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The story of Scotlandâs flag has to start with the story
of our modern patron Saint, Andrew (before the 9th
Century St. Colum Cheile (or Columba) was the patron
saint, having brought Christianity to Scotland):
Despite Andrew being one of the original apostles
(along with his brother Simon-Peter) little is known
about his life. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida on
the Sea of Galilee in what is now Israel. After the cru-
cifiction of Jesus he took the message to the people of
the Scythian Steppes and Asia Minor. He was crucified
by the Romans at Patrae (now called Patras) in Achaia,
near the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. He asked to be
crucified in a different manner from Jesus, as he didnât
feel worthy of emulating the messiah. So he was crucified
on two diagonal pieces of wood. This is the origin of his
symbol, the saltire.
His body was entombed, and about 300 years later,
in 340
AD
, Constantine II decided to move the relics of
Andrew to Constantinople (now Istambul in Turkey).
According to legend a Greek monk called St. Rule (or St.
Regulus in Latin) was warned by an angel in a dream that
Constantine intended to move the relics and was told to
take them to âthe ends of the earthâ to keep them
safe. The monk managed to remove a tooth, an
arm bone, a kneecap and some
fingers from St. Andrewâs tomb
and took them as far away as he
could. Scotland was pretty much
the end of the known world in
those days and it was here that
St. Rule came, only to be ship-
wrecked off the Fife coast. The
Pictish settlement that he came
ashore at is now called St. Andrewâs.
A complication in this tale is that one
of Colum Cheileâs followers in Ireland
was St. Reaghail or Regulus. He dwelt
at âMucinisâ, an small island in a loch.
âMucinisâ means âIsle of the Pigsâ
and an old name for St. Andrewâs is
âMuckrossâ - âHeadland of the Pigsâ. The
Irish St. Regulus has his Saints Day on
16 October while the St. Andrewâs St.
Regulus has his on 17 October. They
may well be the same person.
Another, and possibly more
likely, tale is that a Bishop of
Hexham, called Acca, who was a renowned relic collec-
tor, brought the relics of St. Andrew to the settlement in
733
AD
, after being banished from his See. There certainly
seems to have been a religious centre at St. Andrews at
that time, either founded by St. Rule or by a Pictish King,
Angus, who reigned from 731 - 761
AD
and the Abbey in
Hexham was dedicated to St. Andrew.
Whichever tale is true, and there are others, the relics
were placed in a specially constructed chapel. In 1160
AD
the chapel was replaced by St. Andrewâs Cathedral, and
the town became the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland and
draw for Mediaeval pilgrims who came to see the relics.
The relics have now disappeared, probably destroyed
during the Scottish Reformation, when the strictures of
Calvinism tended to wish to remove traces of Catholic
âidolatryâ. The site of the relics is now marked by a plaque
in the ruins of the Cathedral, which was also destroyed
by the Calvinists.
Most of St. Andrewâs remains were stolen from Con-
stantinople in 1210
AD
and are now to be found in Amalfi
in Southern Italy. In 1879 the Archbishop of Amalfi sent a
piece of the Saintâs shoulder blade to the re-established
Roman Catholic church in Scotland.
In 1969, Pope Paul VI visited Scotland and gave the
people some more relics of St. Andrew with the words
âSaint Peter gives you his brotherâ. These are now
displayed in a reliquary in St. Maryâs Roman Catholic
Cathedral in Edinburgh.
So that is how St. Andrew became associated with
Scotland.
The National Flag
The origins of the national flag are also shrouded in
mystery and legend. The story, as generally agreed,
originates in a 9th century battle near Athelstaneford
in Lothian. The earliest know account is in the 1165
AD
Register of St. Andrews. In 832
AD
a Pictish army under
Angus Mac Fergus, High King of Alba, along with a Scots
detachment led by Eochaidh Mac Etsin, King of Dalriada
(the grandfather of Kenneth Mac Alpin, the first High King
of Scotland), was surrounded by a much larger force
of Angles under Athelstane. Some historians claim the
encounter followed a cattle raid by the Picts.
Before the battle, King Angus prayed to God for
a victory, despite his smaller army. During the battle
clouds appeared, forming a white diagonal cross against
the blue sky - the very cross on which St. Andrew was
The Story of Scotlandâs Flags
Graham Bartram
FFI
Secretary-General for Congresses of FIAV
& Chief Vexillologist of the Flag Institute
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PROCEEDINGS
martyred. Angus promised that if St. Andrew helped his
forces to victory, then he would make St. Andrew his
kingdomâs patron saint. The Picts and the Scots defeated
the Angles and St. Andrew became Albaâs patron saint.
When Kenneth Mac Alpin, who may have been at the
battle with his grandfather, united the Scots and Picts
and named the new kingdom Scotland, Andrew became
the patron saint of the whole realm.
According to legend this is also how Scotland
acquired its national flag, but unfortunately there is no
documentation to corroborate this. Sixteenth century
historians appear to believe the legend, but they may
have had access to documents or sources that are now
lost. The 18th Century writer, Nisbet, says âAfter the vic-
tory, the two confederate Kings, out of a sense of sin-
gular mercy, went in procession to the Church of St.
Andrews (where his arm was said to be a relic) to thank
God and his apostle, for the victory; purposing that they
and their successors, should in all time coming use, on
the ensigns the Cross of St. Andrew. How well the Picts
performed I know not, being overcome and expelled
afterwards by the Scots; but it has been the constant
practice of our Kings to carry a white saltire cross, on a
blue banner.â
The first known use of St. Andrewâs cross in Scot-
land was as a religious, not national, emblem in the
seal of the Chapter of St. Andrewâs Cathedral in about
1180
AD
. St. Andrew also appears on the seal of Bishop
Gamelin, Chaplain to Alexander II and Chancellor of
Scotland in 1254
AD
.
In 1286
AD
we have the first known appearance of
the figure of St. Andrew as a national emblem. The
seal of the Guardians of Scotland, appointed on the
death of Alexander III, shows St. Andrew on his cross,
surrounded by the words â
ANDREA SCOTIS DUX ESTO COM-
PATRIOTIS
â (âAndrew, be the leader of the Scots your
compatriotsâ)
1
or possibly â
ANDREA DUX EST ET COMPATRI-
OTIS
â
2
(unfortunately part of the edge is damaged)
The Obverse of the Seal of the Guardians of
Scotland 1286AD
The first evidence of the use of the cross, without the
saint, as a national emblem is on soldierâs uniforms,
rather than as a flag. The Scottish Parliament decreed in
1385
AD
that âItem every man French and Scots shall have
a sign before and behind, namely a white St. Andrewâs
Cross, and if his jack is white or his coat white he shall
bear the said white cross in a piece of black cloth round or
squareâ. The French probably wore white which accounts
for the last part of the ordinance.
We can see here that blue was not the automatic
background colour, indeed black is specified. Over the
years blue became the predominant colour. It may well
be that the white saltire on blue were the arms assigned
to St. Andrew in the early part of the last millennium,
much as the red cross on white had been assigned to
St. George. Technically it was the saltire, not the back-
ground that was the badge of the Scots. There are sev-
eral explanations as to the blue background: it may
come from the legend of the cross of clouds in the sky,
from the arms assigned to St. Andrew, or possibly due
to the alliance with France, whose flag at the time was a
white cross on blue
3
.
The standard of the Earl of Douglas was supposedly
carried by his younger son Archibald at the Battle of
Otterburn in 1388
AD
. It is sage green with a white saltire
at the hoist with two small red hearts. The lion, the Tau
Cross and the motto
âJamais Areyreâ
are in white.
Standard of the Earl of Douglas reputedly
1388AD
In the late 15th Century there are several references
to flags with a St. Andrewâs Cross, but it unclear as to
whether it was the only emblem on the flags.
The first certain use of a plain St. Andrewâs Cross
flag - but the field was red, not blue - occurs in 1503
AD
in the
Vienna Book of Hours
.
In 1512
AD
the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer
of Scotland include an entry for payment for a roll of
blue woollen bunting for the banner of a ship âwith St.
Andrewâs Cross in the middleâ.
During the reign of James IV Scotlandâs navy was at
its height, with the flagship âGreat Michaelâ (built in
1511
AD
) being the greatest ship of its time. In 1513
AD
a staggering ÂŁ72 7s 6d was spent on a âmain standardâ
for the ship. The flag appears to have had a St. Andrewâs
cross on a blue background at the hoist and a fly of red
and yellow with the royal badges of the red lion and
white unicorn.
The Accounts give us another entry in 1540
AD
for
red and yellow taffeta to make three ensigns, with white
taffeta of Genoa to make the crosses.
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A Model of the Great Michael
The first certain illustration of the St. Andrewâs Cross
on a blue field as we have it today is in the armorial of
Sir David Lindsay in 1542
AD
. A carved stone panel in
Newhaven, dated 1588
AD
, shows a Scottish ship flying
three saltires.
Carved Stone Panel from Newhaven
Another ancient flag is the âBlue Blanketâ of the Trades of
Edinburgh. This is reputed to have been made by Queen
Margaret, wife of James III (1451-1488
AD
). It is of blue
cloth with a white saltire in the canton.
The âBlue Blanketâ of the Trades of Edinburgh
In 1606
AD
James VI & I combined the white saltire on
blue with the red cross on white of St. George to create
the âBritish Flagâ the original âUnion Flagâ. In 1707
AD
when the Act of Union between England and Scotland
required a new national flag Queen Anne decided to
continue with Jamesâs design. At this point the old Scot-
tish ensign ceased to be used. It was also the start of a
quieter period in the flagâs life that was to last well into
the 20th Century.
The 1606 British or Union Flag
Many Scots were not happy with the new flag which they
believed gave precedence to England and came up with
their own variant, shown here flying over Edinburgh
Castle in about 1693
AD
in an engraving by John Slezer,
Captain of Artilery and Surveyor-General of Stores and
Magazines in Scotland.
Unofficial Scots Variant of Union Flag
The white saltire on blue appears in military flags such
as those used by Scottish forces used at the Battle of
Preston in 1648
AD
and Dunbar in 1650
AD
. Some of these
were captured by Cromwellian forces and drawings of
them survive.
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Scottish Colours captured by Cromwell at
Preston
1648AD
Scottish Colours captured by Cromwell at
Dunbar
1650AD
In 1801
AD
Ireland joined the Union to create the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Geraldine
âCross of St Patrickâ was added to create the modern
Union Flag.
The 1801 Pattern Union Flag
The rise of the Scottish Nationalist movement in the
1970âs brought the Saltire back to the fore, with SNP
councils using it instead of the Union Flag.
July 1st 1999 saw the Reconvening of Scottish Par-
liament. For the opening the Parliament flew a Union
Flag and a Saltire, but normally it only flies the Saltire.
The Queenâs title as Queen of Scots was confirmed by
no less than the Presiding officer (Speaker), Lord Steel,
during his welcoming speech. It was very much a day
for Saltires. The badge of the Scottish Parliament shows
a banner of the Saltire surmounted by a Scottish style
crown.
The Badge of the Scottish Parliament
That same year saw the Saltire, along with the national
flags of the other constituent countries of the United
Kingdom added to the official publication âFlags of all
Nationsâ. In order to add the flag we needed to know
what colour to make it. Some modern Saltires are on light
blue backgrounds, and some on dark blue. To choose a
shade we used a Pantone chart and a day when the sky
was a beautiful azure. Comparing the sky to the chart
we selected Pantone 279 as the most suitable colour. To
double check we asked the Lord Lyonâs office what colour
their artists use when painting the Saltire. They use an
ultramarine blue with added white. This ruled out dark
blue as a colour, and confirmed Pantone 279, which is
made of blue ink with added white. Coincidentally Pan-
tone 279 is UN blue. [Since this paper was originally given
in York the Scottish Parliament has selected Pantone 300
as the colour of the flag.]
The Modern Saltire
The Royal Flag
The story of Scotlandâs other flag, the Lion Rampant is
slightly simpler.
William the Lyon (1143-1214) is usually credited
with adopting the Lion Rampant as the Royal emblem,
but we have no real evidence of this. Certainly his seals
show no such arms. According to Fordun and Boece,
William got his name as âThe Lion of Justiceâ. Other his-
torians suggest he was called the Lion for his bravery.
The first known example of the arms is on the seal
of his son Alexander II in 1222. These appear to show
the Lion Rampant and the Tressure, but the arms can
be seen clearly on the seal of his son, Alexander III
(1249-1285).
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Seal of Alexander II
The reverse of the seal of the Guardians of Scotland
(the obverse was is shown above) clearly shows the Lion
Rampant and Tressure. It can be seen that this seal is very
important in the hostory of Scotlandâs national symbols.
The Reverse of the Seal of the Guardians of
Scotland
1286AD
Why such a complex coat was chosen is not certain. It
may well be that it is related to Scotlandâs old alliance
with France. Indeed Nisbet claims that King Achaius was
in alliance with Charlemagne, and that for the services
of the Scots the French king âadded to the Scottish lion
the double tressure fleur-de-lisee to show that the former
had defended the French lilies, and that therefore the
latter would surround the lion and be a defence to him.â
Interestingly the Fleur-de-lys did not appear on French
arms until Louis VIII (reigned 1223-1226
AD
) and there-
fore they appeared on Scotlandâs arms first! Despite this
the lily was certainly a French symbol from much earlier
times, a 870
AD
sceptre ends in fleur-de-lys.
The Lion Rampant
Nisbet reports that the lion may have been the symbols of the
Scots kings since Fergus I in 300
BC
! Chalmers says in
Caledo-
nia
that âthe lion may possibly have been derived from the
arms of the old Earls of Northumberland and Huntingdon,
from whom some of the Scottish kings were descendedâ. We
have no evidence of either of these origins. At the Battle of
the Standard in 1138
AD
the Scottish Royal Standard was a
dragon, at least according to the contemporary report of St.
Aelred, Abbot of Rielvaulx Abbey in Yorkshire.
The arms remained unchanged until Mary Queen of
Scots married the Dauphin of France, when they were
impaled with France. When the Dauphin died the arms
reverted. When James VI became King of England he
quartered the arms with the already quartered arms of
England, and those of Ireland. The Royal Arms went
through several changes in the following centuries that
are beyond the scope of this paper.
During all this time the unquartered arms remained in
use as the flag of a representative of the monarch. They are
still used for this purpose today, in the person of the First
Minister (as Keeper of the Great Seal), Lord Lyon, the Lord
High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland and the Lord Lieutenants of the Counties.
On 3 September 1934, George V issued a Royal
Warrant permitting Loyal Scots to use the flag as an indi-
cation of their loyalty. Today this is interpreted as allow-
ing the use of flags in the hand, but not on a flagpole.
As a footnote to the story in 1998 the Queen started
to use a different Royal Standard in Scotland, with the
ancient Scottish arms in the 1st and 4th quarters. This
now matches the Scottish version of the Royal Arms.
The Royal Standard for use in Scotland
The Royal Arms for use by the Government in
Scotland
1.
Birch, Scottish Seals.
i. pp. 32-33 and plate 14
2.
Anderson, Diplomata 1739
3.
Gordon, Flags of the World,
p.223
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