"Athelstaneford, East Lothian" Lothian by rsean

Athelstaneford is a small village in East Lothian near Edinburgh. It has a very significant place in Scottish history as legend has it that it was here in AD 832 that the Saltire [Scottish flag] was born.

Within the grounds of the parish church lies the Saltire memorial. If you go round behind the church in the far left corner of the grounds there is an old 16th century doocot. Enter this small building and shut the door behind you and an audio-visual display will automatically switch on and tell the legend of the Battle of Athelstaneford and the birth of the Saltire.

This is possibly the most important historic site in Scotland but is much overlooked.

I visited Athelstaneford with Biba a Croatian friend from Zagreb on 13th September 2006.

Biba at Athelstaneford. 13/09/06

The story is that on the land behind the church in AD 832 a united group of Picts and Scots fought a battle against the Angles from Northumbria. The Picts and Scots were vastly outnumbered by the Angles.

The night before the battle the leader of the Scots and Picts prayed to St. Andrew. Legend has it that St. Andrew was crucified on a cross lying on it's side like an x rather than on an up right cross like a + The x or Saltire became associated with St. Andrew.

On the morning of the battle the Picts and Scots looked up in the sky and saw a Saltire formed from the white clouds against the blue sky. They saw this as a sign from St. Andrew and went on to win the battle.

Their leader became king of Scotland and adopted the White Saltire against a Blue background as his flag. It has remained the flag of Scotland for 1200 years.

The Saltire Memorial, Athelstaneford

The memorial is in the front of the church grounds where a Saltire flies constantly. But remember to visit the doocot behind the church.

Athelstaneford can be reached by car from Edinburgh in around twenty minutes.

• In a nutshell:Perhaps the most important historic site in Scotland.