Posts Tagged ‘Stone of Scone’

A comment popped up at the end of my Best Laid Plans post a couple of weeks ago that sent me into a grinning flap. A blank one at that.

Ian Hamilton QC – he’s over there on my blogroll, is a bit of a folk hero of mine and I’m not overstating that.

He has a full and detailed Wikipedia entry you can go check out, but the story my father told me of Ian Hamilton took place on Christmas Eve 1950 when he and three fellow Scottish Nationalists liberated the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and returned it to Scotland. Its rightful home.

It was especially magical to me since, then and now, I’m from Scone.

On the morning of April 11th 1951 the stone was left on the high altar at Arbroath Abbey, where on 6th April 1320 the Scottish nobility had gathered to sign the Scottish Declaration of Independence, you know the one….

“…for so long as a hundred of us are left alive, we will yield in no least way to English dominion. We fight not for glory nor for waelth nor honours; but only and alone we fight for freedom, which no good man surrenders but with his life.”

Or was it? It’s part of modern Scottish folklore that the stone found there that morning was a mere replica and that the real stone is secreted away somewhere safe to this day.

In a 2008 movie of their escapades, Stone of Destiny, Ian was portrayed by Charlie Cox, he of Stardust fame.

I don’t think it’s gilding the lily to say that their actions gave Scottish Nationalism the kick in the arse it needed, and continues to need to this day… just a boot now and again to remind us what we could be and stop dwelling on what we once were. Ian lands a good number of them over on his blog, which I thoroughly enjoy and believe every person of voting age in Scotland, and even younger, should be encouraged to read.

In November 1996 the Stone of Scone was returned to Scottish soil amidst much fanfare and laid out in a display room at Edinburgh Castle. As far as we in Scone are concerned it aint home yet.

So now you hopefully understand why I was grinning and flapping a bit when he asked me to write a few words for his blog on a subject of my choice.

How blank can a mind go?

After a bit of correspondence and despite disagreeing with much of what I said, he published my post on his blog last night.

I’m tickled pink, I’m grinning insanely and so honoured.

And I can’t wait to tell my Dad!