Scotland's Only Flag, The Saltire

I think the flag of Tenerife is a saltire very much like the Scots flag.. I seem to recal that the diagonals are thinner....

I grew up calling it The Saltire, but then I am MUCH older than you, Iain!!!

I grew up calling it The Saltire, but then I am MUCH older than you, Iain!!!

As I have said before,I aint gonna argue with a ScotsWumman

You are correct about the Tenerife flag,too

In heraldry, "saltire" means a cross. "In saltire" means crossed. In my arms in my avatar, the heraldic description of the upper left is

" A sword or, surmounted by two swords or in saltire, all points downward"

Agreed. In all the time I spent around the St. Andrews area, I never heard the blue cross called that though. Even though the Saltire was everywhere. (blue on white, and vice versa).

Iain - I was musing on the above Saltire vs St Andrew's Cross topic....

I wonder if, in Scotland, the reason it is more popularly called the Saltire is because of the Presbyterian's distinct distaste of Saints? All a bit to 'Roman' for earlier Scottish sensibilities, d'ye think?

Just a thought (from a lapsed Catholic!)

Catriona
Not being of any religious persuasion I do not consider myself educated enough to know if your theory is correct or not but the following passage I found on the ScottishHistoryOnline website may well confirm that it is.
Whilst a lot of this article is common knowledge I was interested to note the reference to my own infamous ancestors..

The Flag
In 832 AD, a Pictish army under King Angus MacFergus, High King of Alba, along with a force of Scots under Eochaidh, King of Dalriada (and grandfather of Kenneth MacAlpin), was battling a Northumbrian force in Lothian for control of that region. The night before battle, Saint Andrew reportedly appeared to Angus in a vision, and on the field of battle the next day, a saltire, or x-shaped cross, similar to the one that Saint Andrew was crucified on, appeared in the sky, encouraging the Picts and Scots in their fight and causing the Northumbrians to flee the field, after their
leader, Athelstan, was killed. The site of the battle was and still is known as Athelstanford, or ?the ford of Athelstan?. The colours of the flag are supposed to represent the white of clouds and the azure colour of the sky. From that time onward, the Saltire became the national emblem of the Scots, not only as a flag, but also worn on tunics and bonnets of Scottish soldiers as a way to identify themselves on the battlefield. One version of the flag in the National Museum of Scotland, called the ?Douglas Standard?, which reportedly was the personal flag of the Earl of Douglas and carried at the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. The flag was green, with a saltire and red heart, the symbol of the Douglas family. The saltire was also seen on the nations? coinage, being introduced by King David the First in the 13th century.
Even during the days of the Scottish Reformation, when Presbyterian reformers sought to remove all vestiges of the Catholic Church in Scotland, only the Saltire remained, and it appeared on many flags of the Covenanting forces (Scottish Presbyterians who supported the National Covenant, which stated their commitment to the Protestant Reformation) during the Scottish Revolution of 1638-1644 against the English attempt to force the Church of England on the Scots. In fact, one book, The Story of Scotland?s Flag and the Lion and Thistle, states that the ?Covenanters flag? inspired the blue in the new flag of the United States during the American Revolution.
copyright scottishhistoryonline



If you want to read the full article you can find it at

http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/saltir...re/saltire.html

See you Reivers? See thugs/!

BTW, did you notice in that para re the urge to get rid of RC symbols - it was referred to as 'THE' saltire?

It's a shame that so many think it represents slavery!

Hmmmm

There's no way that Scotland can legislate against the use of 'their' flag by any group anywhere - as I've said, it is also the flag of the island of Tenerife

Came accross this picture and just had to put it here.



Attached Image. (Click thumbnail to expand)

I've seen that photograph before - but thanks for posting it. It was taken near the town of Stirling because that appears to be the Wallace Monument.

The following information was in a brochure I picked up last week when visiting Loch Ard, near Stirling.

Wallace Monument

One of the best vantage points from which to view Stirling is the top of the national Wallace Monument, a prominent Victorian tower which stands above the river on a rocky hill and is visible for miles around.

In the 1850's there was a tide of nationalism that swept across the globe. One of the outcomes was the erection of the National Wallace Monument in memory of a great Scottish hero - William Wallace.

The original structure was completed in 1869 with an addition to the building at a later date. This addition was the 'Hall of Heroes' in which you can find marble sculptures of other Scottish heroes as well as information concerning such greats as Robert the Bruce, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns and David Livingston.

After your visit to the monument you can spend more time exploring the Abbey
The Monument stands above Causewayhead overlooking Bridge of Allan, the riverside and giving a great view of Royal Stirling and the Castle.

Opened 1869
220 feet high
246 steps

[QUOTE=Camchak,08-Jul-2004, 06:18 PM][/QUOTE]
It's a shame that so many think it represents slavery![/QUOTE]
Whether intentional or not, and certainly the Civil War was fought over more than merely slavery, the Confederate flag is a symbol of bigotry to many in the United States.

Well being English, I have often flown the Union Jack, that includes St.Andrews Cross....


put that claymore down!!