Cracks, chips and copies: discovering new lives for the Stone of Destiny

Professor Sally Foster will explore the significance of the untold modern history of the Stone of Destiny.Speaker: Professor Sally Foster, Emeritus Professor, University of StirlingWhat happens when significant historic objects are broken into pieces? What happens if those pieces are distributed across different people and places, and through time? What happens if we put the story back together?In this talk Professor Sally Foster will explore the significance of the untold modern history of the Stone of Destiny. She will reveal how she discovered the story of 34 fragments that were created when the Stone, illicitly removed from Westminster Abbey in December 1950, and being hidden in Scotland, was repaired in 1951 in Bearsden, Glasgow. Drawing on her archival research, Professor Foster will examine how the stories and meaning of the Stone and its fragments shift over time. This includes how questions of authenticity can add to the political and cultural narratives of such artefacts. Extensive media coverage in 2025 elicited many public responses to her findings, and she will illustrate some of the ways in which the Stone’s fragmentation story just keeps getting bigger and more fascinating.BiographyProfessor Sally Foster has spent over 20 years working in cultural heritage before returning to academia in 2010. Graduating from University College London with a degree in Medieval Archaeology, she completed a PhD with the University of Glasgow, worked as an archaeology lecturer at Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities before joining Stirling in 2014.Now Professor Emerita, Sally’s current research focuses on a project entitled ‘Authenticity’s Child: current meanings and future destinies for the Stone of Scone’ (the Stone of Destiny). Information on this project is available here: Authenticity's child: Current meanings and future destinies for the Stone of SconeFor further details on Professor Foster’s work, including publications and past projects, see here: Professor Sally Foster | University of StirlingPhotograph of the Stone of Destiny, ©Perth Museum (Culture Perth & Kinross)