Stone of Destiny fragment

The following material is being published by the Scottish Government on behalf of the Commissioners for the Safeguarding of the Regalia.

On behalf of the Commissioners for the Safeguarding of the Regalia, Historic Environment Scotland has now completed a series of scientific tests on the fragment that has been in the possession of the SNP.

These have concluded that, from a scientific perspective, there is a high degree of certainty that it was taken from the Stone.

This analysis, together with the family connection of the person who gifted the fragment in 2008, indicates that it is beyond any reasonable doubt that the fragment is genuine.

As agreed when the fragment was submitted for analysis, now that its authenticity has been established, the fragment will be retained by the Commissioners for the Safeguarding of the Regalia to be held on behalf of the Nation and the people of Scotland. 

The Commissioners will now consider appropriate options for the future location of the fragment, including the option of it being placed in the new Perth Museum.

A final decision will be made in due course.  

Background

The First Minister and previous First Minister recused themselves from any decision-making role in this matter.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) carried out a series of non-destructive scientific analyses of the sandstone fragment, comparing it to previous analyses carried out by HES on the Stone of Destiny. This included microscopic analysis examining the fragment’s grain structure, texture, shape, compaction and colour, and in all instances the results were consistent with the sandstone fragment being derived from the Stone of Destiny.