Scone (prononced Skoon) Palace, the ancient crowning place of Scottish kings, sits majestically above the River Tay in Perthshire and has been home to the Murray family since the 17th century when the palace was given to them as a reward for thwarting a conspiracy against James VI of Scotland and I of England.
Moot Hill and Scone Abbey
However, Scone has an important place in Scottish history, being once the capital of an ancient Pictish kingdom, and most famously, the crowning place for kings of Scotland and the original home of the Stone of Destiny. The Picts were so fierce, even the Romans were unable to defeat them but they were eventually ousted by Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scots, in 843, when he expanded his kingdom to the west in an attempt to unite the whole of the country. It is said MacAlpin brought the Stone of Destiny with him and placed it on Moot Hill.
The photo above shows a replica of the Stone of Destiny on Moot Hill which now resides in Edinburgh Castle. Legend has it noblemen of the land had to swear loyalty to the newly crowned king by bringing a small piece of earth from their lands and emptying it on the mound. It was safer than having the king trek around the kingdom.
Parliaments were held at Scone between 1210 and 1452 where a bell was sounded whenever a law was passed. Accusations of treason would also be heard and settled by Trial of Combat and Ordeal on a nearby island in the river.
During the Middle Ages, a priory was established beside Moot Hill and it was elevated to the status of Abbey in 1169, as a more fitting place for kings to be made. The first king to be crowned in Scone Abbey was seven year old Alexander III and the last king was James IV in 1488, after which the seat of power shifted to Edinburgh and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Abbey itself was destroyed in 1559 by a riotous mob from Dundee during the Reformation.
Twenty years later, the lands and ruined abbey were given to the Ruthven family who rebuilt the abbey palace. Lord Ruthven was made 1st Earl of Gowrie in 1581 but his family were disgraced in the 17th century for an alleged conspiracy against James VI and the lands were given to the king’s cup-bearer, Sir David Murray of Gospetrie, from whom the current Earls of Mansfield are descended.
The very last king to be crowned at Scone was Charles II in 1651 in defiance of Oliver Cromwell but he was forced into exile soon after. In 1715, the Old Pretender, James Edward Stuart, arrived in Scone for his coronation but was thwarted in the attempt and forced to flee to France before it could take place.
The Chapel also seen above is used by the present Murray family for private services and was remodelled by William Atkinson for the 3rd Earl of Mansfield, the title held by the Murrays.
Inside, an Italian alabaster monument was build in 1618, in memory of David Murray, the 1st Viscount of Stormont, who brought about a reconciliation between his friends, the Marquis of Tullibardine and the Earl Marischal, who had a long and bitter feud. He is seen to be kneeling in prayer between his two friends.
The Murrays
The Murrays are one of the greatest families in Scotland and have served as soldiers, statesmen, ambassadors and lawmakers. They originated from a Flemish nobleman, Freskin de Moravia, in the 12th century and were granted land in Inverness in the region which would be known as Moray. Freskin’s descendants would become the Earls of Mansfield and the Dukes of Atholl.
As already stated, Sir David Murray, was given the lands of Scone at the expense of the Gowrie family and inherited the title of Lord Scone and then became the 1st Viscount of Stormont in 1621. However, David Murray died without an heir and the titles and lands were passed to another branch of the family, the newly created Lords Balvaird, who assumed the Scone titles in 1658.
During the Jacobite risings, the Murrays at Scone stayed loyal to the throne and entertained both the Old Pretender, James Frances Edward Stuart, and the Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie, in defiance of the Treaty of Union, earning jail sentences for the 5th Viscount of Stormont and his son David, the 6th Viscount.
The title of Earl of Mansfield was given to William Murray, the son of the 5th Viscount, in 1776 in Nottingham, after becoming Lord Chief Justice and one of the most prominent judges in the land. When he died without an heir, the title was passed to his nephew, the 7th Viscount of Stormont and passed into the Scone line. The present earl, William David Mungo James, is the 7th Earl of Mansfield, the 14th Viscount of Stormont, the 14th Lord Scone, the 12th Lord Balvaird, as well as the Earl of Dunbar, Viscount of Drumcairn and Lord Halldykes.
The Palace
In 1803, the 3rd Earl of Mansfield began rebuilding the old medieval house into a gothic palace which would be destined to entertain more monarchs, including Queen Victoria; the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and her daughter Elizabeth II; as well as the Emperor of Japan and the King of Sweden.
In 1842, the 4th Earl of Mansfield had to make arrangements to receive Queen Victoria who was on her way to the Highlands and commissioned Ballingals of Perth to make new furniture for the Dining Room which included new doors, side tables, cabinets and Chippendale style chairs which were all made from oak from the estate. The Dining Room is still used for state occasions today and contains a unique collection of European ivory statues, portraits and clocks, as well as fine porcelain and bronzes.
The Drawing Room was furnished by the 2nd Earl of Mansfield who served as British Ambassador in the French court of Louis XVI and he brought back many pieces from Versailles, including a writing desk (front left) which was a gift from Marie Antoinette to mark her marriage. The huge paintings on the wall are of George III and his queen, Charlotte, which were painted by Allan Ramsay, a cousin to the Earl and court painter.
The gothic furniture in the library was again made from oak from the estate and would have contained many books in its day, however the cabinets are now full of porcelain, including Sevres, Meissen, Ludwigsburg, Chelsea, Derby and Worcester. The Sevres apple green and gold service is believed to have been a gift from Louis XVI and the green paint actually contains lethal doses of arsenic.
The canopy on the bed in The Ambassador’s Room was made from two state bed canopies the 2nd Earl had during his ambassadorships in Paris and Vienna. The room also contains a number of paintings of the 2nd and 3rd Earls, as well as the present Earl’s mother. The most famous portrait in the room is of the Lady Elizabeth Murray and her young black attendant, Elizabeth Dido Belle, who was also her cousin.
The Long Gallery exists from the old medieval house and used to be full of murals of hunting scenes featuring James VI but these were lost during the reconstruction by Atkinson. The original floor of polished oak still remains and many monarchs have walked down its length. The 3rd Earl commissioned the great organ at the far end in 1813 as a gift for his wife and it is still played today at weddings held in the palace. Other treasures include the unique collection of Vernis Martin vases and ornaments which were part of a 120 piece set. The Long Gallery features 70 pieces, while the remaining pieces were bought by the Tsar of Russia and housed at the Hermitage until they disappeared in 1917.
The Grounds
The gardens at Scone Palace are beautifully laid out and include a famous star-shaped maze. The five pointed star appears on the Murray family crest and is a motif used frequently throughout the palace. The maze is made out of 2,000 beech trees, half green and half copper, planted to create a tartan effect. The maze was designed by Adrian Fisher and is 215 feet across and at the centre, there is a pentagonal fountain by sculptor David Williams-Ellis.
The maze is placed on the ancient flat ground which was once known as Monks’ Playgreen and where monks from the abbey played football until it disappeared in 1559 when the Abbey was sacked.
