A brief history of Brirish Patron Saints.
| Saint | Date | Comments |
| St George | 23 April | St George (the triumphant) is the patron Saint of England. Also known as the Crusader saint and the Dragon slayer. He was born in what is now Turkey in 280 AD. He died on 23 April 303 AD. He is said to have died 3 times during torture and was finally beheaded. St George is also honoured by Muslims. He is known as Al Kidra(h) in the Koran. He is also patron saint of Catalonia, Moscow and Turkey. His emblem is a horizontal red cross on a white background. |
| St. Patrick | 17 March | St Patrick (the sinner) is the Patron Saint of Ireland. He lived in the 5th Century. He was a Roman Briton (not Irish). He was captured as a slave and taken to Ireland. There he was utilised to herd animals for 6 years before he escaped. He travelled back to Britain, eventually became a bishop, then returned to Ireland as a missionary. His emblem is a diagonal Red Cross on a White background. |
| St. Andrew | 30 November | St Andrew (the fisherman) is the Patron Saint of Scotland. Also known as Andrew the Bringer, he was the first of the disciples. It is believed that he came from Bethsaida, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He is reputed to have died in Greece. His emblem is a diagonal White Cross on a Blue background. This is known as a Saltire. |
| St. David | 1 March | St David (the waterman) is the Patron Saint of Wales. He was born about 510-520 AD near St Davids (The smallest city in the UK). He was the son of a local king, who raped St David's mother. He is reputed to have died aged 147. His emblem is a red dragon on a background of 2 horizontal stripes, the upper one white and the lower one green. |
