HAVE you ever dreamed of raising Scotland’s national flag in the name of yourself or your family, or a special person in your life?
Well, now you can, at the home of the Saltire at Athelstaneford in East Lothian, thanks to the Scottish Flag Trust which is campaigning to develop a site in the village to better tell the story of how the Saltire – one of the world’s oldest national flags – came to be the banner of Scotland.
Most experts agree that in the early ninth century – possibly around 832 – Angus, king of the Picts, joined with the Scots to confront the marauding Northumbrians led by King Athelstan in East Lothian.
According to the Trust: “Angus was rewarded by seeing a cloud formation of a white Saltire against a blue sky, and vowed that if, with the saint’s help, he gained the victory, then Andrew would thereafter be the patron saint of Scotland. The Scots did win, and the Saltire became the flag of Scotland.
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"Though little documentation survives from the ninth century, the story of the cross appearing above the battle is recorded in print by each of Scotland’s early mediaeval historians – Bower, Major, Boece, Buchanan, Leslie and Spottiswoode.”
Plans for the site include the restoration and renewal project will see a new accessible pathway with an interpretive timeline, telling the history and adoption of Scotland’s national flag.
Flag Trust convener Dave Williamson said: “We are giving people the chance to have the flag flown for someone special on their chosen day from as little as £25. The recipient gets a personalised certificate confirming the honour and the name recorded in the book of the Saltire in the Flag Heritage Centre.”
Scotland’s leading historian Sir Tom Devine said: “It is essential that the memorial to the origins of Scotland’s national flag is suitably preserved for posterity. I therefore warmly commend this fundraising campaign to Scots both at home and abroad and indeed to all who have a love of Scotland.”
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