Scottish Blog

The flag of Scotland consists of a diagonal white saltire (diagonal cross), set against a blue background. In more technical terms, this is referred to as saltire argent. It is a representation of St Andrew, the Patron Saint of Scotland.

Current evidence suggests that the flag of Scotland is the oldest flag still presently in use. It draws its roots from as early as the 9th century, during the reign of King Angus (820-834). It is said that the before a battle, where King Angus led a coalition of Picts and Scots against the Angles, he prayed for deliverance and during the night a vision came to him of Saint Andrew assuring him victory. Further it is said that before the battle the symbol of the current Flag of Scotland appeared above both the opposing sides. This boosted the morale of King Angus’s men and had the opposite affect on the Angles, which lead to a Scots victory.

More tangible evidence of the history of the Flag of Scotland comes from various records of the Scottish Parliament, where in 1385 it was agreed that Scottish soldiers would wear the flag as an identifying mark for battles. The earliest surviving Flag of Scotland dates back to 1503, although it is the white saltire on a red background.

In the present day the Scottish Parliament have proposed a number of conventions to standardize the look of the flag. It has been suggested that the blue color of the background be taken as pantone 300 (a color in the Pantone color matching scheme). The flags proportions should be 5:3 or 3:2, although 3:2 is recommended. Further, the white saltire should have a width of one fifth of the height of the flag.