Arbroath Abbey

Arbroath Abbey was an abbey in Scotland to which Macbeth took the Stone of Destiny following its theft from Westminster Abbey in 1950.

History

There, Macbeth attempted to repair the damage that the Stone had undergone during the 1950 theft, completing it by April 11, 1951. The Stone then addressed him, healing itself and telling him how unnecessary his actions were and revealing its true nature to him. ("Rock of Ages")

Real World Background

Arbroath Abbey was founded in 1178 by William the Lion (King of Scotland from 1165 to 1214). It was the site of an assembly of Scottish leaders on April 6, 1320, who sent a petition to the Pope, the Declaration of Abroath. The Declaration stated their goal of winning and securing their independence from England, whose then-king, Edward II (son of Edward I), had been trying to conquer them, as his father had done: "For as long as one hundred of us shall remain alive we shall never in any way consent to submit to the rule of the English, for it is not for glory we fight, for riches, or for honours, but for freedom alone, which no good man loses but with his life". Undoubtedly, this was why the Scottish Nationalists who removed the Stone from Westminster Abbey in 1950 brought it here.

See Also

• Arbroath Abbey at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia