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| Arthur's Seat courtesy of Wikipedia |
The Stone of Scone
Those of you who haven't read 'Gormenghast' by Mervyn Peake will perhaps not understand the sheer delight I take in the coming coronation. No I am not going to be horrible I enjoy the spectacles, but the Stone of Scone is coming down from Edinburgh to lie in state beneath the king's throne.
As a small point my daughter this holiday weekend is in Edinburgh with Andrew's family, they planned a walk up the hill to Arthur's Seat, three of them achieved it!
You can see the start of the ceremony here on the BBC website. This precious stone was stolen many years back by four students. Here is the most marvellous story of it being stolen in the 1950s.
It broke in two, and in the days when there were not too many police around they manhandled into the two cars. One piece was buried, they got worried it might weather in the soil and they went back to collect it. Unfortunately a traveller's camp had settled on the stone but the travellers were quite happy to help them dig it up.
Amongst all of the wonderful completely bizarre ceremonies that will take place at Westminster Abbey, the Stone has its own story. Yes Scotland one day you might be free of the tyranny of the English government but our king still sits on your stone - completely mad.
I am neither for or against the Monarchy - can't be bothered; but I do love the way the British do these occasions and I shall be watching.
ReplyDeleteI just love the horses Pat.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know the origins of the Stone of Scone?
ReplyDeleteNot really. This is more interesting - petrosomatoglyphs - The Dunadd foot stone https://theshoeman647325124.wordpress.com/2019/03/03/petrosomatoglyphs-of-scotland/
DeleteWhat a remarkable legacy of nonsense history bequeaths to us! And now I hear we're all expected to swear an oath of allegiance on our TV sets. I know Charles was a fan of the Goons but even Spike himself would have trouble inventing some of this.
ReplyDeleteWell I can just imagine everyone swearing allegiance through their television. The question is do we keep the horses, golden carriages and liveried servants for the tourists?
DeleteThe pomp and ceremony surrounding this emblem is almost unimaginable to me--but then, I think formality in the British Isles is rather beyond the experience of most Americans, lowly upstarts that we are! Thank you for posting this with the relevant links.
ReplyDeleteI think Sharon a lot of it has to do with inheritance. Also it provide jobs for a great many people this obsession with bringing out the finery. Only quiche at the banquet, well they had to budget somewhere ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific story! I enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed reading the Britain magazine re: the Queen's Jubilee and the section on her coronation. I am sure that I will enjoy reading about King Charles just as much.
ReplyDeleteHe has always been seen as a figure of fun but it will be interesting to see if his strongly held beliefs for a sustainable world will be the lasting part of his legacy Debby.
DeleteHe's been in training for this job for an awfully long time. I think that he's ready to step into it, but I am an American, and my views must be looked at with healthy scepticism.
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