The Royal Arms of Scotland are "or, a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure, within a double tressure flory-counter-flory of the second". Many flag makers omit the blue on the tongue and claws...(Graham Bartram, 20 July 1999)
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| Unless you hail from Scotland or the U.K., understanding Scotland's flag variations may confuse you. Here's a little assistance. (© forwarded from Flagspot.net)
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| Scotland's National Flag, The Saltire . . . (right) 1180 is he oldest record of the St. Andrews cross flag on a seal in St. Andrews, where it is used as a religious, not a national, emblem. In the 1970s, the Saltire, as it is known, became the prominent symbol. The white cross of St. Andrew on a field of azure is Scotland national flag. The color of the blue background is often questioned. The important thing is the the blue, whether azure, ultramarine or similar, should be lighter in color than the blue in the flag of the U.K.(Read the Legend) | |
| Royal's Scotland Flag . . . (right) Strictly speaking, it should only be used by Her Majesty the Queen in her capacity as Queen of Scots. In actuality, it tends to be used as a second national flag.(Stuart Notholt) The Royal Arms of Scotland are "or, a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure, within a double tressure flory-counter-flory of the second". Many flag makers omit the blue on the tongue and claws...(Graham Bartram, 20 July 1999) |
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| United Kingdom's Flag . . . When King James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne, thereby becoming James I of England, the national flags of England and Scotland on land continued to be, respectively, the red St George's cross and the white St Andrew's cross. Confusion arose, however, as to what flag would be appropriate at sea. On 12 April 1606 a proclamation was issued: "All our subjects in this our isle and kingdom of Great Britain and the members thereof, shall bear in their main top the red cross commonly called St George's Cross and the white cross commonly called St. Andrew's Cross joined together according to a form made by our heralds and sent to our Admiral to be published to our said subjects." |  |
| Scotland's Proposed Variation to the U.K. flag . . . (right) Scots were unhappy that the red cross was laid over the white cross of St. Andrew. The Scots used an ingenious design(right)in which the white cross of the St Andrew's flag was brought forward overlaying the red cross. The flag achieved limited official sanction. When the king visited Dumfries in 1618 he was hailed as the king under whose banner "the whyte and reid croces are so proportionablie interlaced." The word interlaced is held to be significant as it implies the use of the 'Scottish' version of the Union Flag. |  |
| The Legend of the Saltire. . . One legend, (very much a story but of interest nonetheless), concerns the fact that it is believed by generations of Scotsmen that our national flag, the white saltire on a blue ground, the oldest flag in the British Commonwealth, originated in a battle fought, a little more than a mile from present day Markle,in the Parish of Prestonkirk in East Lothian, in the Dark Ages between the Picts and Scots on one side and the Angles of Northumbria on the other. There are various versions of the tale but it is generally agreed around the time of the 8th century, an army of Picts and Scots under King Hungus found themselves surrounded by a force of Angles under their leader Athelstan. King Hungus prayed earnestly for deliverance to God and the saints and that night St Andrew appeared to the King and promised them victory. Next day, when battle was joined, the vision of the white saltire (the diagonal cross on which the Apostle had been martyred) was seen by all in the blue sky. This so encouraged the Picts and Scots and affrighted their adversaries that a victory was won. King Athelstan was slain at the crossing of the burn, still known to this day as Athelstaneford. The story continues that this all was seen as a 'Miracle' and may have been the origin of the name "Markle"! In the nearby East Lothian village of Athelstaneford, a flag heritage centre commemorates and discusses the development of the legendary white cross on the blue background. Thomas Middlemass, 6 February 2000 |
Our thanks to:  Most information courtesy of Flagspot.net [...the Internet's largest site devoted to vexillology (the study of flags).] |