Flag of Devon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
St Petroc's Cross
St Petroc's Cross

Flag of Devon is the flag of the English county of Devon. It is dedicated to Saint Petroc, a local saint with numerous dedications throughout the West Country and particularly in Devon. The flag was adopted in 2003 after a competition run by BBC Devon, the winning design taking 49% of the votes cast. [1]

Since its launch in 2003, the Devon Flag has gained popularity, and in October 2006 it gained "official" recognition when Devon County Council raised the flag outside County Hall. [2]

Although the Devon Flag is therefore relatively new, the colours of the flag are those popularly identified with Devon (e.g. the colours of its Rugby Union team and Plymouth Argyle F.C.). Lord Exmouth flew a Green and White Flag at the Bombardment of Algiers (now on view at the Teign Valley Museum).

The Devon Flag is made of three colours — green (Pantone 348), black and white. The green represents the colour of the rolling and lush Devon hills, the black represents the high and windswept moors (Dartmoor and Exmoor) and the white represents both the salt spray of Devon's two coastlines and the China Clay industry (and mining in general). The placement of the colours (specifically placing sable on vert) violates the heraldic rule of tincture.

The creation of the flag has drawn particular criticism from Cornish nationalists, [3] who claim that the flag is similar to Cornish flag in its use of an equilateral cross. The flag also bears resemblance to other flags of the United Kingdom, including the St George's Cross Flag of England, which is an equilateral cross of red on white.

Contents

[edit] Poem

The Devon Flag
Across the soft breeze in gentle rhythm
Like the summer seas upon its shore
The warm janners green flag flies
To mark this mornings coming day
St Petroc's long lost Celtic cross is found
The cruciform shape sea spume white
A calm white of saintly patience
The white of clay
Our flag, which on stormy days cracks and shimmers
Up in the salt caked cross trees
Of perhaps a thousand small ships
Marking those who have Devon in their hearts
May it watch over and guide our fishermen and seamen
Until they are safe again
Let it fly high on the church towers as the clock strikes
To bring the farmers
To the green fields which feed a nation
Dumnonia's flag
Its cross is laced with black
As is the Moorland granite
The timeless headstone
Where they have carved our names in the past
And where we will remember those who have served our nation
Yet even as the flag was born.[4]

Written by Kevin Pyne, mariner from Dartmouth.

The line about Dumnonia's flag refers to the Brythonic kingdom of Dumnonia which encompassed all of Devon, parts of Somerset and possibly part of Dorset. Cornwall may or may not have been part of Dumnonia.

[edit] When to fly the Devon Flag

The Devon flag group have suggested the following dates as days when it is appropriate for the Devon flag to be flown. Most of them are either the days of local events or the feast days of Devons Saints.

[edit] References

  1. ^ BBC - Devon Community Life - Devon gets its own flag
  2. ^ This is Devon: Nest Flies The Flag For Devon With Her Poem
  3. ^ BBC - Devon - In a Flap Over Our New Flag
  4. ^ http://members.fortunecity.com/devonflaggroup/

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../f/l/a/Flag_of_Devon_c353.html"
In other languages