Pilgrim Badge of St Andrew

In a dream the monk Regulus was told by an angel to take the remains of St Andrew to "the ends of the earth" for their safe keeping. He and his precious cargo were shipwrecked off the east coast of Scotland, and Regulus is said to have come ashore at the place which later became St Andrews.

Our granddaughter is a second year student at the university there and we went up to explore the place in the summer. We were very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed our visit - lovely location, historic town, good shops and walks and culture, interesting churches.

We came away with a couple of small mementos - a photo in front of a stone sculpture of St Andrew on his cross copied from the Vatican which stands at the entrance to the Botanical gardens and a picture of a pilgrim badge of St Andrew now positioned in the living room where we see it every day.

Thousands of pilgrims from all over Europe flocked to St Andrews in medieval times. They sought merit, absolution of crimes, cures and even miracles by making a pilgrimage to the holy shrine where the bones of St Andrew were preserved in a reliquary. The pilgrims wore special badges showing the crucifixion of St Andrew on a X shaped cross, both on their way to St Andrews and on their return journey. This was to gain the protection of the saint as they travelled and as a proof of their pilgrimage. The badges had four stitching holes so that they could be sewn to hats or clothing. They were cheap to make and buy, being cast in an alloy of tin and lead. One found at North Berwick is on display in the Museum of Scotland. Others have been found in digs, and by metal detectors at important river crossings and landing places where they may have been thrown over board as a thank offering for a safe journey home. One in the British Museum predates the Reformation. Recently seven came together for an exhibition at St Andrews itself. There are similar badges associated with other places of pilgrimage.