Athelstaneford

Athelstaneford () is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies 3.5 miles (about 6 km) north-east of the market town of Haddington and about 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Edinburgh.

==Battle of Athelstaneford== 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 between rival armies of Picts and Northumbrians in 832AD, Saint Andrew, who was crucified on a diagonal cross, came to the Pictish King Óengus II in a vision promising victory. The next morning the Picts saw a white cross formed by clouds in the sky. They won the battle and attributed their victory to the blessing of Saint Andrew, adopting his form of the cross as their flag, and naming him as their patron saint. The leader of the retreating Angles, a man called Athelstan, was said to have been slain at a nearby river crossing, hence the name Athelstaneford. However, there is considerable doubt as to even the basic historic facts. The Pictish king may actually have been Óengus I while the English leader may have been the English king Æthelstan, who invaded Scotland in AD 934. Whatever the truth, the legend has cemented Athelstaneford's place in Scotland's history.