PA MediaOne of the “hidden” fragments of the Stone of Destiny – which were separated from the artefact in 1951 – was set into a ring which was lost or stolen shortly afterwards, it has emerged.
The daughter of the ring’s previous owner is now appealing for help in tracking down what she says could be a precious family heirloom.
Viv Rollo’s father David was gifted part of the ancient stone following the famous raid in which a group of nationalist students took it from Westminster Abbey and returned it to Scotland.
The stone broke in two during the heist and it was repaired in secret by a supportive stonemason called Bertie Gray.
A research project recently revealed Mr Gray’s work may have resulted in around 34 fragments of the original Stone of Destiny, which he distributed to people around the Scottish nationalist movement.
PA MediaOne ended up at the SNP’s headquarters after being gifted to Alex Salmond.
David Rollo is believed to have been gifted one of the fragments in 1951, which he had set into a ring.
He was good friends with Gavin Vernon, one of the four students who took the stone from Westminster Abbey, as they shared student digs in Glasgow.
Mr Rollo died in 1997, aged 70, and his daughter Vivienne is now trying to unravel the mystery of the ring’s fate.
Her father left few clues as to what became of it, and only told her the ring was either lost or stolen and that he had an idea of who had it – but he would not name the person he suspected.
Ms Rollo, who lives in Wester Ross, told Press Association: “I would definitely like to know what happened to it…
“It would be such a thing to have as a family heirloom.”
She said she believes Mr Vernon had asked her father to join him in the fateful Christmas Day heist at the end of 1950, but he declined to take part.
“I’m pretty sure Gavin asked my dad if he wanted to come along for this,” she said. “My dad said ‘don’t be daft, you’ll never do it’.”
Mr Rollo was called in for questioning by police in the days after the raid, as the authorities tried to recover the Stone of Destiny.
He told the police nothing and was not directly involved in hiding the artefact before it was later found by police at Arbroath Abbey in April 1951.
PA MediaHowever in a strange coincidence, Mr Rollo shared a surname with a man who did hide the Stone – John Rollo.
Ms Rollo said: “There must have been about 100 people who knew (about the stone), but they all kept quiet.”
Mr Gray’s work is thought to have resulted in at least 34 fragments of the Stone of Destiny, which has been associated with the crowning of Scottish and UK monarchs for centuries.
Ms Rollo, 70, said: “He (her father) managed to get one of them and he said he got it made into a ring with a Celtic design.
“He said he knew who had taken it but he couldn’t prove it. Obviously you wouldn’t want to accuse one of your friends about something like that.”
Mr Rollo was well-known among the group of nationalist students involved in the Christmas Day raid – the parties at his house were famous and even immortalised in a song called The Lane Outside Dave Rollo’s Door.
He was tight-lipped around exactly who gave him the fragment or what may have become of it. He got married in 1956 but did not have the ring in his possession at that point.
PA MediaThe ring is likely to be made of silver or a similar metal and has a Celtic design with three points.
The missing ring is one of several stories which have emerged as a research project seeks to document the fate of the fragments from the sandstone block, which were considered “hidden” for many years.
Professor Sally Foster of Stirling University has been working to trace the stories of the fragments. She is still keen to hear from people who may have knowledge of the whereabouts of the pieces.
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