When we think of Scottish history, castles and cities often come to mind. Yet one of Scotland’s most historically significant sites isn’t a city at all — it’s Scone, a place where kings were crowned and markets once thrived, now largely hidden beneath the manicured lawns of Scone Palace.
Scone: The Heart of Early Scotland
Long before Edinburgh became the nation’s capital, Scone played a central role in Scottish life. While it wasn’t a “capital” in the modern administrative sense, it was the symbolic and ceremonial heart of early medieval Scotland.
- Kings of Scotland were traditionally crowned at Scone, seated on the Stone of Destiny, a sacred symbol of royal authority.
- The site hosted royal assemblies and gatherings, making it a hub of political and ceremonial activity.
In short, if you wanted to be close to the seat of power in medieval Scotland, Scone was the place to be.
The Village That Disappeared
By the 16th and 17th centuries, the medieval village of Scone was well established, complete with houses, streets, and a bustling market square. But everything changed in the early 1800s.
The Mansfield family, who owned Scone Palace, wanted to create sweeping landscaped gardens and an ornamental palace estate, in line with the landscaping fashion of the period. To achieve this:
- Old Scone village was demolished.
- Residents were relocated roughly two miles away to New Scone, which exists today as the modern village.
- The old streets, homes, and marketplaces became part of the palace grounds, erased from the map but not from history.
A Pole That Remembers the Market
Not all traces of Old Scone vanished. In the palace grounds stands a mercat cross, a historic pole marking the town’s old marketplace and gathering spot.
- Mercat crosses were traditional markers for markets and public announcements in Scottish towns.
- Today, this cross survives as a memorial to the old village, quietly reminding visitors of the life and activity that once animated the grounds where flowers and lawns now reign.
Scone’s Place in History
Scone’s story is a fascinating mix of tradition, power, and change:
- It was the ceremonial core of early Scotland, where kings were crowned.
- Its village life and markets were erased for the sake of aesthetic landscaping, reflecting the tastes of 19th-century aristocracy.
- Yet even in its absence, the mercat cross preserves a tangible link to a bygone era.
Next time you stroll the gardens of Scone Palace, take a moment to imagine the streets that once bustled with merchants, the king’s procession to the Stone of Destiny, and a town whose legacy is now etched in history, if not in stone walls.
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