Revealed: The English plot to kidnap Nessie

This early 'photograph' of the Loch Ness monster was the subject of intense debate.

Of all the tales about the Loch Ness Monster, it must be one of the most unlikely - an English plot to kidnap the beast and display its carcass in London.

But back in the 1930s the Scots feared that such a thing was all too possible, according to newly revealed papers, and fought to ensure she stayed north of the border.

The Scottish Office opened a file on Nessie in December 1933 after being bombarded with inquiries following sightings that year.

And similar files have also been found at the Natural History Museum in London, with the contents describing Scotland's fears that Nessie 'should not be allowed to find its last resting place in England' after a bounty was placed on the monster's head.

The documents also reveal that many years later Prince Philip even suggested calling in the Royal Navy to search for the creature.

By 1934 both the Natural History Museum in London and the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh wanted Nessie.

But while Scotland hoped that the bounty hunters could be kept at bay long enough to get new laws passed to protect her, London preferred her shot on sight.

In March 1934 an unnamed official at the National History Museum made no bones about how he thought bounty hunters should deal with the creature.

The files show he said: 'Should you ever come within range of the "monster" I hope you will not be deterred by any humanitarian considerations from shooting him on the spot and sending the carcass to us in cold storage, carriage forward. Short of this, a flipper, a jaw or a tooth would be very welcome.'

According to more documents found in Edinburgh, pressure was already growing for a special Act of Parliament to prevent Nessie being killed or captured. The campaign was led by Inverness MP Murdoch MacDonald, who assured the Scottish Secretary Sir Godfrey Collins the creature was no myth.

'Evidence of its presence can be taken as undoubted. Far too many people have seen something abnormal to question its existence,' he wrote. He demanded a Bill be put before Parliament to protect the creature, but Sir Godfrey advised there was 'no law for the protection of monsters'.

The Royal Scottish Museum wrote to Sir Godfrey staking Edinburgh's claim to the carcass. 'The museum urges strongly that the RSM have the reversionary rights to the "monster" if and when its corpse should become available,' the letter said.

'We think the monster should not be allowed to find its last resting place in England. Such a fate would surely outrage Scottish nationalism which at the moment is thriving greatly under the monster's beneficent influence.'

Natural History Museum files from the 1960s also state that when approached by a Tory MP, David James, who was 'obsessed' with Nessie, Prince Philip encouraged him to contact the Royal Navy for assistance.

The revelations are made by author David Clarke in his book Britain's X-traordinary Files. He said: 'During the 1930s ... Nessie had become a Scottish icon, a symbol of national identity. There was genuine outrage at the possibility that the corpse of the monster might be taken for display in London.'

- Daily Mail