Saltire

A saltire is an ordinary in the form of a diagonal cross, shaped like an X, running from corner to corner of the shield. It is also called the cross of Saint Andrew. The name comes from a Middle French word for a stirrup loop.

The Neville family of England bore Gules, a saltire argent. The arms of Nova Scotia flip the Scottish flag into Argent, a saltire azure, with a small shield of the royal arms of Scotland on top. The link to Saint Andrew only grew in the 1400s and 1500s, so early saltires were not meant as Christian crosses.

In the coat of arms maker the Shield tab has a Saltire ordinary and a Per saltire division, which splits the field into four triangles. The Shapes tab adds a saltire couped, a small X that does not reach the edges. Place a charge in the center, as Nova Scotia does with its escutcheon, or see the heraldic divisions guide.