from E. Raymond Capt's Jacob's Pillar (no date corrections made):
The Coronation Stone that reposes in St. Edward's Chapel in Britain's sacred Abbey of Westminster has stirred men's imaginations for centuries. In light of Bible history no other inanimate object on earth has been given such honored use and glorious purpose as that given to this block of sandstone known as the "Stone of Destiny". What is its origin? What enshrines it with an importance far beyond its intrinsic value?
In his essay on "Certain Monuments of Antiquity", Weaver says (p. 118): "It appears that the Irish kings, from very ancient times until A.D. 513, were crowned upon a particular sacred stone called 'Liath Fail', 'the Stone of Destiny', that, so also, were the Scottish kings until the year 1296, when Edward I of England brought it here. And it is a curious fact that this stone has not only remained in England unto now, and is existing still under the coronation chair of our British sovereigns in Westminster Abbey, but that all our kings, from James I, have been crowned in that chair. This being a fact so curious, we shall quote its particulars in a note taken from Toland, in his 'History of the Druids' (pp. 137-9)."
Toland's statement is this: "The Fatal Stone (Liag Fail) so called, was the stone on which the supreme kings of Ireland used to be inaugurated, in time of heathenism on the hill of Tarah; it was superstitiously sent to confirm the Irish colony in the north of Great Britain, where it was continued as the coronoation seat of the Scottish kings ever since Christianity; til in the year 1300 (1296 A.D.). Edward I, of England brought it from Scone, placing it under the coronation chair at Wesetminister and there it still continues. I had almost forgot to tell you that it is now called by the vulgar, Jacob's stone as if this had been Jacob's pillow at Bethel!".
Dean Stanely, one-time custodian of the Stone, in h is book "Memorials of Westminster Abbey", sums up its historical importance in these words; "It is the one primevel monument which binds together the whole Empire. The iron rings, the battered surface, the crack which has all but rent its solid mass asunder, bear witness of the English monarchy -- an element of poetic, patriarchal, heathen times, which, like Araunah's rocky threshing floor in the midst of the Temple of Solomon, carries back our thoughts to races and customs now almost extinct; a link which unites the Throne of England to the traditions of Tara and Iona" (2nd Edit. pg. 66).
In appearance the rugged surface of the Stone of Destiny ll-purplish color, varying somewhat, and with some reddish veins. It is composed of calcareous sandstone and imbedded in it are a few pebbles; one of quartz and two others of a dark material (porhyrite or andesite?). Its shape is roughly "pillow-like" being about 26" in length; 16: in. width, and 10 1/2' in depth. Across its surface runs a crack and some chisel-marks are still visible on one or two sides. It appears to have been in the process of being prepared for building purposes, but was discarded before being finished. There are two large iron rings (of some rust resistant alloy), one at each end of the stone which hang loosely from eyes, made of similar metal let into the Stone.
The rings in the ends of the Stone would indicate that porter poles were once used to transport the Stone. At first, it would appear as if two poles were used, one of them passed through the ring at each end, so that four persons would be required to carry it. However, when turned up, these rings protrude above the top of the stone, enabling one pole to be passed through both rings across the top of the Stone, theoretically allowing it to be carried by only two persons.
In preparation for King George V's coronation, the Stone was temporarily removed from the Coronation Chair, and a photograph was taken of it. This photograph disclosed that a groove runs right across the stone from ring to ring. From its appearance this groove was not cut, but was clearly the result of friction from a single pole being passed across from ring to ring. Such an indentation and wearing away of material indicates the enormous amount of carrying that the Stone was subjected to. If, as it appears, a single pole was used, because of the weight of the Stone (about 336 pounds) it is probable that more than two persons actually carried the Stone. Yoke-like cross beams could have been attached to both ends of the pole for the convenience of two or more persons at each of the pole.
British, Scotch and Irish records of the Stone of Destiny locate it at Tara, Ireland (some five centuries before Christ), from where it was transported to Scotland in circa A.D. 498 by Fergus the Great. From there it was taken to Iona circa A.D. 563; then to Dunstaffnage from where it was removed to Scone, near Perth, Scotland. Finally it was moved, by Edward I, to Westminister Abbey, London in A.D. 1296. Thus, from Tara to Westminster, covering over 1800 years of history, it was never carried to any appreciable extent. The mere removal from these places could not account for the wearing away of the Stone that was evidently caused by the friction of a pole used in constant carrying. This must have been the result of many months of continuous carrying, prior to its arrival in Tara. The story of its journeying from Bethel, in the time of Jacob, and its accompanying the children of Isael in the Wilderness, would account for its present condition.
One of the most significant facts about the Coronation Stone is that no similar rock formation exists in the British Isles. Professor Totten, the eminent professor of Science at Yale University, after making a thorough examination of the Stone made the following statement: "The analysis of the stone shows that there are absolutely no quarries in Scone or Iona where-from a block so constituted could possibly have come, nor yet from Tara". Professor Odlum, a geologist (and Professor of Theology at an Ontario University), also made microscopic examinations of the Coronation Stone, comparing it to similar stone from Scotland (including Iona and the quarries of Ireland) and found them dissimilar.
Professor Odlum became tremendously interested in the Stone. He was intrigued with the idea that perhaps its source could be found in Palestine, as suggested by the ancient records of Ireland. Determined to make the search, and after several weeks of unsuccessful exploration, Odlum discovered a stratum of sandstone near the Red Sea at Bethel, geologically the same as the Coronation Stone. Relating the circumstances of the discovery to a friend upon his return to Britain, the Professor stated:
"I put on my old mackintosh, I stuck my geologist's hammer in my pocket, and I went out for one last look. It was pouring rain. I walked along the same places I had walked over and over again, looking for stone. Suddenly, while I was walking along a certain pathway, with a rocky cliff on either side, the sun shone on the rain-streaked piece of rock, and I noticed a peculiar sort of glitter that I thought I recognized. I climbed up, and I found that wet rock, as far as I could see with the magnifying glass I had, was the identical texture I had been looking for." I chipped off a piece from the living rock. I took it back to the hotel and examined it as well as I could. I was sure I had got what I wanted".
Although a microscopic test of the sample Bethel stone matched perfectly with the same test made of the Coronation Stone, the Professor wanted to make chemical tests of both stones, to dispel all doubts as to the source of Britain's treasured relic. To save time, Odlum cabled a geologist friend in England and said: "Will you do all you possibly can to get a piece of the Coronation Stone no bigger than a pea, in order that we may submit it to a chemical test." The geologist friend made application to the Dean of Westminster Abbey to be allowed to take a piece, no bigger than a pea, from the Coronation Stone. The Dean said: "I daren't let you have permission. The only way you can get permission would be from the Archbishop of Canterbury."
Application was made to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and this was the reply of the Archbishop: "To take a piece from that stone no bigger than a pea would require a special Act of Parliament to be passed by the House of Commons, endorsed by the House of Lords and signed by the King; and if you get that," said the Archbishop, "I won't give you permission."
For more information on the Coronation Stone and the full practice of coronation to this day, reference Jacob's Pillar by E. Raymond Capt. Note that the lions is representative of the Tribe of Judah and is found on the coronation throne containing the Stone of Scone.
The Coronation Stone that reposes in St. Edward's Chapel in Britain's sacred Abbey of Westminster has stirred men's imaginations for centuries. In light of Bible history no other inanimate object on earth has been given such honored use and glorious purpose as that given to this block of sandstone known as the "Stone of Destiny". What is its origin? What enshrines it with an importance far beyond its intrinsic value?
In his essay on "Certain Monuments of Antiquity", Weaver says (p. 118): "It appears that the Irish kings, from very ancient times until A.D. 513, were crowned upon a particular sacred stone called 'Liath Fail', 'the Stone of Destiny', that, so also, were the Scottish kings until the year 1296, when Edward I of England brought it here. And it is a curious fact that this stone has not only remained in England unto now, and is existing still under the coronation chair of our British sovereigns in Westminster Abbey, but that all our kings, from James I, have been crowned in that chair. This being a fact so curious, we shall quote its particulars in a note taken from Toland, in his 'History of the Druids' (pp. 137-9)."
Toland's statement is this: "The Fatal Stone (Liag Fail) so called, was the stone on which the supreme kings of Ireland used to be inaugurated, in time of heathenism on the hill of Tarah; it was superstitiously sent to confirm the Irish colony in the north of Great Britain, where it was continued as the coronoation seat of the Scottish kings ever since Christianity; til in the year 1300 (1296 A.D.). Edward I, of England brought it from Scone, placing it under the coronation chair at Wesetminister and there it still continues. I had almost forgot to tell you that it is now called by the vulgar, Jacob's stone as if this had been Jacob's pillow at Bethel!".
Dean Stanely, one-time custodian of the Stone, in h is book "Memorials of Westminster Abbey", sums up its historical importance in these words; "It is the one primevel monument which binds together the whole Empire. The iron rings, the battered surface, the crack which has all but rent its solid mass asunder, bear witness of the English monarchy -- an element of poetic, patriarchal, heathen times, which, like Araunah's rocky threshing floor in the midst of the Temple of Solomon, carries back our thoughts to races and customs now almost extinct; a link which unites the Throne of England to the traditions of Tara and Iona" (2nd Edit. pg. 66).
In appearance the rugged surface of the Stone of Destiny ll-purplish color, varying somewhat, and with some reddish veins. It is composed of calcareous sandstone and imbedded in it are a few pebbles; one of quartz and two others of a dark material (porhyrite or andesite?). Its shape is roughly "pillow-like" being about 26" in length; 16: in. width, and 10 1/2' in depth. Across its surface runs a crack and some chisel-marks are still visible on one or two sides. It appears to have been in the process of being prepared for building purposes, but was discarded before being finished. There are two large iron rings (of some rust resistant alloy), one at each end of the stone which hang loosely from eyes, made of similar metal let into the Stone.
The rings in the ends of the Stone would indicate that porter poles were once used to transport the Stone. At first, it would appear as if two poles were used, one of them passed through the ring at each end, so that four persons would be required to carry it. However, when turned up, these rings protrude above the top of the stone, enabling one pole to be passed through both rings across the top of the Stone, theoretically allowing it to be carried by only two persons.
In preparation for King George V's coronation, the Stone was temporarily removed from the Coronation Chair, and a photograph was taken of it. This photograph disclosed that a groove runs right across the stone from ring to ring. From its appearance this groove was not cut, but was clearly the result of friction from a single pole being passed across from ring to ring. Such an indentation and wearing away of material indicates the enormous amount of carrying that the Stone was subjected to. If, as it appears, a single pole was used, because of the weight of the Stone (about 336 pounds) it is probable that more than two persons actually carried the Stone. Yoke-like cross beams could have been attached to both ends of the pole for the convenience of two or more persons at each of the pole.
British, Scotch and Irish records of the Stone of Destiny locate it at Tara, Ireland (some five centuries before Christ), from where it was transported to Scotland in circa A.D. 498 by Fergus the Great. From there it was taken to Iona circa A.D. 563; then to Dunstaffnage from where it was removed to Scone, near Perth, Scotland. Finally it was moved, by Edward I, to Westminister Abbey, London in A.D. 1296. Thus, from Tara to Westminster, covering over 1800 years of history, it was never carried to any appreciable extent. The mere removal from these places could not account for the wearing away of the Stone that was evidently caused by the friction of a pole used in constant carrying. This must have been the result of many months of continuous carrying, prior to its arrival in Tara. The story of its journeying from Bethel, in the time of Jacob, and its accompanying the children of Isael in the Wilderness, would account for its present condition.
One of the most significant facts about the Coronation Stone is that no similar rock formation exists in the British Isles. Professor Totten, the eminent professor of Science at Yale University, after making a thorough examination of the Stone made the following statement: "The analysis of the stone shows that there are absolutely no quarries in Scone or Iona where-from a block so constituted could possibly have come, nor yet from Tara". Professor Odlum, a geologist (and Professor of Theology at an Ontario University), also made microscopic examinations of the Coronation Stone, comparing it to similar stone from Scotland (including Iona and the quarries of Ireland) and found them dissimilar.
Professor Odlum became tremendously interested in the Stone. He was intrigued with the idea that perhaps its source could be found in Palestine, as suggested by the ancient records of Ireland. Determined to make the search, and after several weeks of unsuccessful exploration, Odlum discovered a stratum of sandstone near the Red Sea at Bethel, geologically the same as the Coronation Stone. Relating the circumstances of the discovery to a friend upon his return to Britain, the Professor stated:
"I put on my old mackintosh, I stuck my geologist's hammer in my pocket, and I went out for one last look. It was pouring rain. I walked along the same places I had walked over and over again, looking for stone. Suddenly, while I was walking along a certain pathway, with a rocky cliff on either side, the sun shone on the rain-streaked piece of rock, and I noticed a peculiar sort of glitter that I thought I recognized. I climbed up, and I found that wet rock, as far as I could see with the magnifying glass I had, was the identical texture I had been looking for." I chipped off a piece from the living rock. I took it back to the hotel and examined it as well as I could. I was sure I had got what I wanted".
Although a microscopic test of the sample Bethel stone matched perfectly with the same test made of the Coronation Stone, the Professor wanted to make chemical tests of both stones, to dispel all doubts as to the source of Britain's treasured relic. To save time, Odlum cabled a geologist friend in England and said: "Will you do all you possibly can to get a piece of the Coronation Stone no bigger than a pea, in order that we may submit it to a chemical test." The geologist friend made application to the Dean of Westminster Abbey to be allowed to take a piece, no bigger than a pea, from the Coronation Stone. The Dean said: "I daren't let you have permission. The only way you can get permission would be from the Archbishop of Canterbury."
Application was made to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and this was the reply of the Archbishop: "To take a piece from that stone no bigger than a pea would require a special Act of Parliament to be passed by the House of Commons, endorsed by the House of Lords and signed by the King; and if you get that," said the Archbishop, "I won't give you permission."
For more information on the Coronation Stone and the full practice of coronation to this day, reference Jacob's Pillar by E. Raymond Capt. Note that the lions is representative of the Tribe of Judah and is found on the coronation throne containing the Stone of Scone.
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