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As it happens6:09 a.mThe stone of Scotland should not be a coronation, says the son of man who stole it back
Jamie Hamilton said his late father would be displeased to learn the ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy was brought back from England to be used for the coronation of King Charles.
The Stone of Destiny – a 150-kilogram piece of sandstone, also known as the Stone of Scone – has a long and fraught history. It was used for the coronation of Scottish kings for generations before being captured by the English as spoils of war in 1296, and then officially returned to Scotland centuries later in 1996.
But decades before England returned the stone, Ian Hamilton and three of his friends managed to sneak into Westminster Abbey on Christmas night, snatch it from the English throne and smuggle it back to Scotland.
“We don’t like the word ‘steal.’ We like the word ‘repatriation’ or ‘return,'” Jamie Hamilton, Ian’s son, told As it happens host Nil Koksal.
Ian died last year, and the stone that was once “repatriated” is now back in England, on temporary loan for the coronation.
“Scotland makes a lot of different types of people, and some will be offended, others will be indifferent,” Jamie said. “The message he sent me was one of oppression.”
Ewan Hyslop, head of research at Historic Environment Scotland, told CBC Radio Day 6 that the earliest records written in Scotland from stone date back to at least 1249, where it was used for the inauguration of King Alexander III of Scotland at Scone Palace. Although they say there are “stories” that come from the Middle East or Spain.
King Edward I captured the stone after the Scottish Wars of Independence in the 1200s, and built it into his coronation throne at Westminster Abbey.
“To remove the stone is to remove a symbol of power and effectively Scotland’s authority to crown its kings,” Jamie said.
It is just one of many relics in the possession of the British crown that were looted from other countries.
‘He got away with it’
The stone remained in the possession of the British monarchy for 770 years – more or less.
Less is where Jamie’s father comes in.
In the middle of the night on December 25, 1950, Ian, then 25, and three students who followed the University of Glasgow – Kay Matheson, Gavin Vernon and Alan Stuart – carried out the heist.
They jimmied the lock on Westminster Abbey, removed the stone from under the throne – accidentally cracking it open in the process – and scurried back to Scotland in their getaway car.
“I think it’s fun,” Jamie said. “But they got away with it. And broke into Westminster Abbey, which is one of the beautiful monuments in London, enough, enough courage to do a.
But that wasn’t the kind of story her father liked, Jamie said. Not because he regrets what he did, Jamie says, but because he’s “so tired of the story.”
Ian once told the BBC: “In one of the many British invasions of Scotland, they took the symbol of our nation.
The theft sparked international outrage and led to the temporary closure of the border between Scotland and England, according to a BBC report.
The students handed it over to the Scottish Treaty Association, who repaired it and left it in the ruined Arbroath abbey, where Scotland’s 1320 declaration of independence was written.
The stone was returned to Westminster in 1951, and was later used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. The students were never charged.
Ian kept a rock the size of a matchbook when it cracked when it was stolen. He had a brooch, which he gave to his girlfriend – Jamie’s mother – for his 21st birthday. He still had it.
Asked if her mother appreciated the gift, Jamie replied: “Well, she married him.”
WATCH | The Stone of Destiny returns to Scotland:
In 1950, one of Scotland’s most valuable royal objects was stolen from Westminster Abbey by four students and brought back to Scotland.
England returned the stone to Scotland in 1996 to much fanfare – on the condition that it continue to be used for future crowns of English kings.
“My father was invited to attend the return ceremony in 1996, but of course declined because he didn’t feel the terms and conditions to return to Scotland were suitable,” Jamie said.
“The idea of returning stolen property, even a little while ago, and then you condition the return of that stolen property, seems a little counterintuitive.”
Jamie says despite everything, his father is not anti-monarchist.
“Really, the feeling is that the stone is a Scottish stone, and if people want to be crowned, they should come to Scotland,” he said.
It is now in Westminster Abbey again, but will return to Scotland after the coronation.
Joseph Morrow, the heraldic authority for Scotland, said the stone was returned to England as “an act of unity and a symbol of friendship.”
Asked if he would be watching the coronation on Saturday, Jamie quickly replied: “No, no, I won’t be watching… it can be worked on.”
With files from Reuters, Paul Hantik and Mickie Edwards. Interview with Jamie Hamilton produced by Chris Trowbridge.
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