ACCORDING to legend, it was used as a “pillow” by Jacob, the founder of Israel, as he dreamt of angels ascending to heaven on a ladder.

The fabled Stone of Destiny was then taken from Palestine to the north, where it became the ancient symbol of Scottish kingship.

After spending centuries resting at Westminster Abbey, it takes pride of place in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle. Now the Duchess of Hamilton claims to have unearthed evidence that unpicks the myth. She says she has proof that the stone, far from originating in the Middle East, was mined somewhat closer to home — Perthshire, in fact.

Jill Hamilton, the author and historian, took rock samples from the Palestinian village of Beitin, the traditional site of Jacob’s epiphany.

The samples, which are almost identical in composition to those at the time of Jacob’s supposed visit more than 2,000 years ago, were analysed by scientists at the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh. They discovered that the samples contained fine-grained crystalline limestone, in stark contrast to the sandstone composition of the the Stone of Destiny.

Emrys Phillips, the geologist who carried out the tests, said the samples were as different as “chalk and cheese”. The stone was instead hewn from the 400m-year-old sandstone rocks around Scone.

Hamilton is adamant that her findings prove that the Stone of Destiny and Jacob’s pillow are not the same. “There is no doubt in my mind that the stone originated in Scotland and not Palestine as the legend tells us,” she said .

“I decided to look more closely at the myth of the stone because I’m interested in the influence of the Old Testament on Britain and the stone is a physical link which I wanted to verify. I think it is clear from the geological tests that the legend is without foundation.”

The origins of the flat square stone are shrouded in mystery. It is known variously as the Stone of Scone, the Stone of Destiny, Jacob’s Pillow and the Coronation Stone. Legend has it that Beitin is the biblical Bethel, the traditional site of the rock upon which Jacob laid his head while having the dream described in the Book of Genesis.

The story goes that the stone made its way from the Holy Land through Egypt, Sicily and Spain to Ireland, then Scotland, where it reached the monastery of Scone in the 9th century. Scottish kings sat on the stone to be crowned until it was captured by Edward I in the late 13th century.

In December 1950, a group of Scottish nationalists staged a daring raid on Westminster Abbey to steal back the stone. After 15 weeks the stone was found dumped at Arbroath Abbey and returned to London. No charges were ever brought.

It was returned to Scotland on St Andrew’s Day in 1996 after a campaign spearheaded by Michael Forsyth, then secretary of state for Scotland.

There was a 21-gun salute echoed by the destroyer HMS Newcastle in Leith harbour, soldiers lined the Royal Mile and bands from the Royal Marines and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards blasted out anthems.

“The origin of the stone has long been shrouded in myth,” said Professor David Breeze from Historic Scotland, who has co-written an official guidebook to the relic.

“The connection with the Middle East is strong and in the Middle Ages the idea that the stone had been Jacob’s pillow was used to justify territorial aggrandisement. We believe the link to Scone is strong and it is highly likely that its origins lie in the ancient Pictish kingdom of Scotland.”

De-classified government papers have revealed that John Major’s government repatriated the Stone of Destiny after concluding that it would damage the Scottish National party.

In a paper for the prime minister in 1996, Forsyth wrote: “The return of the stone would not strengthen the SNP but undermine its attempt to exploit grievance politics.”

It won Forsyth plaudits at the time but his prediction proved misguided. At the general election in 1997 the SNP’s Westminster seats rose from four to six. But few would attribute the upturn in the party’s fortunes to nationalist sentiment caused by the stone’s return.

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