Rectangular block of yellow sandstone decorated with a Celtic cross, which has been associated with the crowning of Scottish kings since medieval times.
Legend says it was Jacob's pillow in the Holy Land, and it was taken to Ireland and then carried off by invading Scots. Edward I took it to England (1296), where it was later placed under the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey as a symbol of the authority of English kings over Scotland. It was finally returned to Scotland in 1996.