Blue Blanket

Banner called the “Blue Blanket” is said to have been presented to the Tradesmen of Edinburgh by King James III and his queen, Margaret of Denmark, in about 1482.  It is also said to have been carried at the Battle of Flodden on 9th September 1513.

While these events cannot be proved by contemporary documentation, it is known that the Blue Blanket certainly existed in 1543, when it was raised in anger by some of the Deacons of Trades in the Council Chamber in the presence of the Regent Arran.  The Blue Blanket has been replaced from time to time and the current one (excluding the smaller version made in 2011) dates from about 1670 and is housed at the home of the Convenery of Trades of Edinburgh in Ashfield, 61 Melville Street, Edinburgh.

The banner was originally sky-blue and has lost virtually its entire colour.  The legend on the banner reads:
“FEAR · GOD · AND · HONOR · THE ·KING ·WITH · A · LONG · LYFFE · AND · A · PROSPEROUS REIGNE  AND WE · THAT · IS · TRADDS · SHALL · EVER · PRAY · TO · BE · FAITHFULL · FOR · THE DEFENCE · OF HIS SACRED MAIESTIES · ROYAL · PERSONE · TILL · DEATH”

This picture shows the Blue Blanket that was made for the Convenery of Trades of Edinburgh in 2011 and it is much smaller in size than the 1670 Blue Blanket that is currently on display and which is too fragile to move.