Scotland , February 1652 .
With English forces surrounding the cliffside castle of Dunnottar , a group of women endeavored to sneak the crown jewels of Scotland — a priceless symbol of their sovereignty and heritage — out of the castle , and under the very noses of the English invaders .
The crown , sword , and scepter of the collection made up the oldest Royal Regalia in Britain . The jewels had arrived at the castle months before , stuffed into sacks of wool and carried through enemy territory undetected by a brave woman named Katherine Drummond .
But now the fate of the jewels hung in the balance yet again .
In addition to Drummond , the group of women trapped within the castle walls consisted of a countess and a servant girl . The jewels and what they stood for , known and revered by prince and pauper alike .
But it was Christian Fletcher , the wife of a minister , who would take the biggest risk of all .
Accounts differ on how the jewels were successfully smuggled out of the castle , with one report stating that the jewels were put into a bucket and lowered out of a back turret facing the ocean .
What is known is that Fletcher carried the jewels on horseback , navigating the rocky cliffs one step at a time , burdened with the duty to throw the jewels into the ocean should capture seem likely .
Two days after the heist , English forces stormed the castle to find that the prized jewels were gone .
How could they know that the jewels were mere miles down the coast ?
Fletcher braved the cliffs and made it to her husband ’ s nearby church . Together , they buried the jewels inside .
To ensure the jewels were kept in pristine condition , the couple risked detection by unearthing the jewels to air them and bundle them in fresh wrappings every three months : a ritual they kept for nearly nine years until the day the English usurpers were gone , and the jewels could be safely returned to their rightful place .
Whether crown , wedding band , or heirloom , the jewelry we hold dear is so much more than mere gemstones and metal . They are charged with the meaning we bestow upon them and serve as priceless symbols of what ’ s most human in all of us .
13