coronationis sure et hoc in signum regni conquesti et resignati."—Hem. Crott. t. i. pp. 37-100. To complet evidencee eth , amon e king'gth s jewels whic he castlwerth f n ei o e in 1296, was "una petra magna super quam Eeges Scotire solebaut coro- nari" (Ohalmers' Galed. wardrobe th n . i 468)vol p d . ei . an ;account Edwarf so . dI for A.D. 1300 paymena s i , t " Magistro Waltero Pictori custubuo pr , t expensispese r ipsum factis circa unum gradum faciendu peded ma m nove Cathedr o petrqu an ei Scocie reponitur juxta altare ante feretrum Sancti Edward Ecclesin i i a Abbatie Westmonaster."—Lib. Gard,, Edward I. p. 60. 2 MS. Bod. Seld. B. 10. .76 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAKCH 8, 1869.

Bellenden, Archdean of Moray, which at once made his fabulous history familiar to the Scottish mind, so that it was soon accepted as the popular countrye belieth f o f , whil polishee eth d Latinit Buchanaf yo n commended favoulearnede e th th f o t o r t i . Boece's stor s shortlyi y this :—Gathelus, e eitheAthenian Greeka th so f ro e th , n Ceciop e Argivth r o se Neolus, went to Egypt at the time of the Exodus, where he married Scota, the daughte Pharaof o r afte d destructioe an ,th r Egyptiae th f no n e armth n yi Eed Sea, fled with her by the Mediterranean till he arrived in Portingall,

Coronation Chair, from Hollinshed's " Chronicles," London, 1577, folio.

where he landed, and founded a kingdom at Brigantium, now Compos- tella. Here he reigned in the marble chair, which was the ' lapis fatalis cathedra instar, r fatao ' l stone lik echaira whereved an , rfoun s it,wa d portended kingdo e Scots th n afte I o mt . r age t i bor s e followinth e g inscription :— i fallaN l fatum, Scoti, quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem. which Bellenden thus translates :— THE CORONATION STONE. 77

The Scottis sail brwke that realrae aa native ground, Geif weirdis faill nocht, quhairever this chair is found. Simon Breck, a descendant of Gathelus, brought the chair from Spain to , and was crowned in it as King of Ireland. Fergus, son of Ferchard, was first King of the Scots in Scotland, and brough e chaith t r from Irelane H crownes Argyll o . dt wa it d n i dan , built a town in Argyll called Beregonium, in which he placed it. From proceedem hi d forty king f Scotlandso twelfte Th . h king, Evenus, built a town near Beregonium, called after his name Evonium, now called Dunstaffnage whico t , e ston removeds h th remaindee ewa th d an , f tho r e forty kings are all crowned in Dunstaffnage, reigned there, and are buried there." In Boece it is usually called Evonium, but Bellenden invariably substitutes Dunstaffnage d thu an t "becami ,s e familiae Scottisth o t r h anciene minth s da t capita Scottise th f o l h kingdom place th ed wheran , e fatae th l ston kepts ewa . The Scots are expelled to Ireland under the last of the forty kings, t returbu n unde s nephehi r w s crownei Fergu e Ereo c th wh ,Ma sn di marble chair. He builds a church at lona, and commands it to be the sepulchre of the kings in future. Kenneth MacAlpin e las f thesth ,o t e kings, conquer e Pictsth sd an , bring e fatath s l stone from Argyl o Gowryt l placed n Sconei an , t i s , because it was there that his principal victory over the Picts had taken place. Some say that he then caused the verse to be inscribed on the stone beginning 'M fallat fatum.'1 The forty kings are purely fabulous, but with Fergus Mac Ere the

»"Boethii Scotorum Hist., ed. 1527, and Bellenden 'a " Croniklis of the Scots." Buchanan adds to this account, that when Kenneth MacAlpin brought the stone to Scone placee h , t therdi cathedran e"i m ligneum inclusum; t thi contrars hu "si y to the expressions of the older writers, who describe the stone as "Cathedrae instar," or as " in formam Cathedrae decisum," but never that it was enclosed in a chair, as it afterward t Westminstera s wa ss remarkabli t I . e that while Hemingford calls stone th e whic carries hwa d off "pergrandis, inventore th n i calle s i d t yi "an d "una magna petra, presene "th t stone enclose e coronatioth n di n chai t Westminstea r r measures only 26 inches in length by 16 j inches in breadth and 10J in depth. The Marmorne Stuhl, or marble chair, in which Charlemagne is said to have sat, and the emperor Germanf so ytime weron e t crownedea stils i , l preserve Chapellea l x Ai t da . It is a plain heavy seat of white marble on five steps, and with no carving or orna- 8 7 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1869H8 .

stream of fictitious narrative flows into that of history, for he is the first e historioth f c king f Dalriado s o foundewh a e Scottisth d h colonf o y Argylsixte th hn i l century historie th d can ; king f Dalriadw so no e ar a interwoven with fictitious monarchs in Boeee's tale. It is remarkable that when the historical element enters, Dunstafihage disappears, and Icolmkill or lona takes its place. A centur hala d f yearliean r Fordun state legene sth d thus :—" Neulus, a Greek, has a son Gaythelus, who goes to Egypt, marries Scota, daughter of Pharao, kin Egyptf go leadd remnane an , sth e peopl th wero f o tewh e a througSe d s h hi t Ee drowne Africf no e o th o Spaine t an i dOn . descendants, a king of Spain, has several sons, and sends one of them, Simo'n Brec, to Ireland, to whom he gave " Marmorea Cathedra," the marble chair, diligentl carefulld yan y sculpture ancieny db t art whicn ,o h the kings of Spain, of Scottish race, were wont to sit. This stone or chai placee mose rh th tn s i eminen t kingdome placth f eo , called Thernor, which becam royae eth l seaprincipad an t l e kingdoplacth f eo f Iremo - land. He adds, that of the origin of the stone there were two accounts: one, 'that Gaythelus brough t froi t m Egypt othere th ; , that Simon Brec, having cast anchor on the shore of Ireland, and again weighed anchor in consequenc storma f eo , raised, wit anchors hhi stona , f marbleeo n i t cu , the shape of a chair. Fordun then quotes the prophecy, "Ni fallat fatum, addd "an s that Fergus f Farquharo n so ,e Scot th , d swhele e nh from Ireland to Scotland, brought with him the royal chair cut out of marble stone, in which he was crowned first king there by the Scots; after whose exampl succeedine eth g kings receive rite f coronatiodth o e n in the same chair." Fordun does not say how it came to Scone.1 The " Cronicon Bythmicum," which may be classed with Fordun as an authority, give e samth s e account, stating, however, that Gaythelus brought the stone, which it calls " lapis Pharaonis," or Pharao's stone from Egypt epithe e applied th an ,t i "f to o Anchor st a vite," probable yth origin of Fordun's second account that it was raised with the anchor. In stating that Fergus brough e stonth t o Scotlandt e e worth , d Ergadis i a

believes i meett i t d,bu tha t coronationa t t wasi s covered with plate e goldf so Th . Scottish ston havy eema been similarly sea e raisedth t d alonan , e take Englandno t , and inserte woodee th n di n chair mad Edwary eb . dI 1 Fordu Hearnena . THE9 7 CORONATION STONE. substituted for Scotia; and in the later edition of this chronicle, after stating tha subsequene tth t kings were crowned lin e upo addedth es i , nit — Ut Scona testatur usque tune lapis iste locatur. 1 Neither e Fordu" th Cronico r nno n Kythmicum" know anythinf go Dunstaffnag place th s ea e wher e ston es th kep e Argyllen wa i th t d an ; former mentions it only as a stronghold of the Lords of Lorn in the reign of Eobert the Bruce. Neither do they know anything of the removal of the stone by Kenneth mac Alpin to Scone in the ninth century; and Fordun giveo reigs wh ,shi grean i t detail, make allusioo sn . it no t It is remarkable that the two features of the legend to which popular belief has clung with greatest tenacity—viz., that the stone was kept at Dunstaifnage removes thad wa t an i t, d from thenc Scono et Kennety eb h mac Alpin whe e conquereh n e Picts—resth d t upo e statemennth f o t Hector Boece alone, and are totally unknown to the older authorities. "VVyntoun, though his date is later than Fordun, may be considered as an independent authority followd an , s more closel e oldeyth r chronicles. He begin accouns shi t wit Kine hth f Spaingo sen o sons hi twh , , Symon Brec, to Ireland. A gret Stane this Kyng than had, That fore this Kyngis Sete wes made; And haldyne wes a gret Jowale Wytht-i Kynryke nth Spaynf eo e hale. This stone he takes to Ireland, and Thare he made a gret Cyte, And it nsyni e that stane gert h6 Be sethaldynd ,an Jowaler efo , And Charty thaf o r t Kynryke hale. Fergus Ere son fra hym syne Down descendand ewy lyne nb e fyve fyftd th an ey o t Gren I , As ewyne reeknand men may sS, Brought this Stane wytht-in Scotland, Fyrst quhe come nwanh d ean e that Land; An Ikkolmkiln i d t fyrsse t i t , And Skune thare-ef tyr it was brought tyle.2 1 Chronicle Picte Scotsth d f san so . 333p , , Edinb. 1867, 8vo. a Wyntoun's Chronicle Macphersony b , . . iiiix b , . c . 0 8 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1869H8 .

The main difference here is, that the stone is brought from Ireland to Scotland, not by the mythic Fergus, son of Ferquhard, but by the historic Fergus, son of Ere ; and, instead of being placed by the former in Argyll, is placed by the latter in Icolmkill; but he too says nothing as to when the stone was brought to Scone, and does not allude to it in his account reige oth f Kennet f no h MacAlpin. "We have a still older form of the legend in the " Scalacronica," the com- pilation of which was completed in the year 1355; In this chronicle the legend begins with Simon Breee Kinyoungese th f th Spain,f go o n ,so t goin Irelando gt brougho , "wh tstona wit whicn m eo h hi e king hth f o s Spain were wont to be crowned, and placed it in the most sovereign beautiful place in Ireland, called to this day the Eoyal Place, and Fergus, son of Ferchar, brought the royal stone before received, and placed it where is now the Abbey of Scone, "i By Fergus Fercharf o n obviouss i so , t i , ,successorss fro hi lis e f mth o t , tha historie th t c Fergus Eref o hers i n , so e, meant. Blind Harry, the minstrel, in his metrical life of Sir William Wallace, obviously give legene same sth th en di form n talkinI e corona.th f go - tion of John Baliol, he says :— The crown he took upon the self-same stane, That Gadales sen fron t mso wit s Spaihhi n; When Iber Scot first into Ireland come. At Canmor syne King Fergus has it won, Brough Sconeo t stablt d i t an , e mad t thereei , Where kings were crowned eight hundred years and mair, Befor time eth e that King Edwar t dfandi , This jewel he garttuise into England.2 By Canmor, Harry means Teamor, the Themor of Fordun, the Eoyal Palace of the "Scalacronica" in Ireland, now called Tara; and if it had been more thayear0 n80 t Scon sa e when Edward n too1296i t ki t ,impliei s places thawa t di t fifte therth h n ei century time th , e when these chroni- cles bring Fergu Erc es Ma fro m Irelan Scotlando dt , Icolmkill, therefore, now drops out of the legend as well as Argyll, and e stonth s broughi e t direct from Tar Sconeo t a d placean , d thery b e Fergus himself e alsW o . e heaprophecy o morth n rf o e , " M fallat fatum," for which let us be thankful. 1 Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, p. 196. 2 AVallace, b. i. c. iv. THE CORONATION STONE. 81

The only other mentio oldese legende th th d f I tnhavo an , e been able to Baldre y findb s i , d Bissetdocumens hi n i , t called " Processus Baldredi contra figmenta regis' Anglie," compiled in 1301, and he makes very short wort i indeed f ko . e daughte"Th f Pharaoo r , kin f Egypto g , witn ha armed band and a large fleet, goes to Ireland, and there being joined by a body of Irish, she sails to Scotland, taking with her the royal seat which kine th f England g, o he , with other insigni kingdoe th f ao f Scotlandmo , carrie violency db witm Englandho hi et conqueree Sh . destroyed dan d Pict e d tooth an sk their kingdom d froan ;m this Scot e Scotth ad san Scoti namede aar , accordin linee th —o gt

A muliere Scota vocitatur Scocia tota.1 remarkabls i t I e that prio Baldreo e rt legen e b trac a th o t t f eds o no i found in any of the older chronicles. He is absolutely the first who mention. it s Another fact is even more remarkable. Baldred Bisset was one of the commissioners sent to Koine to plead the cause of the independence of Scotland before the Pope. A paper was prepared by the Scottish Govern- ment, called " Instructiones," containin elaboratn a g e statemen. e th f o t ground n whico s e clai th hr independenc mfo s based wa d ewha an , t Baldred did was to convert these " Instructiones" into a kind of me- morial, which he termed " Processus." Now, in the " Instructiones," on which the " Processus" was based, there is not the slightest allusion to coronatioe th n stons legend it parallee r eo Th . l passag this:s ei — anciene "Th t people Scotsth f eo , thus called after Scota, daughtef o r Pharao, kin Egyptf go , went from Egypt firsd an ,t occupied Ireland; they occupied, secondly, Argyll in Scotland, and having driven the Britons out of Scotland, the part of Britain thus occupied was called by them by

" FiJia namque Pharaonia regis Egipti, cum armata manii et maxima classe 1 nauium, applicuit in Hibernia. Postea, assumptis quibusdam Hibernicis, in Sco- ciam nauigauit, deferens secum sedile regium, quod istx Angliere e , inter cetera regni Scocie insignia, seou violenciar mpe regne md o Scoci Anglian ei m asportauit. Ipsa deuici t dejecie t t Pictos t regnue , m ipsum obtinuit ipsb a ac a ;Scota , Scott e i Scocia nuncupantur. Unde versus; " ' A muliere Scota vocitatnr Scocia tota.'" —Chronicle Pictse Scots,d th f an o s page 280. VOL. VIII. PART I. ' F 82 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAKCH 8, 1869.

the new name of Scotia, from that first Scota, queen of the Scots, accord- linee th —o t g in A muliore Soota vocitatur Scotia tota.1 What Baldred did, then, was to make Scota herself lead the Scots to Scotland e expulsio th leavo t Britons;t e interpolato th et ou f nd o an ; e two passages—first, thabroughe sh t fatae th t l stone with her; secondly, that she herself conquered the Picts, who, in a previous passage, he says, had driven out the Britons, and taken their kingdom. Baldred's object was to present the argument for the independence of Scotland as forcibly as possible. The derivation of the kingdom from the Scots theid an , r progress from Egypt through Spai Ireland nan Scoto dt - land, was the tale opposed to that of the King of England, by whom the kingdo f mScotlano s derivedwa d from Albanactus e youngesth ,f o n so t Brutus Eponymuse th , Britonse th f o , while tha f Englano t derives dwa d from Locrinus, the eldest son. Both tales were seriously put forward and seriously argued, as if they possessed a vital bearing upon the controversy, an t dseemi havo t s e occurre Baldreo t d d tha woule h t d strengthes nhi argument if he made the Eponyma of the Scots, Scota herself, bring the coronation stone, which Edward I. himself, by removing it to England, had recognised as symbolical of the Scottish monarchy, with her in his wanderings. By finding it necessary .to make her conquer the Picts and take their kingdom plais i t i ,n tha onle h t y kne f e wSconplaco th s eea wher stone beeed th tim r eha n fo e immemorial I ventur d an ; suggeso et t origie legene th th f e no d ow tha entirele patriotie w t th o yt c ingenuitf yo Baldred Bisset. Once suggested, it was eagerly caught up and applied to the Scottish fable in its different stages of development. Scota first brings it direct to Sconethes i nt I .identifie d wit e Liath h Fail r Iriso h ston t Taraa e , and brought from thence to Scone by the historic Fergus, when the petty kings of the first colony of Dalriada were magnified into the true king Scotlandf so . The t nresti t Icolmkila s e wayth .y b l Then, when Fordun pushed bac e arrivae Scotkth th manr f fo so ly centuries, s broughi t i o e mythiArgylt tth y b lc Fergusf Ferchardo n so d , an , the prophecy "i fallan t fatum," Sic.., . addeit Then o t d , whee th n

1 Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, page 242. THE CORONATION STONE. 83

forty kings were elaborated places i t i , Duiistaffnagen di said havo dan t , e been transferred from thence to Scone by Kenneth MacAlpiii, when he conquere ninthe Picte th th d n si centnry latese thid th s san ti ; forf mo fablee th . The Irish legen origie Liae th th f f dno Fail,o Irisr o h coronation stone at Tara, is very different. It is contained in an old Irish tract termed the "Leabhar Gabhala," or Book of Conquests, and is to this effect:—Ireland was occupied by different colonies before the took possession of monarche Th . foundes it colone yFirbolg,e wa th th y f dividedb yo o wh d Ireland into the five provinces, and established Teamar or Tara as the chief seat. The colony which followed them, and immediately preceded the Milesians, was that of the Tuatlia De Danaan, who came from the land of Lochlan, where they inhabited four cities, called Falias, Gorias, Finias, Murias. From thence they went to Scotland, bringing with them fro foue mth r cities four precious articles. From Falias they broughe th t a Fail,Li e propert th whic d f soundinha hyo g under eachs kinhi t ga election if he was the rightful king and not a usurper. From Gorias they brought a sword; from Finias a spear; and from Murias a cauldron. They remaine Scotlann di d seven years, inhabitin gdistrica t called DoWtar and lardobhar, and then went to Ireland, where, after nine reigns, they were conquered by the Milesians.1 s somewhai t I t remarkable that whil Scottise eth h legend brings the ston t Sconea e from Ireland e Iristh , h legend bring e stonth s t Tarea a from legendso Scotland tw l events al e t a Th ,e quit .ar , e antagonistio ct each other, and there is one historic fact certain as to each. First, the Lia Fail, "or Irish stone, did not leave Tara, but was still there in the eleventh century; and, secondly e Scottisth , n Argyli t h no stonl s ewa during the existence of the Irish colony of Dalriada, nor was used in the inauguration of their kings. The first appears from this, that the Irish The tract called the " Leabhar Gabhala," a Book of Conquests, is preserved in 1 several of the ancient Irish MSS. There is a fragment in the " Leabhar na huidhri" of circa 1100 n editio a ;Booe th f Leinstekn o ni f circa o re Boo th f kn o 1160i e on ; Ballymot e f Boo1380eo th f Lecaio kn i ; o anf 1418o ntw d . Ther a mor s i ee modem edition by the O'Clerys in the beginning of the seventeenth century. There is, it is believed, a prospect of this tract being published, collated with the older editions, but the substance of it will be found fairly enough represented in Keating's History of Ireland. 84 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1869.

translation of ISTennius, made in the eleventh century, has appended to it e Mirabilia,a th lis f o t r wondero f Erino s , among e threwhicth e ehar wonders of Teamar or Tara; and the third is " the Lia Fail, or stone which sounded .under every king whom it recognised in the sovereignty of Teamar." Another version says, " there is a stone at Temhar, viz, the Lia Fail, which used to sound under the feet of every one that as- sume kingdoe th d f Erin.mo 1 Petrie s " hi Antiquitie n i , Tarf so a Hill," quotes othe documentd ol r shoo t s w thastone th t e still remained there.2 secone Th d fac shows accoune i tth y nb t biographere giveth y b nt S f so Columba of the inauguration of Aidan as King of the Scots of Argyll. e successorth accoune f t o Columba—Cumin S Th o f gives o tw i t y b n e abbo Whitewas the 669to t Adomnan froand who ,, mwas 657 who , abbo o 704t t Columb S fro9 . m67 d obtaine ha ae Counci th t da f o l Dumcea independence th t f Scotceo h Dalriadf evei d in thera an s a; ewa occasion on which the Stone of Destiny might be expected to play a prominent part, it was in the solemn rite by which St Columba consti- tuted Aidan king, obediencn i divina o et e command declare visiona n di , and accompanied by a prophecy regarding his successors. He ordains hi placiny mb hands ghi s upo heads nhi , blessing him, using what Adom- nan calls "verba ordinationis;" but, throughou e wholth t e description, there is not a single allusion to the fatal stone.3 The lat Josepr eD h Eobertson suggeste ingenioun da s theory whicy ,b h he endeavoured to reconcile the non-appearance of the stone in the inaugu- ration of the Scottish kings of Dalriada with the legend which makes Kennet Alpic ma hn brin e stongth e from Argyllshir e o Scont eth n i e ninth centurysuggestios hi d s an ,bee nha n adopte Deay b d n Stanlen yi his "Memorials of Westminster." He supposed that the stone may have been the same which Adomnan records of St Columba that he used for a pillow, while a stone slab formed his bed, and that it was brought by Kenneth to Scone, and there first used as a coronation stone; but I think Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius.—Irish Arch. Society, 1848, pag1 e 201. 2 Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill.—Trans. Royal Irish Acad., v. xviii. pp. 2, 160. Cumine's Vita ColumbEe, cap. v. apud Pinkerton's Vita Antiq. SS. Scotise, page 3 ; Adomnau'30 s "Vit . ColumbEeS a . 197-201pp . . v iii b . , c . , Beeves' edit., Dublin', 1857. THE5 8 COKONATION STONE.

rare th e f occasiono e thion s whicsi n i s acuteness hhi sagacitd san y were at fault. His argument may be shortly stated thus :— Both Cumine and Adomnan speak of a stone at lona which had been used by St Columba as a pillow, and on which he rested his head in his dyin gfirse hoursth t d shapan , whicn ei legen e stone hth th Sconf f edo o e pilloe th s Jacobf wa meet o s i s s.u When Jacob stons slephi n et o pillow, he had a vision of angels ascending and descending. Columba had a vision of angels before his death. The Pictish Chronicle records that Kenneth mac Alpin, in the seventh year of his reign, transported the of St Columba to a church which he built, and it was on the banks e e Taylearoth w f ns ,a from another sources immediateli t I . y after Kenneth's reign that we find Scone distinguished as a royal city, the place wher Nationaea l Counci Assemblr o l 906n i t . yme Therefor stone eth e pillo havy wema been amon relice th g s which Kenneth transportea o t d church on the banks of the Tay; Scone may have been that church, and it may have been subsequently used as the coronation stone.1 This theory is put together with much ingenuity, but it will not bear examination. vere Ath ty outset ther fataa s e i Coronatiol e objectioTh . it o nt stone, when examined by Professor Eamsay, proved to be a small block of red sandstone reportse authorite h th d r Geikien an ,o M , f yo , tharocke th t s of lona consist " of a flaggy micaceous grit or gneiss. There is no red sandstone on it."2 This drives us to the necessity of supposing that St s e pillowstonee islanhi th th r t f n fo dso o bu , e on e us Columb t no d adi brought one of red sandstone from a distance. Further, it is no part of the Scottish legend that the stone at Scone was Jacob's pillow. It is not Scottisy statean y db h document e Englist solelth bu , y yb h chroniclers, leare w nd froan m Adomnan thae stonth t e pillow t Columb S use y b d a was placed as a monument on his grave, and remained so at the time he wrote. It seems unlikely that Kenneth should, 200 years after St Columba's death, have removed the monument on his grave, and made it s coronatiohi n stone. Further hardls i t i , y thacorrecy leare sa w t no t t from another source that the churcb Kenneth built was on the banks of Taye source th Th . e referre Saxoa s i o ndt document compile t earliedno r Dean Stanley's "Historical Memorial f Westminsteo s r Abbey," page 496, 1 Appendix. 2 Ibid, page 450. 86 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 18C9. than 1058, givin localitiee gth Englann si whicn di relice hth eminen f so t saints were placed t I make. referenco n s o Kennett e h whatevert bu , simply says that St Columcylle (i.e., his relics) reposes at Duncachan, on the river Tay.1 Dunaachan is supposed to be miswritten for Dunkaldan, or Dunkeld, and it is certain that Dunkeld was dedicated to St Columba, and that relics of St "Columba were preserved there as late as 1500 f but there is no trace of any dedication to^St Columba at Scone, or of its ever having borne a name approaching in sound to Duncachan. Lastly showe b n I ,thin nca that ki t Scon knows eroyawa a s na l city befor e reigth e f Kennethno . Fordun s accoun hi e coronatio th n i , f o t n of Alexander III., states that Scone had been constituted by ancient king "e ssedeth s superior, principar "o l sea f Scotlando t accordn i d an -; ance with this statement, we find Malcolm IV., in his charter to the monastery of Scone, confirming the grants of previous kings, states that it was founded " in principali sede regni nostri."3 fine dW thae kingth t f Scotlanso d wer t onleno y crowne t Sconea d , but held parliaments there. These parliaments met on the Moot Hill of Scone. Thus, crownes Eoberwa Marcf . o t 26t e ScontII d a y th hda n eo e Bisho 1371t th AndrewsS y f b ,o p n presenci , e prelatesth f o e , earls, barons, and other nobles of Scotland, and of a great multitude of the people; and on the following day convened the prelates, earls, barons, and nobles before him, " the king sitting, as use is, in the royal seat, upo Moune n th 18te Scone;"f th Marco f th n o o d h 4an 1390 , Eobert III.

Hickes passage . 117ii ,Th . e is thus translate him—y db " Sanctus Columcylle 1 requiesca locn i t o dicto Duncachan juxta flumen Tau." 2 Alexander Mylne, who was a canon of Dunkeld, and died in 1549, narrates the following in his lives of the Bishops of Dunkeld (pp. 40-43):—" In anno domini millesimo quingentesimo, ssevissima regnavit pestis, per totum regnum Scotias, et ut fama fertur, civitas Dunkeldensis illaesa, meritis divi patroni Oolumbse a contagious pestifera semper permansit ..... quosdamque peste laborantes, in terris suis ecclesiasticis de Capeth, visitvait [episcopus], et sacramenta ecclesiastica eis minis- trari fecit; altera vero die aquam fecit benedictam, in qua lavavit os Beati Columbus et cum cancellario eis ad bibendum misit, quam multi recipientes sani facti sunt." 3 Chartulary of Scone, p. 5. 4 Rege sedent Sedn ei e Eegia super monte t moris.—e Sconmd es t u e Act Farl. Scot. . 181p . This " Sedes Eegia "confoundee b mus t no t d wit e stonth h e seat e whiccoronatio th s use t wa h a de abbe th s kepn n ywa i tonly churchd an , o t , which the name of " Cathedra" is always applied. The royal seat here referred THE CORONATION STONE. 7 8 °

hel parliamena d t Sconea t , " upo e Mounnth f Sconee norto t th n ho , side of the monastery beyond the cemetery." * The parliaments hel t Sconda e consiste f whao d t wero e tw calle e th d Estates of Scotland, viz. the barons and the higher clergy. Thus, in a parliament held at Scone in 1303, the expression is " congregatis et com- parentibus prelatis et proceribus regni;" and of another held at Scone in 1285, Wynton says:— Alexande thrye th r d cure king Gert rna t Sconeka grea t gadryng, sextene Th eftyy eda r Pasce, Quhair thare the statis gadryd was.2 In 1209 King William the held an assembly of the prelates, earls, barons, and freeholders at Scone, in which it was ordained " that the holy Scottish • Church, the holy religion, and entire clergy should be maintained, with all their rights, liberties, and privileges, in quiet peace, and always under royal protection."3 Now, the assembly recorded in the Pictis hs obviousl Chroniclwa 6 90 f thiyo n si e nature t waI .s heln do the Mount of Belief, near the royal city of Scone, and there Constantine kinge Cellachd th an , , Bisho t AndrewsS f po , issue ordinancn da e th r efo e Moos placeth t wa on t do Hill d usean ,d whe e kinth n g preside a parlia t da - men r couro t f justiceo t t waI thin . so e Moo sth sea n t o tHil l that Robert Bruce was crowne 1306n di sedn "i , e positus ," afte seae th rt calle "e Cathedra,dth ' or stone beed ha ,n remove England.—Forduo dt nHearnea , . 997volp . .iv . l)r Joseph Robertson adds, "that there appears some reaso o suppost n e that there wero stonetw e t Scone—(1)a s e Ston t WestminsterTh a f , Fate o ew no , ; (2) a ston, e chair whicn i , t wouli h d see e Stonmth f Fats placeo e wa e d when kings were to be inaugurated," but there seems no ground for this supposition. The " Sedes Regalis" is mentioned after the stone was removed. It never bears the name e latteprope th f "o o rCathedra.t r " Ther s nothinei shoo gt w that i t wa t seemi f stone o sd havo t san , e bee e thronnth whicn o e e kinth h g usually sat when presiding ovenobless hi r , whil fatae elegendth s it l stony b ss e i indelibl y connected with the inauguration of the new king only. 1 " Apud Sconam Sancti Andree diocesis super montem ex parte boreali monas- terii ejusdem extra cymyterium."—Act. Parl. Scot. p. 216. 2 Wyntoun's Chronicle, b. vii. c. x. " Statuit Rex Willelmus apud Sconam de communi consilio et deliberacioue pre- 3 latorum comitu t mbaronue c liberma e tenentium quod ecclesia sancta Scoticana et sancta religio et universus clerus in suis juribus libertatibus ac privilegiis omnibus manuteneatur in quietepace et semper sub protections regia."—Act. Parl. Scot. p. 60. 88 ° PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1869.

preservation of the laws, faith discipline, and rights of the Church.1 We can here recognise a national assembly held upon the Moot Hill of Scone exactly simila thao rt t hel Kiny db g Willia Lione mth . Thi Josepr sD h Bobertson seem havo st e regarde earliese th s da t mentio f Scone no th s ea " sedes Flanr principali fo Syns , f Buteno hi so -n t i , no s s regni;i t i t "bu chronism Kingse th f so , writte reige th Malcol f no n i m thereforIId ,an e very little later than the Pictish Chronicle, states of Kenneth mac Alpin that he was the first of the Scots " who acquired the kingdom of Scone."2 thiy B s expressio kingdoe nth e Pict th e namf meants smi th o f o ed an , the capital is used for that of the kingdom, just as the Irish annalists use the expression of the Kingdom of Tara for the . This passage shows, that when Kenneth conquered the' Picts, Scone was the capital of the Pictish kingdom. But, further, Tighernac, who wrote in the same century, records, in 728 "an unfortunate battle betwee e Picardacnth r Pictso h t Caislena , Gredi, and. the victory was against Alpin (King of the Picts), and his territories and all his men were taken, and Nectan, son of Derili, obtained kingdoe th Picts.e th Annale f mo " Th 3 Ulsterf so recordinn ,i same gth e event, uses the expression "juxta Castellum Crcdi."4 The word Caislen is the Irish for " Castellum," and Credi is the Irish form of " credulitas" or belief. This was, therefore e " th Colli, s Credulitatis, r Mouno " f o t Belief t Sconea , herd an ,e alstakine oth f Scongo e implied thae conth t - querors obtained the kingdom of the Picts, showing that Scone was still the " sedes principalis" of the kingdom of the Picts in 728, that is, a century earlier thad e Mooan th ,t t Hill then bore namth ee f "o eth Moun Belief.f o t " The Pictish Chronicle,- in recording the assembly in 906, has the

1 "Ac in VI. anno Constantinus Rex et Cellaehus episoopus, leges disciplinasque fidei atque jura ecolesiarum evangeliorumque, pariter cum Soottis, in oolle credu- litatis props regali civitati Scoan devoverunt custodiri."—Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 9. 2 " Cinae t Eighb hrg macAilpiri oga t ece Sgoinde is n Gaidelaib."—o d e Chron. Picts . Scots,d 21 an . p 3 " Oath trnadh itir Picardachaibh ac Caisleu Credhi ocus ro njebaigh ar in Alpin cetna ocu bearado r s cricha h a oous a duin e uiled e Nechtaib , ocuga o r s n mac Derili Bighi na Picardach,"—Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 75. " Bellum lacrimabile inter eosdem (Pictores) geatum est juxta Castellum Credi 4 ubi Elpinius effugit."—Chron. Picts Scots,d an .355. p . CORONATIOE TH N STONE. 89

remarkable expression, " from this day the hill merited its name, viz., Moune th Belief.f o t " J This doe t implsno y tha name thes th t ewa n first s peculiarl appliee hillt thawa th bu ,t i o tt d y appropriat a hiln o o lt e whic assembln ha hels ydwa regulatin faithe gth , discipline rightd an , f so the Church; and it is remarkable that a similar assembly affecting the Church appear havo st e bee nsame helth ey db Nectan f Derilio n t so ,no , long befor e Mooth e t Hill first appears unde Castle e namth th r f f o eo Belief. Bede thitell0 thas s71 s u Nectann ti Picts,e kinth f g,o renounced the error in which he and his nation had till then been held in relation to observances of Easter, and sent messengers to Ceolfrid, Abbot of Jarrow, requestin lettea writ o t m rhi em containinghi g argument whicy b s e h might convince those opposed to him, as well as to send him architects to buil churcda h afteEomae th r n manner, promisin t o dedicatgt S o t t i e Peterabboe Th t. sende architects; e letterth sth d an s Bedd an 2 e tells us that " when it was read in presence of Nectan and many of his most learned men interpreted ,an himo dt rose ,h e from amon nobles ghi o swh sat about him declared ,an d tha woule h t d always observ true eth e Easter with his nation. A decree was accordingly sent by public command throug province th Picts.e l hth al f eo " 3 The expressions in this passage leave little room to doubt that we have her assembln ea y precisel 1209—thn i y d similaan 6 thoso rt e90 kinn ei g midsnobless e inhi th f o t , wit clergys hhi , issuin decrega e regulatine gth Churche faitrited th f htheran d so an s ever;i e y probability tha t likei t - wise took Mooe placth n te o Hil f Sconeo l thad t an ,thei t n receivee th d name of the Mount of Belief,—a name which we find applied to it within yearw fe s a afte date t f th thirbu o e s transaction. Ifectan appears also to have founded the church at Scone.4 1 "Ab hoc die collis hoc meruit noinen, id est, collis credulitatis."—Chron. Picts and Scots,. 9 . p 2 Bedaj Hist. Eccl. 21 . c Angl . v . b . " Haec epistola cum prjesente rege Naitono, multisque viris doctioribus esset 3 lecta i intelliger diligentec qu a , s hi b ea r poterant linguan i , m ejus propriam inter- pretata, multum de ejus exhortatione gavisus ease perhibetur; ita ut exsurgens de medio optimatum suorum consessu genua flectere terramn i t gratiao De , s agens, quod tale munusculu e terrmd a Anglorum mereretur accipere. .... Statim namque jussu publico mittebantur ad transoribendum, discendum, observanduui, per universas Pictorum provincias circuli Paschse decennovenales." * This appears from the Legend of St Boniface, who is said to have been a 0 9 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1869H8 .

In 717, in consequence of his adoption of the Eoman usages, Nectan expel e Columbiath s n clergy beyond Drumalban e mountaith , n range which at that time separated the provinces of the Picts from Dalriada,1 abdicatee h 4 72 thronane sth n di become d ean s himsel ecclesiastic,n a f 2 retiring, probably, to the church he had founded at Scone. His successor in the Pictish is Drust, and by him Nectan is seized and bound in 726. In the same year Drust is expelled by Alpin,3 and two years after is in turn Nectadrivey b t nbattlnou e whoth n ei , nea Mooe rth t Hil Sconef lo , recovers his kingdom and territories, and his death is recorded in 732.4 e eventTh f ISTectan'o s s reign, therefore, appeao centrt l al er upon Scone frod reigs an ,m hi t fro t leastna no mmuca f i , h earlier perion di the Pictish monarchy,e " sedeth s swa principalit 5i s regni," where eth

missionary to the Picts, and to have converted them and their king Nectanius to . This is obviously the same transaction, and by the conversion e Pict otheid th f an s r king e rejectio th ,e Columbiath f o n ne adopusageth d - san tion of the Roman are really meant. Nectan meet missionariee sth t Eestinotha s id n addedan a ,converte i t i d —an d; " Rex vero ipsorum virorum timencium Deum locum baptisterii in nomine Sancte Trinitatia Beato Bonifacio tradidit et deliberauit."—Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 423;. Kestiiioth, Trinityhowevere th o therdedicatet d s t an ;wa ,t e Peterno S d o dt an , ia little reason to doubt that it was the church built by the architects sent by Ceolfrid, which Nectan promised to dedicate to St Peter; but when Alexander II. conveys the church of Scone to the canons of St Augustine, it is described as "ec clesiam in honorem Sanctae Trinitatis dedicatam quae est in Scona." This, there- fore, appear havo st e bee place nth e conveye t BonifaceS o t d , nomin"n i e Sancte Trinitatis." 1 "717. Expulsio familie le trans dorsum Britannie, a Nectano rege."—Tigh apurt Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 74. " 724. Clericotum [N]echtain regis Pictorum. Druxst post eum regnat."—Ibid. 2 3 " 726. Nechtain'mac Derili constringitur apud Druist regem. Druist de regno Pictorum ejectus et Elphin pro eo regnat."—Ibid. 4 " 732. Necta Derilc nma e mortuus."—Ibid. 5 This was the belief in Forduu's time. In narrating the foundation of the mon- astery of Scone by Alexander I. he says, " Quam fundatam aediflcavit loco, quo reges antiquitus tarn Scoti quam Pioti sedem regni primam constitueruut" (Forduna Hearne againd . 441, p an vol . ; ), ii . " Fundata eni t oadificatmes t dedicatae a t u , dictum est apud Sconam, ubi antiqui reges, Cruthino primo Pictorum rege, sedem regni Albaniae constiterant" (vol. iii. p. 680). There is probably more resemblance than at first sight appears between the cir- THE CORONATION STONE. 91

assemblie natioe th f sno wer e possessioe th held d an , f whicno h placed occupans it Pictise heae th th f do t h a t peopl theis ea r monarch. It was in this sense that Flann of Bute, in recording the possession of the Pictish throne by Kenneth mac Alpin, a king of Scottish race, says tha "o obtaineh t kingdoe dth Scone."mf sais o i Giralduy db e H 1 s Cam- brensis to have assembled the Pictish nobles to a banquet and cut them off by stratagem; and the metrical Irish chronicle, termed the Prophecy t BerchanoS f , implies that this took plac t Sconeea .

By him are deceived in the East the fierce ones, He shall dig in the earth, powerful the art,

cumstauce whichy sb , accordin traditiono gt , Tara becam chiee eth f sea Irelandf o t , and those which gave Scon same eth e characte Scotlandn ri . Tara is in the province of Meatli, and, according to old tradition, this province was forme takiny db gportioa n from e fou eachth rf o province f Munsterso , Leinster, Connaught, and Ulster, as mensal lands for the support of the Irish monarchy. In each of the four portions forming the province of Meath was a place where assemblies were held. In that taken from Munster was Tlacbiga; in that from Leinster, Teama Tarar o r n thai ; t from Connaught, Uisneac n thai d t an fro h; m Ulster, Tailteann. Tara was the sedes principalis, or chief seat, where the Ardrigh, or supreme monarch inaugurateds wa , . sevee Nowth f no , province whicf so Pictise hth h kingdo composeds mwa foue th , r southern—viz. (1), Fortren, extending fro m; (2) y Fort, AtfodlaTa o ht Atholr o ; (3), Angu Mearnd san (4)d an , s; FifForthref—ma d ean saie yb meeo dt Gowrin i t d an e; a charte e canonn i th Malcoly b o rf Sconet o s . mIV , "n principali ! sede regni nostra fundata," he conveys to them the tithe " de quatuor maneriis meis de Gou- erin scilicet de Scon et de Cubert et de Forgruud et de Straderdel." Scone is separated froe firsmth t provinc e Tayth y .b e Cubert Cupar-Angusr o , , adjoins Angus. Forgrund, now Longforgan, is separated by the Tay from a parish in Fife bearin same gth e name d Straderdelan ; r Strathardelo , , stretches alon ease gth t boundary of Athol. I venture, therefore suggeso t , t that Gowri likewiss ewa e forme mensas da l lands e supporfo th e rCrow th f o t n from four provinces whicf o , h these four manors respec- tively formed a part, and that Scone was the "sedes principalis." 1 "Convocatosque tanquam ad convivium magnates Pietorum cunctos, captata tarn cibi quam potus crapula et ingurgitacione forsan nimia et, opportunitate notata, clavorum extractione qui tabulata tenebant, in bancorum concavitatem quibus sedebant, mira decipula poplite tenus, ita quod se nullatenus erigere posseut, com- muniter undique lapses, de subatos, quidem et improvises, nee ab affinibus et confederatis suoque beneficio confeodati t bellorue s m sociis quicquam tale timeutes, statim trucidavemnt universes."—Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 165. 92 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAKCH 8, 1869.

Dangerous goad-blades, death, pillage, Oe middlnth f Sconeo f higeo h shields.1 Fordun states that Donald brothee th , successod an r Kennethf o r , died at Scone, the " sedes regia," or royal seat f but there is a remarkable variety in the old chronicles as to the place of his death. The Pictish Chronicle, the oldest of them, says that he died in his palace of Cinnbel- achoir. t BerchanS nexe th , t oldest authority, says— Three kine yearth go st And three months ; who shall number them ? On Loch Adhbha shall be his grave. He dies of disease suddenly.3 centurA latee th yf r o afterchronicle e on , s say diee sh t Rafhinvera-da mon, whic repeates hi subsequenn di e Chronicotth listd san f n Elegia- cum confirms Fordun's account tha e dieh t t Scone.da 5 These names, referree howeverb l al localitie o dt n immediatca e , th n si e neighbourhoo e greath f to Sconef militare do On . y ways constructey b d the fiomans leads from the Roman station at Strageath, in Stratherne, to the Tay, at the mouth of the Almond, where there are the remains of another Roman station. calley TherTa dhers ei e Derder' th fore a n do s Ford, and above it the remains of an old bridge. The Roman road is continued on the opposite side of the river, through a Roman camp called Grassy Walls ; and on the bank of the river, between it and the road, are remaine th smala f so l fort, laid e Ordnancdowth n no undep e ma e th r nam f Goleo d Castle t generallbu , y know Silves na r Castle. This mili- crossetary ywa rivee sth r about hal milfa e nort Sconf ho betweed e ;an n it and Scone there appears to have been formerly a small lake, the situa- tio f whicno indicates hi fara y mdb termed Lochtown. Now wore th , d Belaak is an old Irish word originally applied to any leading road or high- way, and in the modern form of Bealach to a mountain pass; and oir means gold. The name of Belachoir seems, therefore, to be .connected 1 Chron. Picts and Soots, p. 84. The Scala cronica says of the last king of the Picts, " Cesti fust le darain roy dez Picys, si fust tue a Scone par treisoun.—Ibid. p. 202. 2 Apud Sconam vero sedem regiam.—Fordun a Hearne, vol. i. p. 306. 3 Ohron. Pict Scotsd 5 s8 an . p , " Mortuu t inses Bathinueramon."— Ohron. Picts Scots,d . 15an 1pp and 174.

54 " Qui Scone fertur subditus esse neci."—Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 178. THE CORONATION STONE. 93

with this militar e ypalac th way t d Cinnlelachoirea ,an havo t e beet na no great distance from it.1 Salhinveramon means the Math or fort at moute Almonde th th f hclearlo d an , y Eomae referth o st n station there. Adhbha mean palacesa Lochd an , Adhbha palace locn e th i f th d h o e ;an its corrupted form of Locheye it is laid down in the Ordnance map between Scone and the Eoman road. These places probably all belonged e defenceth o d possessiont an s f thaso t centra e monarchl th sea f o t y known generally by the name of Scone. Grig e fourtth , h kin n successiogi n from Kenneth, e termeth y b d Pictish Chronicle, Ciricius, and elaborated by Fordun into Gregorius, is havo t em beehi sai y db n solemnly crowne t Sconda e f and, immediately after, to have regulated the state of the Church by freeing it from the servitud whicbeed o et ha n t h i subjected unde Picts. e e precisrth Th 3 e t verno imporys i clear d f t whaFordudi o t bu e ; h t s corroborateni y db older authority, and it seems to point to an assembly held at Scone similar to those already referred to. In the reign of Constantine, not many years after, took place, in 906, meetine th g betwee Bishoe t Andrewsth Kine S n th d f pgo an , whee th n rights and laws of the Church were again regulated on the Mount or Belief, nea royae rth l cit Scone.f yo 4 Constantine mac Culen, who seized the throne towards the end of the same century s saii ,Fordu y b d havo nt e invade "sedee th d s regia. or " royal seat, and to have placed the crown upon his head there;5 and

1 The name of Belachoir only occurs in one other document—the Life of Cadroe —where it is mentioned as the last of what appears to be a series of ecclesiastical foundations by the Scots, the immediately preceding foundation being Rigmont in t AndrewsS . " Rigrnonath quoque Bellethor urbes procue s a , l positas, petentes, possessuri vicerunt."—Chron. Picts Scots,d an 108t AndrewS . firss si t mentioned likewise unde e namth r f Cindrighmonaigh.—Ibid,eo . 76 . p 2 " Idem vero Gregorius regnm cu ,i regimen, pluribus majorum annuentibus, optinuisset, Scona solemniter coronatus est."—Fordu Hearnena , . 310volp . .ii 3 " Hie primus dedit libertatem Ecclesie Scoticane que sub servitute erat usque ad illud tempus ex consuetudine et more Fictorum."—Chron. Picts and Scots, pp. 151,174. . antea,e 29 Se 4. p 5 " Constantinus Calvus, filius Culeniisuperiao qu e t menciod ,fi s , ducens secum quos habuit fautores, publica constitucione despecta, sedem invasit regiam et paucis procerum annitentibus, capiti proprio regni coronam imposuit."—Fordun a Hearne, ii.345. 4 9 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARCH 8, 18G9.

that he took possession of Scone is corroborated by St Berchan, who says— Woe to Alban through his short time. Men will be feeble around him In the land of Seone of souuding shields.1 By the chronicles of the twelfth century, lie is said to have been slain at Sathinveramon, or the fort at the mouth of the Almond, which is thus again connected with Scone.2 legenOe nth d narrate Forduny db , that Malcol Secone mth d bestowed the whole of the territory of Scotland, which had hitherto "ritupris- corum" remaine propee th n di r possessio Crowne th f ngranto n i , tho st e barons and knights, retaining only the Moot Hill of Scone,3 probably little dependence can be placed; it has more the aspect of a legal fiction than of a tradition.4 Fordun, however, after narrating that Malcolm Canmore had, with e assistancth f Edwardeo , Ear f Northumberlando l , defeated Macbeth, drive acrosm nMounthe hi sth t Lumfanana slaid m an ,n hi , adds thae th t adherent f Macbeto s h too s relatiohi k n Lulac o Sconet h d havinan , g e royath n lplacei seatm dhi , declare king.m dhi s After four months,

1 Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 97. 2 Ibid. pp. 151, 174, &c. 3 " Nichil inde possidendum sibi retiiiuit, prater regies sedis Sconae moiiticulnro." —Fordu nHearnea . 865ii , . spurioue Th s law Malcolf so m Mackenneth begin wit following:e hth — 4 "1. Dominu Malcolmux sre s dedit t distribuie , t totum terrain regni ScotiiC, hominibus suis. t nihiE . "2 l sibi retinui proprietaten i t , nisi regiam dignitate t mmontee m placiti in villa de Scona." whico T r JohhSi n Skeue add followine sth g note :— " Montem placiti. Montem seu locum iutelligit, ubi placita, vel curiae regise, de placiti t querelise s subditorum solent teneri i BaroneUb . s comparean t homae t - gium ac alia servitia Regi debita, offerant [the mute hill of Scone]. Et vulgo, omnis terra vocatur; quia ex terraa mole et congerie exaediflcatur; quam regni Barones, aliique subditi ibi comparentes, vel coronandi regis causa, vel ad comitia publica, vecausad a l s agenda t dicendasse , coram rege unun i , m quasi cumulut me inouticulum conferebant."—Reg. Mag. 1609, p. 1. " Subito namque post mortem Machabei, convenerunt quida ejux me s parentela 5 sceleris hujusmodi fautores, suum consobrinum nomine , cognomine fatuum, svd Scoiiam ducentes t impositue , m sede regali regem constituuut."—Fordua n Hearne, ii. 398. THE COEONATION STONE. 95

however, lie, tooslains Malcold ,wa an , m Canmore, having prostratel al d s enemieshi s himselfwa , , .in presenc e magnateth e kingdomf o th e f so , placed in the royal throne at Scone, and solemnly crowned.' t BcrchaS n implies obscurhi n i s e language, purposely veile o pret d - serve the fiction of a prophecy, that Macbeth had been attacked and defeate t Sconeda — Twenty years and ten years Over Alba sovereige nth n reigned; Omiddle nth f Sconeeo t wili , l vomit blood, e eveninTh nigha f g o muc n i t h contention.2 Although Malcolm Canmor s crowneewa t dSconoa t i appear, s hi n i s reign to have ceased to be the ordinary residence of the kings. The towns whic d beehha n risin importancn i g n othei e r part f Scotlano s d gradually became both the occasional residence of the monarch, and the place where his courts and the assemblies of the nation were held ; and the numerous monasteries founded by Malcolm and the kings of his race were frequently selecte e placeth s da s where their cour fros mwa t timo et time held. Dunfermline, where Malcolm founded a monastery, was frequentl s residenceyhi herd successors himsele an ;ehi h e d th an fn o s throne were buried "e CastruTh . m puellarum, r Edinburgo " h Castle, also appears as a royal residence in his reign. Edgar, his successor, died at ; and though Alexander I. founded a monastery at Scone in s charterhi 1115 d an ,, whic grantes hi d wit e consen queens hth hi f o t, two bishops, and six earls, implies that a council had probably been held at Scone, of the three other charters he granted to the monastery, one is date t Stirlingda , anothe thir e t Pertha rth dd onl,an t Sconeya . During the reign of David I. we find little mention of Scone. Under his auspices feudalis s rapidlmwa y acquiring predominanc n Scotlandi e d an , s sociait l statd institutionan e s were becoming assimilate o feudat d l form d ideasan s d ,Celti whilol e c eth elemen r constitutionahe n i t l his- gradualltors ywa y retiring int e backgroundoth reige f DaviTh no . . I d

" Prostratis uhique cunctis hostibus, vel ad suam deductis pacem, idem ssepedic- 1 tus Malcolmus, apud Sconam, prsesentibus regni majoribus, in tlirono regali positus est, et in omnium Scotorum gloriam et honorem, eodem Aprili mense, die saucti Marci coronatus."—Fordun a Hearne, p. 399. 2 Chron. Pict Scotsd san . 102p , . 96 PROCEED INGS OF THE 'SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1869.

e truth e s i commencemen f feudao t l Scotland e terminatioth d an , f o n Celtic Scotland greaa wito d t t , an traditionary;hextentd it ol e th , posi- tio r Sconef nationascene no he th f s eo a , l assembliese th seae f th o t d an , royal court, became less prominent, although the kings were still anxious no endangeo t t traditionare th r ymonarche titlth f eo dispensiny yb g alto- gether wit e Celtihth c elemen n theii t r inauguration continued an , o dt be crowned occasionalld an , holo yt d parliaments, there. Fordun narrate e deats th tha f Davin ho o t d I., the people toos khi grandson Malcolm, a boy in his thirteenth year, and constituted him king at Scone, in room of his grandfather.1 This passage is taken by him from Joh f Hexhamo n a contemporar, y authority s i therefor d an , e authentic e onlTh y . assembly whic recordes hi havo t d e been heln di the reign of Malcolm was summoned to meet at Perth,2 and the charter granted by him to Scone, in which it is said to be the " principalis sedes regni," is dated at . On Malcolm's death, Fordun tells us that the prelates and nobles met at Scone, and declared his brother William blesseBishos e t kingAndrewsth e S wa thab d y f e o b do pan t h ,t d an , inaugurated in the royal chair.3 The traces of the assemblies of the estates and the meetings of the " curia regis" now became much more frequent. Out of twenty-four such assemblies which are recorded, only one was held at Scone, but that was the meeting in 1209 of the " com- mune consilium regni," at which various laws were passed, and the right privileged san e Churcth f so h guaranteed. coronatioe th n I 4f no Alexander the Second, we have the first distinct intimation of the seven

" Tollens quoque omnis populus Malcolmum, puerum tredecim annorum, filium 1 Henrici comitis t nHuntingdomsee , fllii ipsius regis David t apue , d Sconam constituerunt regem pro David avo suo."—Fordun a Hearne, vol. iii. 692. Joh Hexhaf no m add expressione sth , " Sicut consuetude illius nationis est," which is omitted by Fordun —Priory of Hexham, i. 170. 2 Fordun a Hearne, iii. p. 695. " Porro, post Malcolmi regisobitum, convenerunt apud Sconam prelati Scocise, 3 cunctique proceres, ejusdem germani Willelmi mandante praecepto, tune regni cus- todes, quern ibidem unanime regen i s m erigunt. Igitur in vigilia natalis Domini, die viz. xv. post regis mortem, idem Willelmus, amicus Dei, leo justiciae, princeps pacis, a Bicardo. episcopo Sancti Andrese, et aliis offioio coadjuvantibus, in regem benedicitur, atque regali cathedra sublimatur."—Fordu nHearnea , iii. 702. * Act. Parl. . Scot59 . p . THE CORONATION STONE. ' 97

earl Scotlanf so d takin e ceremonytole th gForpary a ar d b e n i -t w r fo ; dun that on the day after the death of , the Earls of Fife, Stratherne, Atholl, Angus, Menteth, Buchan, and Lothian, with the Bishop of St Andrews, took his son Alexander, a youth of sixteen and a half years old, to Scone, and there solemnly inaugurated him as king— Alexander holding high festiva t e succeedinScona lth n thad eo an t g f fifteeday;o t nbu 1 assemblies recorde havo t d e bee ns reign helhi n di , only one met at Scone.2 Fordun's graphic account of the coronation of Alexander the Third alreads ha y been given. Ther noticee ar e f fifteeo s n assemblies hi n i s reign t onlwero bu , ytw e hel t Scone—bothda , however greaf o , t national importance. The first was the meeting of the Estates in 1283 for the settlement of the succession to the throne in favour of the Maiden of Norway; and the other held in 1285, when "the States gadryd was."3 John Baliol hel assembln da t yScona e afte s coronatiohi r n 1292,ni 4 which is the first to which the name of Parliament is distinctly given ; and in 1296 the coronation stone was removed to Westminster. Suc rapia s hi d sketcpare th tf hwhico h Scone appear havo st e played, and the position which it occupied, in the constitutional history of Scot- eighe th f to centuriet t ou leasland a x r si t,fo s during which, accordino gt Blind Harry e fatath , l ston preserves ewa d there s removaprioit o t r o t l Englan 1296n di . The coronation stone is described by Professor Eamsay as consisting " of a dull reddish or purplish sandstone, with a few small imbedded pebbles, one of which is of quartz, and two others of a dark material, " In crastino quoque post Regis obitum summo mane, episcopo Glasgwensi Wal- 1 tero, electo de Eossa Koberto, Eegiua, Willelmo de Boscho cancellario, plerisque familiaribus cum corpore regis defuncti remanentibua, de Fife, de Stratherne, de Atholia, de Angusia, de Menteth, de Buchan, de Laudonia comites, una cum episcopo Sancti Andrese Willelmo, filium regis Alexandrum XVI. et semis annorum adolescentem, assumpserunt, et secum usque ad Sconam adducentes, sublimius et gloriosius, tarn honorifice quam pacifice, quam eo usque quisquam, et secundum Deum et homines in regem sublimatus est, omnibus congratulantibus et nemine contradicente. Eex Alexander apud Sconam eo die, feria scilicet sexta, et sabbato sequent!, festo scilicet Sancti Nicholai, necno t imminentne i Dominica, festivitatem suam tenuit honorifice sicut decuit."—Fordun a Hearne, vol. iii. p. 739. 2 Act. Parl. Scot. p. 76.* 3 Act. Parl. Scot. p. 82; Wyntoun, Chron. vii. c. x. 4 Act. Parl. Scot. p. 89. VOL. VIII. PA.RT I. G 8 9 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1869H8 .

which may be Lydian stone. The rock is calcareous, and is of the kind that masons would call freestone."1 countre Th y around Scon als s ei d sandstone ore formes d i ol t I f do . thus describe Statisticale th n di ' Account:— severar "Fo l miles alone gth coursAnnate th f eo y bur outcroe nth bees pha n lai dstreame barth y eb , and exhibits well-defined sections of the deposit. It is one of the lower members of the old red sandstone formation, which abounds in this part

Coronation Stone and Chair, .

countrye oth f . Ther s littlei e variet e aspecth r n ystructuri o t e th f o e rock, except tha f tlighte o herd therd darker ean o be r ea r colour, more or less abounding in comminuted scales of mica, occasions slight apparent variations."2 The conclusion I have therefore come to is, that there was no connec- tion between the stone at Scone and the Liul Fail at Tara, and that the

1 Dean Stanley's Memorials of Westminster Abbey, p. 499, Appendix, 2 Stat. Account, vol. x. p. 1044. NOTE ON THE CORONATION STONE. 99

legends of their wanderings, like those of the tribes with whom they are associated, are nothing but myth and fable. e custoth s f Celtimo wa t cI tribe inaugurato st e their kings upona sacred stone supposed to symbolise the monarchy. The Irish kings were inaugurate Liae th n Fail,o d which neve s anywher t wa rTaraa t ,ebu the " sedes principalis Ireland f kinge "o th Scotlandn d si an ; e , th firs f o t Pictish monarchy, and afterwards of the Scottish kingdoms which suc- ceede , werdit e inaugurate thin do s stone, which neve anywhers wa r t ebu at Scone, the " sedes principalis" both of the Pictish and of the Scottish kingdoms.