Flower of Scotland: The Folk Song That Became an Anthem

Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.

The song's history is well documented by the sporting bodies and broadcasters involved. Polls on the anthem question are informal and self-selecting, and are reported as such.

A folk song

established Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne formed the Corries, one of the leading groups of the Scottish folk revival. Williamson wrote "Flower of Scotland" in the mid-1960s, and it was first heard publicly in a BBC television series in 1967. It is a slow, reflective song in three verses, recalling how the Scots "stood against him, Proud Edward's army, and sent him homeward, tae think again", a reference to Edward II's defeat at Bannockburn in 1314, and asking when the country will "be a nation again".

The rugby anthem

established The song was taken up by rugby players and fans. On the 1974 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa, Scottish winger Billy Steele encouraged his teammates to sing it. On 17 March 1990, before the decisive Five Nations match against England at Murrayfield, with both teams playing for the Grand Slam, it was sung as the pre-match anthem. Scotland walked onto the pitch slowly and won 13–7, and the song became fixed as the rugby anthem.

Football and the Games

established The Scottish Football Association first used the song in 1993 and adopted it as its pre-match anthem in 1997, replacing "Scotland the Brave". It was used as Team Scotland's victory anthem at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2014.

An anthem without status

established Scotland has no official national anthem. "God Save the King" is the national anthem of the United Kingdom, and at events where Scotland competes separately, sporting bodies choose their own songs. In a 2006 online poll by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, "Flower of Scotland" won 41 per cent of around 10,000 votes, ahead of "Scotland the Brave" and others. A 2015 SFA poll gave it a narrow win. A petition in 2015 asking the Scottish Government to adopt it officially was closed by the Parliament, which felt the matter should be settled over time rather than by legislation.

shared Critics have called the song backward-looking, slow and anti-English, and suggested alternatives such as "Scotland the Brave", "Highland Cathedral" or Hamish Henderson's "Freedom Come-All-Ye". Supporters argue that its slow, hymn-like quality is part of its power, and that its subject is resistance to tyranny rather than hostility to England. The debate recurs regularly.

• Scotland has no official national anthem.
• "Flower of Scotland" was written by a folk singer in the 1960s.
• It is about Bannockburn, a battle in 1314.
• It became the rugby anthem before Scotland's 1990 Grand Slam win.
• The SFA adopted it in 1997.
• Its writer, Roy Williamson, died in 1990.

• Myth: "Flower of Scotland" is Scotland's official national anthem. Scotland has no official national anthem. The song has no official status, and a 2015 petition to adopt it formally was closed.
• Myth: It is a traditional or ancient song. Roy Williamson of the Corries wrote it in the mid-1960s, and it was first heard publicly on BBC television in 1967. It commemorates a battle of 1314.
• Disputed: That polls show Scotland's choice of anthem. The 2006 Royal Scottish National Orchestra poll gave it 41 per cent of about 10,000 votes, but polls on the question are informal and self-selecting.