Saintly aid at the battle of Athelstaneford

Published on Monday 14 February 2005 12:10

NINTH century Scotland didn't really exist as a unified nation. The Picts ruled over much of the east and north, while the Scots ruled out of the Kingdom of Dalriada (now Argyll) in the west. What is now known as the Lothians belonged to neither Scots nor Picts and was in a constant state of flux between the Angles and the "Picto-Scots".

In 832AD a raiding party made up of Picts under King Angus (Ununst or Hungus) and Scots led by Eochaidh, King of Dalriada, were fleeing from a large contingent of Northumbrian Angles under the command of Athelstan.

The Northumbrian force pursued the Picts to Markle, in East Lothian - now Athelstaneford. There they found their passage barred by the wide valley of the River Peffer. The Northumbrian army surrounded the Picts and King Angus realised he’d have to turn and fight. The night before the battle, as the forces mustered around him, he prayed for a miracle. According to legend, Saint Andrew came to him in a vision and not only promised that he would survive but also that he would be victorious in battle. King Angus vowed that if this came true he would adopt Saint Andrew as the patron saint of Alba.

As the two armies met the next day it is said that a white cloud formation of a saltire - or X-shaped cross - formed against the blue sky. This highly effective morale-boost encouraged the Picts to fight on, and they triumphed on the battlefield, killing Athelstan and routing the Angle army.

From that day on, the Saltire was adopted as the emblem of Scotland and Saint Andrew was indeed adopted as our national Saint.