Among the regalia sitting in Edinburgh Castle are many relics of Scotland's past glory including the legendary Stewart and Lorne jewels. Perhaps the most important items of all, the Honours of Scotland are on display in the Crown room. These three items: the Crown of Scotland, the Sceptre of Scotland and the Sword of State hold the distinction of being the oldest sovereign regalia in the British Isles.

The date of origin on the Crown of Scotland is apparently lost. We know an Edinburgh goldsmith named John Mosman reworked the Crown in 1540. At that time he took the damaged crown and made it heavier, while also adding decoration. Twenty-two gemstones and twenty precious gems from the original design were retained, and freshwater pearls were added from Scotland's rivers. The overall design was improved and strengthened giving the final Crown a weight of 3 pounds 10 ounces.

In 1494, Pope Alexander VI gave the Sceptre of Scotland to the country. It is said that it was presented to King James IV as a symbol of Papal support for Scotland, a 'special daughter of the Holy See' (term for the Vatican city state). The gold Sceptre was remodeled in 1536 and made longer. Its has small figures of the Virgin and Child, St. James and St. Andrew on the finial within Gothic canopies flanked by dolphins. The Sceptre of Scotland is topped with a globe of polished crystal.

Pope Julius II gave the Scottish Sword of State to James IV in 1507. It, like the other items, is elaborately decorated over its four and a half foot length. The sword has a silver handle decorated with acorns and oak leaves. The blade of the sword is etched with the figures of St. Peter, St. Paul and an inscription from Julius II. The scabbard is of wood covered with red velvet and attached with silver gilt.

The Honours were used during the coronation of Scottish Royalty up until the middle of the seventeenth century. There are two stories of considerable interest concerning the Honours of Scotland that have taken place over the last five hundred years. The first story occurs during the time of Oliver Cromwell.

After ousting the King of the Stewart line in England, Oliver Cromwell destroyed the English regalia. Then he attempted to stop the crowning of Charles II in Scotland by taking Edinburgh. Charles II was successfully crowned in Scone instead, with the Scottish regalia. An unhappy Cromwell then pursued the Honours to Dunnottar Castle in September 1651.

The garrison commander in the castle, George Ogilvy of Barras, realized that he could not hold the English off for long. His wife, and the wife of the local Parish Minister of Kinneff, devised a plan to smuggle the regalia out. They were hidden in the clothing of the Minister's wife, the crown under her apron, and smuggled to the local church. From there the Honours were placed in the custody of the Reverend James Grainger who wrote the following:

"For the crown and sceptre I raised the pavement stone just before the pulpit, in the night tyme, and digged under it one hole, and layed down stone just as it was before, and removed the mould that remained, that none would have dicerned the stone to havce been raised at all. The sword again, at the west end of the church, among some common saits that stand there, I digged down in the ground betwixt the twa foremost of these saits, and laid it down within the case of it, and covered it up, as that removing the superfluous mould it could not be discerned by any body; for it shall please God to call me by death before they be caled for, your Ladyship will find them in that place."

The Honours of Scotland