Funeral held for lawyer who took Stone of Destiny

Mourners carried the coffin of Ian Hamilton KC to his burial plot in the grounds of his old house at Loch Na Beithe

The Scottish nationalist who removed the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey has been laid to rest in the grounds of his Argyll and Bute home.

Ian Hamilton KC, who died last week aged 97, was the last surviving member of a group of students who broke into the abbey on Christmas Day 1950.

They took the stone from the coronation throne and returned it to Scotland, where it was found three months later.

His wicker coffin, draped in a Saltire flag, was accompanied by a piper.

Following a low-key ceremony at Connel Village Hall, mourners carried the coffin of Mr Hamilton to the burial plot in the grounds of his old home at Loch Na Beithe, North Connel.

The pallbearers included his sons Jamie and Stewart.

Mr Hamilton, who was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, in 1925, had retired to North Connel on the shore of Loch Etive with his wife Jeanette.

• Lawyer who removed Stone of Destiny dies aged 97

• The students who stole the Stone of Destiny

Former SNP MSP and health secretary Alex Neil gave a eulogy at the funeral.

He said his late friend was a "Scottish icon", adding: "As long as there's a planet called Earth and a nation called Scotland, the name of Ian Hamilton will be remembered.

"For thousands of years from now, I believe that Ian will be as revered then as he is today."

Among the mourners gathering at Connel was veteran nationalist Gerry Fisher, who arrived at the funeral wearing an SNP delegate badge from the party conference at the weekend.

Mr Hamilton's sons both spoke at the service, which was also attended by Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown and former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan.

Stewart Hamilton, who said his father died with his two sons at his side at home, said he had been "carrying that stone with him all the way through his life".

He described his father as a "caring, humane man" who "never compromised on his principles".

Both his sons recalled the exploits of their father, from trying to sail across the Atlantic, jumping off Connel bridge after a drunken bar bet for charity, flying in Canada, protesting against the nuclear weapons at Faslane where he was arrested, and driving a motorbike well into his 80s.

Nationalist Gerald Fisher came to the funeral wearing an SNP delegate badge

Former MSP Alex Neil read the eulogy

Mr Hamilton was at Glasgow University when he took part in the raid on Westminster Abbey with fellow students Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart.

The Stone of Destiny had played a key role in the coronation of Scottish kings before being taken to London. It now lies alongside the crown jewels of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle.

After his death, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described Mr Hamilton as a "legend of the independence movement" and "one of the many giants on whose shoulders the modern SNP stands".

Roddy Dunlop KC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, also paid tribute to Mr Hamilton, who had been their oldest living member, as "one of the greats in the Scottish criminal courts".

Paisley and Renfrewshire MP Gavin Newlands tabled a motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday to honour Mr Hamilton's legacy and work for the independence movement.

He said it was "ironically fitting that Ian Hamilton's passing should be preserved in the annals of the very institution he campaigned so hard to remove Scotland from".