On This Day In History: Stone Of Destiny Stolen From Westminster Abbey In London – On Dec 25, 1950

AncientPages.com - On Christmas Day, December 25, 1950, four young Scots retrieved the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey.

Used as the Coronation Stone of the Scottish kings from the 10th century and supposedly a relic from biblical times, the stone was taken to Westminster Abbey, England, by Edward I as a symbol of his overlordship.

Coronation Chair With Stone of Scone. Image licensed under Creative Commons by Cornell University Library

In the early hours of this day in 1950, four Scottish nationalists broke into Westminster Abbey, removed the stone, accidentally breaking it in two, and finally returned it to Scotland. A Glasgow stonemason subsequently repaired the stone.

The stone remained hidden until they placed it in Arbroath Abbey in April 1951, where it was discovered and returned to England.

In 1996 the stone was placed in Edinburgh Castle amid much ceremony on St. Andrew's Day.

Rumors persist about the Stone of Destiny. Some say that monks at Scone Abbey switched the stone and that Edward I took to England was not the genuine Stone of Destiny.

A copy of the Stone of Scone. Image credit:  Bubobubo2 - CC BY-SA 3.0

Others claim that those who stole the stone on Christmas Day 1950 switched the stone and that what was returned in April 1951 was not the original, which was hidden in a peat bank in Wester Ross.

The Stone of Destiny's size is about 26 inches (660 mm) by 16.75 inches (425 mm) by 10.5 inches (270 mm), and its weight is approximately 336 pounds (152 kg). 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.

Updated on December 22, 2022

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