‘Fellowship’ formed to share tales of missing Stone of Destiny fragments

A group of 18 people whose families were given missing fragments of the Stone of Destiny have come together to share their stories, forming the “Fellowship of the Stone”.

The fellowship gathered from across Scotland and England as a research project sought to trace the hidden and often surprising journeys of each of the fragments.

The academic behind the research, Professor Sally Foster, says there are even more pieces of the ancient artefact in circulation than previously thought.

The stone broke in two during the famous heist in 1950, when it was taken from Westminster Abbey by a group of Scottish nationalist students.

It was later repaired in secret by a supportive stonemason called Bertie Gray.

Prof Foster’s research has so far revealed that Mr Gray’s work resulted in 34 fragments of the original Stone, which he carefully documented and quietly distributed to people in and around the nationalist movement.

As well as these 34 pieces, many of which came with letters of authenticity, Prof Foster has discovered Mr Gray also retained a quantity of unnumbered fragments and vials of sand.

Last year, she appealed for anyone with links to the fragments to get in touch, and in March she decided to bring together several people who had done so, as well as other researchers and historians.

The event organised through the University of Stirling led to the “Fellowship of the Stone” being formed, as the 18 people gathered to describe how each of their families came to have part of the ancient sandstone block – which have often been passed down in secret through generations.

Writing about the event, Prof Foster said: “Perhaps the highlight of the day was when we all stood around the large display table and everyone told their stories, picking up and sharing what they had brought along.

“Indeed, the earlier excitement, as everyone unpacked their bag, in one case a suitcase, and we waited eagerly to see what would appear.

“With prior knowledge of most of their stories, I arranged it so we could see how new understandings of the life of the stone were emerging, and how they fitted in.”

An expert from National Museums Scotland examined the fragments which were brought to the fellowship event in early March, saying there is no geological reason to doubt their authenticity.

Prof Foster’s research has recently discovered the stone may have been broken for a second time following the heist led by Ian Hamilton.

She said: “As I learnt only a few weeks ago, there was yet another unreported fracture episode.

“When the smaller part of the broken stone was carried into a Glasgow house to be hidden, Ian Hamilton and a comrade dropped it and several pieces broke off.

“The family kept a fragment, and I can guess what probably happened to one of the other pieces.”

One of the fragments ended up in the family of Ewen Traill, a student who had been involved in briefly stealing the sword of William Wallace and who later became a minister in Orkney.

The story behind this, and the other fragments held by the fellowship, will be explored in future research.

One of those who took part in the fellowship event said: “The stone has come alive. I thought about it as a story from the past – but now I feel it is more dynamic.”

Another said: “The research and event have allowed us to be more curious and less fearful of telling our tiny part of the story, and perhaps made us think what we might do with our fragments in the future.”

When the King was coronated in 2023, the Stone of Destiny was taken to London and mounted in the Coronation Chair, continuing its ancient role in the monarchy.

It moved to Perth Museum in 2024, having previously been kept at Edinburgh Castle.