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The Scottish Saltire

Athelstaneford is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the town of Haddington and lies approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh.

According to popular legend, Athelstaneford is where the original Scottish saltire - the white diagonal cross on a sky blue background - was first adopted. On the eve of a battle pitting the combined Picts and Scots against the Angles (English) in 832AD, Saint Andrew, who was crucified on a diagonal cross, came to the Pictish King Óengus II in a vision and promised him victory. The next morning the Scots and Picts observed a white cross formed by clouds in the sky. They won the battle, and the victorious forces attributed their victory to the blessing of Saint Andrew, adopting Saint Andrew's cross as their flag, and naming him their patron saint.

The retreating English King^[1], Aethelstan^[2], was slain at a nearby river crossing, hence the name Athelstaneford. There are several versions of the story, of which this is one of the more widely accepted. Whatever the truth, the legend has cemented Athelstaneford's place in Scottish history.

Traditionally, the blue of the Saltire wasn't specified. It was much more practical to simply use whatever blue pigment was available to the locals, and standardisation has angered some traditionalists. In 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament proposed that the Scottish Executive adopt Pantone 300 as a standard, darker than many would like but still lighter than the blue in the Union Jack (generally Pantone 280).

Today the village is surrounded by farmland and has little in the way of amenities. Tourists can follow the "Saltire Trail", a road route which passes by various local landmarks and places of historical interest.

1. ^  Some accounts describe Aethelstan as a leader not a king. In 832, Eanred was King of Northumbria.
2. ^  Not to be confused with Athelstan, the 10th Century King of England.

• grid reference NT534773
• This History of the Saltire at visitscotland.com
• The Scottish Saltire at Flags of the World

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Coordinates: 55.98640° N 2.74848° W