Saltire
or St. Andrews Cross Flag:
Legend
says that in 832 AD, an army of Scots was facing a Northumbrian
army. The Scottish king prayed to St Andrew for help, and saw the
Saltire of St. Andrew in the heavens against a clear blue sky.
On seeing the cross in the sky, he swore that if the Scots beat the
English in the battle that was about to be joined, then St. Andrew
would forever be the patron saint of Scotland.
The Scots did in fact
win the battle, and from that day on the Saltire has been the
national flag of Scotland.
Lion
Rampant Flag:
The
Lion Rampant flag is the Royal Flag of Scotland. It was only to be
used by the King or Queen of the United Kingdom.
The Lion Rampant flag
is used universally now as a second flag of Scotland. It fly's over
the offices of the Secretary of State for Scotland in both London
and in Edinburgh.
The Lord Lyon, the
herald responsible for Scottish heraldry, takes the official stance
that the Rampant Lion Flag can be waved but that it cannot
be flown from a flagpole without his permission. It is rumored that
he once threatened the town councilors of Cumbernauld with a
parliamentary Act of 1679 which prescribed the death penalty for
misuse of the royal arms.
>Order
Scottish Flags Now!
More Scottish History:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/
