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In the year 832 Angus MacFergus, High King of Alba, faced the task of repelling an English invasion under Athelstane. Encouraged by the appearance of a white St. Andrews cross in the blue sky, the
Picts and Scots won the battle. Thereafter St. Andrew became the patron of Scotland, and his cross, or saltire, the emblem of the Scottish people. Such is the legendary origin of the Scottish flag. A memorial now stands
in the churchyard at Athelstaneford, East Lothian, and there the flag of St. Andrew flies always, floodlit at night. St. Andrew was probably the patron of Scotland by the year 1000. In 1286 St. Andrew crucified
appears on a seal of the kingdom; about 1350 a saltire appears on coins. In 1385 an Act of Parliament enjoined every man in a Scots army invading England to wear a white St. Andrews cross. The saltire is used in many
family arms and on a few chieftains standards of this period. In the 1500's the saltire began to appear on flags, used on land and at sea, as contemporary paintings and sculptures show. In 1542 the royal arms of James V
featured unicorn supporters bearing lances flying saltires. The saltires use as a national flag at sea was confirmed in 1606, when James VI and I established the first 'Union Flag' combining the flags of St. Andrew and
St.George. Each however, continued in use as the national flag of its respective land. The Union Flag was restricted to royal ships by Charles I in 1634.Numerous examples are found in the 1600s of ships flying the
saltire flag: it became a true national flag at sea. When in 1672 the Public Register of Arms was set up, then St. Andrews cross was recorded as the arms and badge of Scotland, and many seaport arms show ships flying it
- sometimes as a canton in a large red flag. A firm of flag makers in the 1980s revived the manufacture of this Scottish red ensign. In 1600s Scottish troops carried the saltire as their colours at home and when they
were serving as mercenaries abroad. The Royal Scots, which originated as a combination of regiments from Sweden and France, also carried the saltire, as commemorated on a stamp of 1983. In civil wars, the Scots fought
first with Cromwell against Charles I and then for Charles II against Cromwell: many saltire colours were captured by parliamentary forces. On the Union of 1707 the Union Flag became the national flag for Great
Britain, but the saltire did not go out of use: it was raised in Prince Charles's rebellion of 1745. For some time in the 19th and early 20th centuries the lion rampant became a popular flag to represent Scotland - this
is in fact an illegal display of the royal banner. But the saltire has now regained its status as the legally established national flag of Scotland, used by all national teams in international competitions. Public
buildings in Scotland have two flagstaffs, allowing the Union Flag and St. Andrews cross to fly side by side. The saltire is used by many bodies, both public and private, as a logo - for which it is extremely
suitable. Sometimes it is combined with Scotland's other national emblems, the lion rampant and the thistle. A novel use is made of it in the Football League Championships. The victorious team flies the flag of St.
Andrew in the team colours - for example, a green saltire on white for Celtic. No official shade of blue is laid down for the Scottish flag. At one time a dark blue was fashionable; later, a pale sky blue. A bright
royal blue seems preferable to either. Nor are proportions stipulated for the flag or the width of the saltire. Dimensions in the ration of 5:3 are perhaps best for general use. In early examples the saltire is often
very narrow, perhaps as little as one-eighth of the narrow side of the flag, bit nowadays it tends to be much broader. |
