In this photograph, taken at his 1952 graduation, you see Ian Hamilton. As a Glasgow University student he had the idea for, masterminded and undertook the removal of the Stone of Scone / Destiny from Westminster Abbey in December 1950. He was motivated by the political agenda of the man on the right, John MacCormick. MacCormick, a lawyer, founded and led the Scottish Covenant Association that sought some form of self-government for Scotland. He was the Rector of Glasgow University while Hamilton studied there. MacCormick was not actively involved in the plot to steal the Stone but was quickly told of its success and played an active role when it arrived in Scotland. The pivotal character, though, is Bertie Gray, on the left. He moved the Stone to its hiding places in Scotland. Gray was a monumental sculptor, Glasgow politician and magistrate with strong nationalist sentiments. Having been broken while taken out of the Coronation Chair, Gray’s foreman mason, Edward Manley, joined the fragments back together, shortly before it was left at Arbroath Abbey in April 1951.

Gray was MacCormick’s righthand man in the popular National Covenant movement. Gray’s political and practical involvement with the Stone began early for he made a copy of the Stone in the late 1920s, not long after co-founding the political party that, in 1934, merged to form the Scottish National Party. By the time of this picture, both MacCormick and Gray belong to the Liberal Party. The National Covenant movement was for all and no political parties.

Gray had a fragment of the Stone in his pocket, which he ‘proudly exhibited’ at some point in the proceedings. This was one of the many fragments of the Stone he took when he repaired the Stone in late March 1951 (see here).

Gray also made replicas of the Stone. I am researching these and details of other stone replicas made of the Stone. Insider tracks on their existence and life stories much appreciated. Classically, these are the sorts of objects for which full histories and details are seldom easy to find. (On the interest and value of replicas more generally, please see www.replicas.stir.ac.uk).

Researching and obtaining suitable pictures for this project that I can use has been very time-consuming, but obtaining images such as this make it worthwhile.

Sally Foster (contact details here).