Expert says toe bone undergoing DNA testing may not actually belong to Robert the Bruce

When it comes to the burial site of Scotland’s greatest king, there’s a mystery afoot.

Last week it was revealed geneticists were DNA testing a toe bone belonging to Robert the Bruce, taken from his remains at Dunfermline Abbey.

They hope to confirm the lineage of Robert the Bruce, and even discover how he died.

However one of Scotland’s foremost archaeologists, Dr Murray Cook, says the toe might not belong to the Bruce at all.

“A very elaborate tomb was discovered at Dunfermline Abbey in the early 1800s, and it was assumed to relate to Robert the Bruce because he was the most famous king buried there,” explained Dr Cook.

“However, there are a number of medieval kings buried at that location, including David I, who converted the site to an abbey and gave it an upgrade and additional funding.

“The location of Robert the Bruce’s grave is where we might assume the founder, David I, was buried.”

Eight kings are buried at Dunfermline Abbey and, without markers indicating who is interred, we can never be sure of the identity of each of the remains, according to Dr Cook.

“All we know for sure is we’ve got a body, and we’ve got an elaborate tomb which was destroyed in the Reformation,” he said.

“It could be Robert the Bruce, it could be David I, it could be Malcolm III.

“We’re just assuming the tomb belonged to Robert the Bruce – but we don’t actually know. Everybody knows that we don’t know for sure – it just never gets pointed out.

“There’s a good chance the individual in the tomb is him. But there’s never been a good case put forward that it is definitely Robert the Bruce.”