"Robert Gray (Scottish politician) Robert Gray (1895 – 12 April 1975), often known as Bertie Gray, was a Scottish nationalist politician. Gray worked as a stonemason and in 1928 was a founder member of the National Party of Scotland. In 1929, he made two copies of the Stone of Scone, a coronation stone originally used by Scottish monarchs, but taken by Edward I of England to Westminster Abbey in 1296. Gray stood unsuccessfully for the National Party at the Dunbartonshire by-election, 1932, then when it merged into the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1934 became the Assistant Secretary of the"
"strong arguments against the theory. On Christmas Day 1950, the Westminster Stone was taken from the abbey by four Scottish students. It remained hidden until April 1951, when a stone was left in Arbroath Abbey. Some speculate that this stone is not the one taken from the Abbey, but merely a copy. The stone left in Arbroath was damaged, for the Westminster Stone had broken in half when removed from the Coronation Chair, but had been repaired by Glasgow stonemason Robert Gray. However, Gray had made replicas of the Stone in the 1930s, and further fuelled speculation by declaring later"
"within the Abbey in St George's Chapel near the West Door, and has been used at every coronation since 1308. From 1301 to 1996 (except for a short time in 1950 when the stone was temporarily stolen by Scottish nationalists), the chair also housed the Stone of Scone upon which the kings of Scots are crowned. Although the Stone is now kept in Scotland, in Edinburgh Castle, it is intended that the Stone will be returned to St Edward's Chair for use during future coronation ceremonies. Westminster Abbey is a collegiate church governed by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster,"
"England, and the second during World War II when it was moved to Gloucester Cathedral for the duration of the war. On Christmas Day 1950, Scottish Nationalists broke into the abbey and removed the Stone of Destiny. It was recovered in time for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. Since 1996, the stone has been kept at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland on the proviso that it be returned to England for use at coronations. The Coronation Chair is highly protected, and leaves its secure location—on a plinth in St George's Chapel in the nave—only when it is carried into the"
"in Westminster Palace in 1289 under Edward I, making further repairs to the Painted Chamber in the 1290s. In Westminster Abbey in the 1290s he decorated the tombs of Henry III and Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I; at Blackfriars he painted the tomb for her heart. His last recorded commission between 1297 and 1300 was the Coronation Chair, a wooden throne, decorated with paintwork and gilding. It was installed in Westminster Abbey next to the shrine of Edward the Confessor and housed the Stone of Scone, which Edward I had captured from the Scots in 1296. The"
"Saint Margaret's Black Rood relic, but to confiscate an object so precious to the Scots, and so symbolic of their independence, would be a final humiliation. He carried it back to Westminster Abbey. By placing it within the throne of England, he had a potent symbol of his claim for overlordship. It is this stone which sat in Westminster until 1996, when it was returned to Scotland. According to the Westminster Stone theory, the stone Edward removed was not the real Stone of Destiny, but a substitute. The English army was at the Scottish border in mid-March, 1296, and did"
"with the chair in Westminster Abbey, but it was moved that year to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, where it is displayed on the proviso that it be returned to England for use at future coronations. Once seated in this chair, a canopy of golden cloth is held over the monarch's head for the anointing. The duty of acting as canopy-bearers was performed in recent coronations by four Knights of the Garter. This element of the coronation service is considered sacred and is concealed from public gaze; it was not photographed in 1937 or televised in 1953. The Dean of Westminster"
"Removal of the Stone of Scone in 1950 On Christmas Day 1950, four Scottish students from the University of Glasgow (Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart) removed the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey in London and took the Stone back to Scotland. The students were members of the Scottish Covenant Association, a group that supported home rule for Scotland. In 2008 the incident was made into a film called ""Stone of Destiny"". The Stone of Scone, the ancient Stone upon which Scottish monarchs had been crowned, was taken from Scone near Perth, Scotland by King Edward"
"I of England (Longshanks) in 1296 during the struggles against English invasion, which historians call the Scottish Wars of Independence as a spoil of war, kept in Westminster Abbey in London and fitted into King Edward's Chair. Subsequent English and then British monarchs were crowned sitting upon the chair and Stone. At the time, the Stone was viewed as a symbol of Scottish nationhood; by removing the Stone to London, Edward I was declaring himself 'King of the Scots'. In 1950, Ian Hamilton, a student at the University of Glasgow, approached Gavin Vernon with a plan to remove the Stone"
"did, but the final straw was Edward's demand that the Scottish magnates provide military service in the war against France. This was unacceptable; the Scots instead formed an alliance with France and launched an unsuccessful attack on Carlisle. Edward responded by invading Scotland in 1296 and taking the town of Berwick in a particularly bloody attack. At the Battle of Dunbar, Scottish resistance was effectively crushed. Edward confiscated the Stone of Destiny – the Scottish coronation stoneand brought it to Westminster placing it in what became known as King Edward's Chair; he deposed Balliol and placed him in the Tower"
"sacred stone not having been found by him. The curious here, aware of such traditions, and who have viewed these venerable remains of antiquity, agree that Macbeth may, or rather must, have deposited the stone in question at the bottom of his Castle, on the hill of Dunsinane (from the trouble of the times), where it has been found by the workmen. This curious stone has been shipped for London for the inspection of the scientific amateur, in order to discover its real quality. In 1296, the stone was captured by Edward I as spoils of war and taken to"
"Westminster Abbey, where it was fitted into a wooden chair—known as King Edward's Chair—on which most subsequent English and then British sovereigns have been crowned. Edward I sought to claim his status as the ""Lord Paramount"" of Scotland, with the right to oversee its King. Some doubt exists over the stone captured by Edward I. The Westminster Stone theory posits that the monks at Scone Palace hid the real stone in the River Tay, or buried it on Dunsinane Hill, and that the English troops were tricked into taking a substitute. Some proponents of the theory claim that historic descriptions"
"of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association and the Scottish Covenant Association. He was also the campaign manager for the successful bid to have John MacCormick elected Rector of the University. On Christmas Eve 1950, Hamilton, along with three other student Scottish nationalists, removed the Stone of Destiny from its place under the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey, London. Originally used for the coronation of Scottish monarchs, the Stone had been removed to England by Edward I in 1296 to bolster his claim to the throne of Scotland. After the Acts of Union 1707 between Scotland and England, it was"
"In 1999 the Dunkeld Lectern mysteriously turned up in an Edinburgh arts centre after being missing for 15 years. It is believed that it had been hidden in a Highland grave for the intervening period. It has since been moved to the National Museums of Scotland and is on a three-year loan. A permanent loan agreement is being negotiated between the National Museums of Scotland and the church of St Stephen's, still the legal owner of the Dunkeld Lectern. Dunkeld Lectern The Dunkeld Lectern is a mediaeval lectern which was one of the most prized possessions of St Stephen's Church,"
"Guisborough put it, ""of a kingdom surrendered and conquered"". It was fitted into a wooden chair, which came to be used for the investiture of kings of England, earning its reputation as the Coronation Chair. The Scottish regalia were also taken to London and offered at the shrine of Edward the Confessor; Scotland eventually regained its independence. In Edward II's treasury in 1324 there were 10 crowns. When Richard II was forced to abdicate in 1399, he symbolically handed St Edward's Crown to Henry IV, saying ""I present and give to you this crown … and all the rights dependent"
"more treasured artefact. According to King Edward I's jewel account for that regnal year (12 Edward I), the crown was recoated in gold plating to make it look more impressive (which suggests that it may have been made of iron). It was then presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey as the ""Coron Arthur,"" or the Crown of King Arthur. The coronet, alongside the English Crown Jewels, was kept in Westminster Abbey until 1303 before they were all re-housed in the Tower of London after it and the English Crown Jewels were all temporarily stolen. It"
"was, ironically, Edward I – recovered the two pieces of stone and brought them to Glasgow. They hired a stonemason, Baillie Robert Gray, to mend the Stone. Gray placed a brass rod inside the Stone containing a piece of paper. To this day, nobody knows what was written on the piece of paper. In April 1951 the police received a tip-off and the Stone was found on the site of the High Altar at Arbroath Abbey where in 1320 the assertion of Scottish nationhood was made in the Declaration of Arbroath. The Stone was returned to Westminster Abbey in February"
"Gavin Vernon Gavin Harold Russell Vernon (11 August 1926 – 19 March 2004) was a Scottish engineer who along with his accomplices, removed the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey in London on Christmas Day 1950 and took the Stone to Scotland. Vernon was born in Kintore, Aberdeenshire, the son of a doctor and educated at Strathallan School in Perthshire, Scotland. After Strathallan, Vernon completed his national service with the Royal Signals serving in Malta, Palestine and Cyprus. He then attended the University of Glasgow where he studied electrical engineering. Whilst studying in Glasgow he became a member of the"
"of the stone do not match the present stone. In The Treaty of Northampton 1328, between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, England agreed to return the captured stone to Scotland; riotous crowds prevented it from being removed from Westminster Abbey. The stone remained in England for another six centuries, even after James VI of Scotland assumed the English throne as James I of England. For the next century, the Stuart kings and queens of Scotland once again sat on the stone but at their coronation as kings and queens of England. On Christmas Day 1950, a"
"one of these two lines are engraved, which a gentleman has thus deciphered.— 'The sconce (or shadow) of kingdom come, until Sylphs in air carry me again to Bethel.' These plates exhibit the figures of targets for the arms. From time immemorial it has been believed among us here, that unseen hands brought Jacob's pillow from Bethel and dropped it on the site where the palace of Scoon now stands. A strong belief is also entertained by many in this part of the country that it was only a representation of this Jacob's pillow that Edward sent to Westminster, the"
"in 1996 Gavin Vernon attended the ceremony in Edinburgh. On Christmas Eve 2000, the fiftieth anniversary of the event, Vernon returned to Westminster Abbey which was specially opened for him with the words: 'Welcome back, Mr Vernon'. In early 2004 Vernon was diagnosed with cancer, and in March 2004, he died. Gavin Vernon Gavin Harold Russell Vernon (11 August 1926 – 19 March 2004) was a Scottish engineer who along with his accomplices, removed the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey in London on Christmas Day 1950 and took the Stone to Scotland. Vernon was born in Kintore, Aberdeenshire, the"
"with heavy losses. The victory of the Spanish marked renewed Philip II's power through the next decade over the seas. In 1668, the keeper of the stores at Deptford, John Davies of Camberwell, had the best remaining timber of ""Golden Hind"" made into a chair which was presented to the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, where it remains (with a replica in the Great Hall, Buckland Abbey, Devon, Drake's home and now maintained by the National Trust). A table, known as the cupboard, in the Middle Temple Hall, London is also reputed to have been made from the"
"sword, Walter Scott found a silver-gilt wand. It measures in length and is topped with a faceted crystal monde surmounted by a cross. The wand has a wooden core and the unknown maker's initials F.G. The object's intended role – if it had one at all – has been forgotten, and its presence among the regalia is still a mystery. Walter Scott thought it may have been carried before the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. Although the Treasurer did have a mace it was a different shape. Four objects taken into exile by James VII after the Glorious Revolution in"
"Scotland. She is said to have brought the ""Holy Rood"", a fragment of Christ's cross, from Hungary or England to Scotland with her. It was known as the Black Rood of Scotland. The Catholic Encyclopedia reports that Saint Margaret brought the cross from Waltham Abbey, after which it was kept in Holyrood Abbey, which her son erected in Edinburgh. The relic was removed from Scotland by Edward I of England in 1296, along with the Stone of Scone and other treasures, but the Black Rood was returned in 1328. It was regained by the English following the battle of Neville's"
"Buckingham Palace, along with those of George VI and his consort Queen Elizabeth. The 1953 throne is kept in the Garter Throne Room of Windsor Castle; the thrones of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra are in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace. Those of George V and Queen Mary may be seen in the Throne Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Coronation Chair The Coronation Chair, known historically as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, is an ancient wooden chair on which British monarchs sit when they are invested with regalia and crowned at their coronations. It"
"pay £100,000 sterling to England, which was raised by a special peace levy. As part of the treaty negotiations, Edward III agreed to return the Stone of Destiny to Scotland. This was not in the treaty, but was part of a concurrent agreement. Edward III issued a royal writ, 4 months later, on 1 July, addressed to the Abbot of Westminster, which acknowledged this agreement and ordered the Stone be taken to his mother — it was not. Eventually, 668 years later, it was returned to Scotland, arriving on 30 November 1996 at Edinburgh Castle. When next there is a"
"rope maker, was tried for heresy at what is now Derby Cathedral in 1556. She refused to deny her faith and was burned at the stake at Windmill Pit near Burton Road. The plague again broke out in Derby in 1586, starting in St Peter's parish. Around 1650, Oliver Cromwell stole an Elizabethan chair that had been presented to St Peter’s in 1593. Amazingly, the chair was discovered at auction in 1960, and a churchwarden was able to negotiate its return. Robert Bakewell, the British metalsmith, who died in 1752, is buried in the churchyard. William Cowper is said to"
"the choir; meanwhile, the ""crimson robe"" is removed, and the sovereign proceeds to the Coronation Chair for the anointing, which has been set in a prominent position, wearing the ""anointing gown"". In 1953, the chair stood atop a dais of several steps. This mediaeval chair has a cavity in the base into which the Stone of Scone is fitted for the ceremony. Also known as the ""Stone of Destiny"", it was used for ancient Scottish coronations until brought to England by Edward I. It has been used for every coronation at Westminster Abbey since. Until 1996, the stone was kept"
"engraved on it, possibly as a headstone; in which case these might be the oldest Jutish tombstones yet found. It had Ancient Greek bas relief tablets. Also in the original collection was St Augustine's Chair, from Stanford Bishop church in Herefordshire. This is not the Chair of St Augustine but was thought to be where St Augustine sat when he received the British bishops at Augustine's Oak, 602-604 AD. It was rescued by Dr James Johnston from the church during restorations and given to the museum in 1899 by his son. The chair remains part of the collection but was"
"it as such. He is known to have stayed in Elgin for four days in late July 1296 and it was during this sojourn into Scotland that he removed the Stone of Scone (Stone of Destiny) from Scone Palace and had it placed in a wooden chair at Westminster Abbey. He again stayed in Elgin for two days in September 1303 and then camped at Kinloss Abbey from 13 September till 4 October. At that time the castle at Kinneddar, along with those at Elgin and Duffus, was left under the control of English garrisons. In 1308, Robert the Bruce,"
"has a plain monde and cross at the top and a steel pike at the bottom. This object is almost certainly a copy of the long rod of silver-gilt mentioned in the list of royal plate and jewels destroyed in 1649. The staff's intended role in the coronation has been forgotten since medieval times, and so it is carried into the Abbey by a peer as a holy relic and laid on the altar, where it remains throughout the ceremony. The Crown Jewels include 16 silver trumpets dating from between 1780 and 1848. Nine of these are draped with red"
"replica of that in the British House of Commons. It is topped by a carved wood canopy bearing a rendition of the royal coat of arms of Canada sculpted in wood from the roof of the Westminster Hall, which was built in 1397; the whole was a gift from the British branch of what is today the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The chair has since been augmented with a hydraulic lift, lighting, writing surfaces, and, at the foot of the chair, a television screen and computer screen to aid the speaker in monitoring the process of the house. Behind the chair"
"forty years after its installation it was discovered to be riddled with holes and to have never been properly attached to its pedestal. It narrowly escaped destruction during the Second World War when a German bomb dropped during the Blitz landed a few metres away and peppered it with shrapnel. The pedestal and the horse's tail were damaged and Richard's sword was bent by the blast. In 2009, the Parliamentary authorities undertook a project to conserve and restore the statue. The statue was created by Baron Carlo Marochetti and is located in Old Palace Yard outside the Palace of Westminster,"