This Grade 1 listed Coronation Stone in Kingston is an ancient sarsen stone block, believed by some to have been the site of the coronation of seven Anglo-Saxon kings. Or is it just a big old boulder? Whatever it is, it's presently located next to the Guildhall in the town.
In Old English, tun, ton or don meant farmstead or settlement, so the name Kingston appears to mean farmstead of the kings. Local legend says these Saxon coronations gave Kingston its name, it is, however, contradicted by the records of the 838 council.
Æthelstan was consecrated king at Kingston in 925, Eadred in 946 and Æthelred the Unready in 979. There is also some evidence that Edward the Elder, Edmund I, Eadwig and Edward the Martyr were consecrated in the town.
According to John Stow, writing in the late 16th Century, Æthelstan was crowned on a stage in the market place, but it was later believed that the kings were crowned in the ancient church of St Mary, which collapsed in 1730. A large stone block was recovered soon afterwards from the ruins of the chapel, and it has since been regarded as the "Coronation Stone" of the Kings of the English. It was used for a time in the late 18th Century to the early 19th Century as a mounting stone for horsemen, and by the boys of the town as a play-place.
In 1850 it was relocated in the market place on a plinth in front of the old Town Hall, (on the site now occupied by the 'Market House'), which had the names of the seven kings believed to have been crowned on it inscribed around the side. The curator of the British Museum gave a coin of each sovereign which was inserted into the face of the pyramid base above each sovereign’s name (the coins are still there). A grand procession of Freemasons was arranged, and the whole town came together to celebrate their shared Royal Saxon Heritage. Medals were given to all the children and the City Banners were brought out.
It was moved to its current position outside the Guildhall soon after cars were invented, enthusiastic drivers inclined to come round a nearby corner a bit too fast!
But. Is The Coronation Stone the genuine article? It seems nobody really knows for sure either way. A lack of documented evidence tends to lead to the conclusion that it may just be a foundation stone from the old St Mary’s chapel. On the plus side it is the right type of stone to have been used in a ceremonial fashion, and would have been quarried outside of the local area.
It might not be a fundamental piece of English history, but it’s certainly a big piece of Kingston’s Heritage because it tells us so much about the Victorians. They believed they’d come across an ancient relic, and used it to bring the whole town together to celebrate. The people of Kingston took great pride in their town on the day of the unveiling of the stone, which continued for many years. If it can do that then does it matter whether a king actually sat on it or not?
It’s considered most likely that two or three Kings were crowned in Kingston, and that the coronation stone was still in the side of a mountain at the time.
I believe there are plans to relocate the stone, (again), this time to the All Saints Church Yard to be a part of the Heritage Centre that the church are planning to open there.
Around 1920 (not a speeding car in sight)
Red arrow: The Coronation Stone, (or not)
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