He has a special place in Scottish history because he gave Scotland its Saltire flag which Scots law says all Scots are allowed to possess.

Scottish folk as a whole are not really supposed to fly the Lion Rampant flag, a red lion on a yellow background, because that is the prerogative of the Royal Family.

However, thousands of Scots in the so-called Tartan Army, the supporters of Scotland’s rugby and football teams, do indeed do that and nobody seems to mind. Strictly speaking, however, they only have the right to fly the Saltire, the X-shaped white cross on a blue background which is also known as the Saint Andrew’s Cross.

At that time, much of the Lothian area was possessed by people from Northumbria in England. An army of Picts and Scots under King Angus II invaded Lothian to drive the Northumbrians out. At one point King Angus found himself surrounded by a large force of Saxons under their leader, Athelstan.

Fearing the outcome, King Angus led prayers for deliverance and reputedly saw against a blue sky a great, white, saltire cross. The king vowed that if he gained the victory then Andrew would be the patron saint of Scotland. The Scots did win and the Saltire became the flag of Scotland. The episode is also the reason why the Scottish rugby, football and other sporting teams wear blue jerseys.

A voice from heaven came down to them saying this was the voice of Saint Andrew who had been sent to defend King Angus. It foretold that the king would see the sign of the cross in the sky and should march forward against his enemies. The voice also said that King Angus should offer a tenth part of his wealth to honour Saint Andrew on this earth.

King Angus and his friends were astonished, but three days later the King divided his army into 12 companies or groups. His soldiers made banners of X-shaped crosses, like the one Andrew said would appear in the sky. The soldiers carried these crosses at the head of each company and a light from heaven shone from the head of each cross. King Angus’ army won the battle.

SALTIRE ORIGINS
A trend towards a dark blue colour over the centuries only occurred because a lighter dye faded more quickly. The true colour of the Saltire should be sky blue which is now the case with more modern, lasting dyes.

The word saltire comes from the old French language, possibly meaning stirrup-shaped, and there are arguments about its origin, but in Latin it is crux decussata which means a cross shaped like an X.

The Saltire was in use as a Scottish national emblem even before the days of heraldry. It was defined as the flag or badge of the ordinary people by a 1388 statute.

A devotion in Scotland to St Andrew was very strong in medieval times and it is easy to appreciate how the Saltire evolved.

TRADITION OF PILGRIMAGE
Thousands of pilgrims from all over Europe came to an internationally renowned pilgrim centre which sprang up on the Fife coast where modern St Andrews now stands and to where the bones of St Andrew had been reputedly transported by St Rule. A great cathedral was erected, the ruins of which can be seen today and modem St Andrews is now famous for its university and as a golf centre.

Pilgrims to St Andrews wore special, safe-conduct badges showing the crucifixion of St Andrew on the X-shaped cross. It was done in the same manner as pilgrims going to or from the famous shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostella in Spain who carried a scallop shell en route or who obtained one on reaching the shrine.

POLITICAL SIGN
The addition of a crown made the Saltire flag a royal badge and it can be seen on coins of the time of Mary Queen of Scots and her father James VI. It survives on several Mercat crosses supported by the unicorn. These crosses marked markets or gathering places in ancient Scottish towns.

In medieval times, it was common for the banners of national saints to become the banners of nations and in the long and protracted Wars of Independence against the invading English, the Scots Parliament decreed during a counter-invasion that every man should wear the Saltire as a kind of tunic.

The Scots Parliament also decreed that French soldiers serving in Scotland should do the same. France and Scotland had a lasting alliance known as the Auld Alliance against expansionist England and at one time Scotland and France had dual citizenship.

The Saltire was also worn by Scots going to the Crusades and it appeared on the seals of bishops and other great leaders and on the flags of Scottish ships.

It was a symbol widely recognised abroad. Medieval cartographers very often embellished their maps with shields and banners of royal or national arms. In a Portuguese map of 1502, Scotland is identified by a St Andrew’s cross and, sadly, the Scottish Lord High Treasurer’s accounts show that in 1513 there was a great rush to make Saltire flags. This was just before the disastrous defeat of the Scots at Flodden, a battle which is nowadays commemorated in a haunting tune of grief and which is played at all national events linked to tragedies, The Flowers of the Forest.

As the years have passed, the Saltire has appeared in the badges of Scottish leading churchmen, in the badges of Scottish regiments, in the insignia of universities, in the heraldry of major companies and banks and in great centres of learning such as Edinburgh’s College of Surgeons and in many other settings. It has also flown or been included in insignia in countries where there are many migrant Scots, such as Canada or New Zealand.

New flags were designed after Queen Elizabeth I of England died and James VI of Scotland also became James I of England at the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

As Scotland and England grew closer together, a Union flag was designed which included the Saltire. After the Union of Parliaments between Scotland and England in 1707, a new flag was devised, popularly and erroneously called the Union Jack.

The new designs were not readily accepted on either side of the Scotland-England border for many years, but are now almost automatically accepted as the British flag and includes the so-called cross of St Patrick which was added in 1801.

MEMORIAL
There has been a great upsurge in the flying of the Saltire in Scotland in modern times, particularly on public buildings on Saint Andrew’s Day, November 30.

There is one place where the Saltire is flown every day, at Athelstaneford itself. A Saltire memorial has been built close to the Church of Scotland parish church whose roots go back to the twelfth century. The church itself is open daily and one of the fine stained glass windows in the North transept is of St Andrew. Also on display is a richly decorated book of the Saltire which chronicles the local origins of the flag. This was presented at a special service in 1987 to the minister and kirk session by the St Andrew Society of Winnipeg. Further visitor facilities have followed.

A new Saltire memorial has been built at the southeast corner of the kirkyard and the tourist authorities have signposted a Saltire trail which guides car and coach drivers to Athelstaneford from the main roads.

The memorial was built in 1965 to a design by the historian, the late Dr FR Stevenson and restored in 1993. It shows the battle scene carved in granite within a concrete plinth. The inscription reads:

"Tradition says that near this place, in times remote, Pictish and Scottish warriors about to defeat an army of Northumbrians, saw against a blue sky a great white cross like St Andrew’s and in its image made a banner which became the flag of Scotland."

Attached to the memorial is a flagpole on which the Saltire is now flown permanently, even during the hours of darkness when it is floodlit.

HERITAGE CENTRE
In April of last year, a new flag heritage centre was opened, sponsored by the National Lottery, the local authority and firms and companies. It dominates a viewpoint towards the reputed site of the battle. It includes a circular stone plinth with an engraved centrepiece, oak bench seating, a visitor panel and a new base for the flagpole in wrought iron and Pictish lace work. An audio-visual show has been installed in a former doo-cot (dove-cot).

An organisation to support the site entitled The Scottish Flag Trust has been set up and one of the trustees and a prominent member of the European Parliament, Dr Winifred Ewing, officially opened these facilities.

Children from the nearby Athelstane primary school, each carrying a Saltire, formed part of an enthusiastic audience.

The Saltire tale has long roots and it was good to see the fresh faces and the eager voices of the children absorbing part of their national heritage and who will undoubtedly pass it on.

NATIONAL PRIDE
The Tartan Army often commit lighthearted acts of sacrilege on the national dress of the kilt, but it is good to see their faces painted with the Saltire before important rugby and football matches.

It truly belongs to them and is part of an old sang, as Scots say, and there are more verses about the Saltire still to be written.