WRITTEN BY:
COURTNEY OGBE
Africans are believed to be the most superstitious and fetish race in the world; that may be correct. However, many other nations in the world have certain cultures that they’ve upheld over centuries, be it fetish or not.
Here we’ll learn that the Great Britain also hold certain legends, myths and beliefs in high esteem.
The Stone of Scone which is often referred to as The Coronation Stone in England is an oblong block of red sandstone that has been used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. It is also known as Jacob’s Pillow Stone and the Tanist Stone, and as clach-na-cinneamhain in Scottish Gaelic. Its size is 26 in (66 cm) by 16.7 in (42 cm) by 10.5 in (26.7 cm) and its weight is approximately 335 lb (152 kg). A roughly incised cross is on one surface, and an iron ring at each end which aids transport.
Historically, the artefact which was kept at the now-ruined Scone-Abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland, having been brought there from Iona by Kenneth MacAlpin circa 841 AD, was forcefully removed by Edward I of England during his invasion of Scotland in 1296.
The Stone of Scone is an ancient symbol of Scotland’s monarchy, used for centuries in the inauguration of its kings; seen as a sacred object, its earliest origins are now unknown.
At the time, the Stone was viewed as a symbol of Scottish nationhood; hence by removing the Stone to London, Edward I was declaring himself ‘King of the Scots’. Rumors persist in Scotland, however, that the rock taken by King Edward I was a replica and that the monks at Scone Abbey hid the actual stone in a river or buried it for safekeeping.
The stone was built into a new throne at Westminster Abbey and was used in the coronation of the monarchs of England as well as the monarchs of Great Britain and latterly of the United Kingdom following the Treaty of Union.
On Christmas morning 1950, the stone was stolen from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalists who took it back to Scotland; but four months later it was recovered and restored to the abbey. By removing the stone, the group of Scottish nationalists hoped to promote their cause for Scottish devolution and to reawaken a sense of national identity amongst the Scottish people. Attempts may have been made, but it is not recorded that the stone has been stolen again since 1950.
The Stone of Scone was last used in 1953 for the coronation of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It now resides in Edinburgh Castle but will be made available for future coronation ceremonies at Westminster Abbey.
In 2008 a Scottish-Canadian historical adventure/comedy film ‘Stone of Destiny’ was written and directed by Charles Martin Smith, starring Charlie Cox, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, and Kate Mara. The movie is based on real events, as it tells the story of the removal of the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey.
INLANDTOWN
Credit: Wikipedia
