In City of Stone we see Macbeth crowned while kneeling on a stone. This stone is known as the Stone of Destiny. The Stone of Destiny was a stone on which the ancient Kings of Scotland had always been crowned. In 1296, Edward I humiliated Scotland by removing the Stone of Destiny from Scone (where the kings had been crowned). He placed the Stone in Westminster Abbey, London, where it resided until November 15th, 1996.

The Stone was stolen in recent times (1950) by Scottish Nationalists, but they were forced to return the Stone to Westminster Abbey. Some Scots say that a fake Stone was given to the English and that the real Stone now resides in its true home: Scotland. Now after 700 hundred years the English are finally giving back the Stone of Destiny to its rightful owners, the Scots. This is a huge step in the quest for full Scottish independence from England. For more information about the origin and history of the stone, read on.

The following information was found on the web in the Highlander magazine.

"The Stone of Destiny, or as it is sometimes called the Stone of Scone - for reasons that will become apparent, is a block of sandstone which measures 26 inches long, 16 inches wide, 11 inches high and weighs 336 lbs or 152 kg. Yet this unassuming block of stone has been revered for centuries as a holy relic, fought over by nations and used successively by Dalriadic, Scottish, English and British monarchs as an important part of their enthronement ceremonies. The Stone has only one inscription, best described as a Latin cross, which gives no clue to the Stones heritage. So where did the Stone come from?

The Stone allegedly originates from the Middle East and was subsequently brought to Scotland, arriving here around 850 AD. The Stone's history, however, stretches back to biblical times when Jacob is said to have used the Stone as a pillow. The Stone was then shipped through Egypt, Sicily, Spain and Ireland before, as said, arriving in Scotland. Sir Compton MacKenzie - the famous writer, literary critic and amateur politician - disputed this line of events. He believed the Stone to have been quarried on the West Coast of Scotland near Oban, although it has to be said that he offered little proof.

However an additional and more specific explanation, which supports the Middle East origins of the Stone, hails from the ancient Irish Kingdom of Dalriada which existed from around 400 AD to, conveniently, about 850 AD. Dalriadic Kings were enthroned at sacred ceremonies in which an enthroning stone which had been blessed by St. Patrick was used. The Stone embodied St. Patricks message in that wherever the Stone lay the race of Erc should reign. Hence the Stones title - Stone of Destiny. Erc was the first King of the Antrim Dal Riata tribe, and Antrim is, of course, in Ireland. After many years and battles with the Picts, Britons and Saxons alongside others, Kenneth I, 36th King of Dalriada, moved his seat to Scotland. He moved it, in fact, to Scone, in Perthshire. The Stone was used at Iona, Dunadd, Dunstaffnage and Scone for enthroning Dalriadic monarchs.

In 1292 John Balliol became the last King to use the Stone in Scotland as it was removed by Edward I of England in 1296, taken south and placed in Westminster Abbey. Edward believed, mistakenly, that possession of the Stone gave him sovereignty of Scotland. In 1328 though the Scots won the Stones return under the Treaty of Northampton but sadly the Stone never moved from underneath the Coronation Throne in the Abbey as the English reneged on the promise. Has it moved back to Scotland since? On Christmas day 1950 the Stone was taken from Westminster Abbey by a group of Scottish Nationalists and subsequently went 'missing.' It was 'found' about 4 months later after having been placed in Arbroath Abbey and was returned to Westminster. 'Missing' and 'found'? It is strongly rumored that the Stone was never 'missing' - at least not from those who know - and was never truly 'found.' The Scots who took the Stone from Westminster had a replica made, which it is estimated would take about 4 months, and placed the replica in Arbroath. The replica was then 'retaken' and placed in Westminster Abbey. Therefore, it is in fact the real Stone which is now on display, as a purported replica, at Scone Palace, the Stones right and proper home. But that, of course, is only a rumor.

So, by now you are asking yourself why St. Patrick's blessing embodied in the Stone has failed? Well, it hasn't really. If you remember that wherever the Stone rests the race of Erc shall rule, we'll go on. The Scottish Kings were descended from the Irish Kings. It follows that the royal line of Scots are descendants of the first Dalriadic King - King Erc. The English royal line failed with Elizabeth I in 1603 when, thereafter, James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. Apart from a brief spell between 1649 and 1660, when the English refused to hold Charles II of Scotland as their monarch, the Scots have been the true descendants of what is now held to be the British royal family. So Elizabeth II, the present Queen, is in fact a descendent of Erc. St. Patricks blessing seems to have worked and the Stone of Destiny has fulfilled its promise. King Eric's family still reign. From 1603, when James VI of Scotland took the throne in England, to the present day the Stone of Destiny has been used in the Westminster coronation of every single 'British' monarch. Or has it? Perhaps Elizabeth II, whose coronation was held in Westminster Abbey in 1952, should have travelled to Scone!

After 700 years, the English are finally returning the Stone Of Destiny to Scotland. Seized in 1296 by Edward I (Longshanks) as part of his conquest and humiliation of Scotland, the Stone, which has been held in the hands of the English, will finally be turned over to the Scots by Elizabeth II and ensconsed once more at the ancient seat at Scone. This marks another step, and a significant one, in the Scots' quest for national independence.

The following information was found on the web, I'm not sure where (it was emailed to me). However there is a reference at the bottom to Ham's homepage.

For 700 years, under the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey sat a lump of rock. A rock which was stolen from Scotland in 1296 by the English King Edward I. This piece of rock is known as The Stone of Destiny or The Stone of Scone, and is reputed to be the stone on which all Scottish Kings were crowned. The Stone is surrounded in myth and is said to have been brought to Scotland from the Holy Land, the biblical Jacob's Pillow.

On 15th November 1996, this Stone was returned to Scotland, for eventual display in Edinburgh Castle. What Scotland needs now is not the return of stolen goods, but the return of real power, the power of a sovereign Scottish Parliament.

Is the Stone now returned to Scotland the real Stone ? Was Edward I originally 'sold a dummy', and did the patriots of 1951 return only a copy of the Stone ? We may never know, but one thing is sure, the authorities can't be certain either !!

What is certain is that this Stone is a symbol and touchstone of Scottish nationhood, a very potent icon. What is also certain, is that in 1328, the Treaty of Northampton was signed and Edward III promised the Stone's return to Scotland. Since 1328, England has used every possible legal device to hold onto this Scottish relic - has it really been given up without a fight? In 1951 a group of patriotic Scottish students succeeded in a daring raid to recapture the Stone and return it to Scotland. Although they were eventually caught, no charges were brought. To prove 'theft' of the Stone would have entailed the Crown proving ownership. This quite clearly would have caused severe embarassment to the authorities. What is significant is that the Stone is a symbol of Scottish nationhood, and as long as that symbol remained at Westminster, it was a source of grievance.