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Wed 14 May 2008

Scone was the Ancient Crowning Place of the Scottish Kings. They were crowned on an ancient mound which has been known by many names. Two of its names - Omnis Terra (every man's land) and Boot Hill - come from an ancient tradition whereby emissaries swore fealty to their king by wearing the earth of their own lands in their foot-bindings or boots. Another name is the Hill of Credulity (or Hill of Belief), which dates from AD 710 when the Pictish King Nectan came to Scone to embrace the customs of the Church of Rome. The name by which it is best known today is the Moot Hill.

From the time of Kenneth MacAlpin, who created the Kingdom of Scone in the 9th century, all the Kings of Scots were crowned upon the Moot Hill, seated upon the Stone of Scone. Even after the Stone's removal by King Edward I in 1296, the Moot Hill continued to be the crowning place of the Scottish Kings. Probably the greatest historic event to take place at Scone was the coronation of Robert the Bruce, who declared himself King of Scots upon the Moot Hill on 25 March 1306. The last coronation held at Scone was that of King Charles II as King of Scots on 1 January 1651, some nine years before he was restored to the English throne.

Standing on the Moot Hill is a small Presbyterian chapel. Like the Palace, it was restored in Gothic style around 1804. A replica of the Stone of Scone sits upon the Moot Hill, marking the site of the original.