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The Throne of England
The Throne of England known as St. Edward's Chair-Edward I. brings it from Scotland in 1296-Kings and Queens of England always crowned in this Chair-Jacob's Stone-Its history-First arrives in Ireland-Reaches Scotland B.C. 300-King Kenneth encloses the stone in a chair A.D. 850-Edward I. copies this chair, Jacob's Stone being placed beneath the seat-The Kingston Coronation Stone-A Druidical relic-Still preserved at Kingston- The Coronation Book-The copy used from Henry I. to Henry VIII. now in British Museum-Queen Victoria's Coronation Book.
THE THRONE OF ENGLAND KNOWN AS ST. EDWARD'S CHAIR S T. EDWARD'S Chair may be considered to be part of the regalia, and since it has been in England its home has always been in Westminster Abbey. It was brought from Scotland by Edward I. in 1296, after his defeat of John Baliol. All our kings since that time have been crowned upon it at Westminster, except Mary I.; and even when Cromwell was installed Lord Protector, it was taken to Westminster Hall for him. The seat holds "Jacob's stone," twenty-two inches long, eleven broad, and about six in depth, on which tradition says the patriarch Jacob slept in the plain of Luz. Holinshed in his Historie of Scotland gives a curious story of a Greek noble, Gathelus by name, son of Cecrops the builder of Athens. Gathelus, it is said, being of a turbulent and wandering disposition, went from Greece into Egypt with several companions, "anno mundi 2416." Here he made friends with Pharao, the king, and eventually married his daughter Scota-from whom it is said the name of Scotia is derived.
On the death of Pharao, Gathelus, not agreeing with his successors, left Egypt and settled at Compostella, where he was "intituled by the name of king,” and "sat upon his marble stone in Brigantia." The two sons of Gathelus, however, not liking Spain, migrated to an island "lying north ouer agaynst Spayne," and landed at "Dundalke," the island being called "Hibernia," after one of them whose name was Hyberus.