The History of Scone Palace

The site of the Palace of Scone, (it is pronounced 'scoon' not like 'tea and scone') was an important religious centre from early Christian times and gives its name to the Stone of Scone on which the Kings of the Scots were traditionally crowned.

The First King of Scotland?
In the 9th century, Scotland was torn apart by fighting between the Scots (from Ireland) and the Picts (the native Celtic tribe). Kenneth MacAlpin brought together the disparate tribes around 835 AD and conquered the Kingdom of Scone. The story goes that he invited the Pictish King Drostan and his nobles to dine with him at Scone - whereupon he plied them with drink and drew out the bolts supporting the floor beneath them - plunging them to their deaths. MacAlpin was crowned King Kenneth at Scone, establishing this Perthshire village as the crowning place of kings.

Stone of Destiny
All the Kings of the Scots were crowned at Scone, seated upon the Stone of Destiny. The stone is reputed to be Jacob's pillow in the Bible, but was probably brought from Ireland.

Scone later became an abbey but it retained its ceremonial and religious importance, even when the stone was taken away to Westminster Abbey by Edward I. On 25 March 1306, Robert the Bruce declared himself King of Scots here and Scottish parliaments were held here until 1452 - James IV was the last Scottish king to be crowned at Scone.

Today a replica of the stone (which is now at Edinburgh Cathedral) stands in its original position. Some say the Westminster stone was also a replica and that the real stone is still hidden. The mystery is fuelled by a legend that goes with the stone that reads:

Except old seers do feign
and wizard wits be blind,
the Scots in place must reign
where they this stone shall find.

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