Irish Druids and old Irish religions / by James Bonwick.

James Bonwick

Date:: 1894

Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Irish Druids and old Irish religions / by James Bonwick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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the stone. The circular iron handles, for lifting it, are fixed to a staple. A crack may be observed. The stone is 25 in. long, i6|- broad, loi high. Returning to its Scotch history, Skene discovers not a single example of a Pictish sovereign being crowned thereon ; and, supposing an instance were known, he wonders why the Scots, as racial foes of Piets, should have used it for the purpose. Robertson, the historian, traced Columba’s relics to Dundalk, not Scone. A work published about 1686 describes the stone as 22 in. long, 13 broad, and li deep; and says, “whereof history relates that it is the stone whereon Jacob is said to have lain his head in the Plain of Luga ; and that it was brought to Brigantia (Corunna) in the Kingdom of Spain, in which place Gathol, King of Scots, sat on it as his throne. Thence it was brought into Ireland by Simon Brec, first King of Scots, about 700 years before Christ’s time, and from thence into Scotland about 300 years before Christ, and in A.D. 850 was placed in the Abbey Scone.” Will. Rishanger mentions Milo, King of the Spanish Scots, giving it to his son Simon Brek. Dr. O’Connor cites an Irish MS. which records the re- moval of Lia Fail from Tara to the Connaught Kings at Cruaclian, and so it lost its sounding property till Con’s day, second century ; that it was sent by Murtagh Mac Earca to his brother Fergus Mac Earca of Dalriada in Argyle. O’Flaherty, confounding its asserted removal from Iona to Scone in the ninth century, affirmed it was sent then by Aodh Finliath to his father-in-law, Kenneth Mac Alpin. Another version is, that Simon Brek (speckled sun) brought it up with his anchor off the west coast of Ireland. Pennant narrates—“ The stone which had first served Jacob for his pillow, was afterwards transported into Spain,