Flag of Saint David
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The Flag of St David is normally a gold cross on a black field, although it appears in many forms including a black cross on a gold field, or with an engrailed cross. It has, in some circles, been used as a flag representing Wales (as an alternative to the Red Dragon flag), in the same sense that the crosses of St George and St Andrew are used to represent England and Scotland (of which they are, respectively, patron saints). It is similar to, and no doubt related to, the arms of the Diocese of St Davids.
It is not to be confused with the Cornish flag, which is a white cross on a black field.
[edit] Use of the Flag
The flag can be seen throughout Wales, though not as frequently as the nation's official flag. On St David's Day it often plays a central role in the celebrations, and can be seen flying throughout the nation.
The history of the flag is somewhat ambiguous, though it seems to have emerged, or re-emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. One theory is that it was developed to fly atop Anglican churches in Wales, in the same way that the St George's Cross was flown outside churches in England, though since 1954 churches are more likely to fly a flag bearing the armorial bearings of the Church in Wales, granted that year. Others claim that the flag is much older than this; the accepted year amongst folk-historians is 675AD.
In any case, the colours of the flag — black and gold — have certainly long been associated with the Welsh saint, even if not always in the form of a symmetrical cross. St David's University College, Lampeter (now the University of Wales, Lampeter), founded in 1822, adopted these colours as the 'college colours' in 1888[1], and the flag of St David continues to be associated with the college, although it is rarely flown today.
The flag has also had military significance, representing the 38th Welsh Division in the Second World War.
The recent rise in popularity of the flag can be traced to the promotion of it in 1998 by a Cardiff-based businessman, Mervyn Ham (also known as Muhz) who arranged for six flags to be made and distributed to various football supporters. Virtually unknown at this time, the flag's appearance at Cardiff City football matches and at games involving the Wales national team generated discussion among the Internet based football discussion groups. Due to its strong visual impact, and the wide audience reached by the Internet, the flag was frequently copied by supporters and during the new millennium became a common sight both at football matches and within the Welsh community generally.
In 2002 Cardiff City F.C. incorporated the flag into their new logo. Their supporters have been known to decorate commercially produced flags of Saint David's cross with a bluebird, symbol of the club, to match the logo. Celtic Crusaders RLC, who started playing rugby league in Bridgend in 2006, also have the flag on their logo.
- ^ Price, D T W. A History of Saint David's University College, Lampeter. Volume One. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0606-3.
