List of English flags

List of British flags
English flags
Northern Irish flags
Scottish flags
Welsh flags
Royal Standards

This is a list of English flags, including symbolic national and sub-national flags, standards and banners used exclusively in England.

The College of Arms is the authority on the flying of flags in England and maintains the only official register of flags. It was established in 1484 and as part of the Royal Household operates under the authority of The Crown.^[1] A separate private body called the Flag Institute, financed by its own membership, also maintains a registry of United Kingdom flags that it styles 'the UK Flag Registry', though this has no official status under English law.^[2]

Certain classes of flag enjoy a special status within English planning law and can be flown without needing planning permission as advertisements. These include any country’s national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign; the flag of the Commonwealth, the European Union, the United Nations or any other international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member; a flag of any island, county, district, borough, burgh, parish, city, town or village within the United Kingdom; the flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire or any historic county within the United Kingdom; the flag of St David; the flag of St Patrick; the flag of any administrative area within any country outside the United Kingdom; any flag of Her Majesty’s Forces; and the Armed Forces Day flag.^[3]

National flag

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	from c. 1801 in present form	De jure flag of the United Kingdom, used by HM Government in England	Amalgamation of St. George's Cross, St. Andrew's Saltire and St. Patrick's Saltire.
	from c. 1245	De facto Flag of England (also known as the St George's Cross)	A centred red cross on a white background, 3:5.[4]

Royal Standards

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1837	The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom. It is the banner of Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Queen of the United Kingdom.	Split into quadrants, the first and fourth quadrants contain three gold lions passant on a red field (representing England and Wales); the second quadrant contains a red lion rampant on a gold field (representing Scotland); the third quadrant contains a gold harp on a blue field (representing Ireland).
		Standard of the Duke of Cornwall	15 golden circles forming a triangle on a black field
		Standard of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Royal Banner of England, with a three point label, each containing three fleurs-de-lis
	1305	Standard of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports	A banner of the Lord's coat of arms featuring three Lions passant guardant con-joined to these hulls, all in gold

Government

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1829	Flag of the Metropolitan Police	The Badge of the Metropolitan Police on a blue background, with white squares at the edge

Church

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1954	Flag of the Anglican Communion	A dark blue background with the symbol of the Anglican Communion (a compass rose surmounted by a bishop's mitre; in the centre is a cross of St. George). The Greek motto, Ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς ("The truth will set you free") is a quotation from John 8:32.
		Flag of Westminster Abbey	Tudor arms between Tudor roses, above Edward the Confessor's arms

Historic counties

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Traditional	Flag of Bedfordshire	Traditional county flag.
	Traditional	Flag of Buckinghamshirereg	Traditional county flag. A field party per pale of black and red with a white swan.
	early 19th century	Saint Piran's Flag, the Flag of Cornwallreg	A white cross on a black field, 3:5.[5]
	19 September 1950	The Flag of Cumberland	Design based on the arms of the former Cumberland County Council.[6]
	22 September 2006	Flag of Derbyshirereg	A green cross with a white border on a sky blue field, with a gold Tudor rose in the centre, 3:5.[7]
	23 July 2002	Flag of Devon, alias St Petroc's Crossreg	A white cross with a black border on a green field, 3:5.[8]
	21 November 2013	Flag of County Durham	A gold and blue horizontal bicolour with St. Cuthbert's Cross countercharged upon it, 3:5.[9]
	16 September 2008	Flag of Dorset – The Dorset Cross, aka St Wite's Crossreg	A white cross with a red border on a gold field, 3:5.[10]
	Ancient	Flag of Essexreg	A red field with three white, gold hilted Saxon swords or Seaxes.[11]
	March 2008	Flag of Gloucestershire – The Severn Crossreg	A mid-blue cross, outlined in cream, against an apple green background – the winning entry in a competition to commemorate the county's millennium.[12]
	November 2008	Flag of Hertfordshirereg coa	Against eight blue and white wavy lines, representing the county's rivers, a gold shield bearing a resting deer or hart.[13]
	25 June 2009	Flag of Huntingdonshire reg	On a green background, a gold, ribboned hunting horn – a flag displayed on the crest of the district council (and former county council) arms
	1605	Flag of Kentreg	A red field with a white horse in the centre, 3:5.[14]
	Modern form since 2008	Flag of Lancashirereg	The Red Rose of Lancashire on a yellow field (originally a white field)[15][16]
	24 October 2005	Flag of Lincolnshirereg	A red cross with yellow trimming on a blue and green field, and a yellow fleur de lys in the middle of the cross.[17]
	1909	Flag of Middlesexreg	A red field with three white, gold hilted Saxon swords or Seaxes under a gold Saxon crown.[18]
	7th century (modern form 1951)	Flag of Northumberlandreg coa	Historical flag readopted in 1951 and used officially by the county council, with use permitted to local people. Flies in more than 200 locations across the county.[19] Eight yellow rectangles on a red field, note that the canton (top corner nearest the flagpole) should be gold.[20]
	20 May 2011	Flag of Nottinghamshirereg	The inescutcheon represents Robin Hood
	20 May 2011	Flag of Oxfordshire – Saint Frideswide Cross	A white cross on a blue and green field.
	March 2012	Flag of Shropshirereg	The leopards' faces, fondly referred to as "loggerheads" locally, are a traditional emblem for Shropshire and have historically evolved from the loggerheads on the Shrewsbury town arms. The erminois aspect differentiates the county flag with that of its county town.
	July 2013	County flag of Somersetreg	A red dragon rampant on a gold field, from a longstanding local badge; the winning entry in a competition
	September 2014	County Flag of Surreyreg	Chequey Or and Azure; a traditional design derived from a personal coat of arms that are first recorded in the 11th Century.[21]
	20 May 2011	County flag of Sussexreg	Six gold martlets on blue are the traditional arms of Sussex
	1931	County Flag of Warwickshirecoa	A banner based on the County Coat of Arms, a silver bear with red muzzle and gold collar and chain supporting a silver ragged staff on a red shield, with three red crosses (each of which has its arms crossed) on a gold band at the top. The bear and staff is taken from the Coats of Arms of the Earls of Warwick, although the Bear is muzzled but not chained to the staff.[22] The chief is derived from the arms of the Beauchamp family, Earls of Warwick.
	30 September 2011	Flag of Westmorlandreg	A golden heraldic apple tree on white and red bars
	5 June 2007	Flag of Wiltshirereg	Alternating stripes of green and white represent the grassy downs of the county and their chalk underlay. The colours can represent hope, joy and safety (green) and peace (white). In the centre, the male Great Bustard is depicted in gold on a solid green circle to represent the open grassland. The circle is bordered in six sections alternating green and white representing the stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury in the county. The six portions also represent the six surrounding counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset.
	1965 or earlier	County flag of Yorkshirereg	The White Rose of Yorkshire (the traditional county emblem) on a blue field.[23]

Islands

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	14 April 2010	Flag of the Isle of Portlandreg	The colours represent the landscape of the area: Portland stone, grass and the sea. The white tower represents the castles and the naval coronet shows the long connection with the Royal Navy.[24]
	February 2002	Flag of the Isles of Scillyreg	The Scillonian Cross – A white cross on an orange upper field and blue lower field with five white stars in the upper right quarter, 3:5.[25]
	January 2009	Flag of the Isle of Wightreg	A white lozenge with an upper indent or "pile" on a light blue background, over six wavy stripes of blue and white.

Local government areas

Heraldic bearings are granted to individuals and corporations by the Lord Lyon in Scotland and by the College of Arms in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on behalf of the sovereign as the fount of all honours. Local authority flags come within this category when based on the arms granted to that authority, and such a flag is the authority's personal property, representing that authority rather than its area.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the former Bedfordshire Council	Red and gold quarters split horizontally by blue and white waves and vertically with a black band containing three white shells. The red and gold quarters are from the arms of the Beauchamps, the leading family in the county after the Norman Conquest. The waves signify the River Great Ouse, and the shells are from the arms of the Russell Family, commemorating their services to the state and to the county.
		Commercially available Flag of Berkshire	Two blue lions passant (referencing Berkshire's Royal and Norman connections) and a Saxon Crown (referencing Berkshire's formative Saxon history) on a white background.
		Flag of Cambridgeshire Council	Local authority flag. Gold with a red bordure based on the Scottish tressure. The blue wavy pallets represent the many rivers of the County, while the straight pallets are for the drains and dykes that run through the Fenlands.
		Flag of the former Cheshire Council	Local authority flag. A trio of golden wheatsheaves on blue which have been associated with the Earldom of Chester since the late 12th century.
		Flag of Cumbria Council	On the green border are Parnassus flowers (representing Cumberland) interspersed with white roses (Yorkshire) superimposed with red roses (Lancashire). The centre of the shield is made up of segments of blue, white, yellow and green divided by wavy vertical lines and zig-zag horizontal lines. This depicts the new County and from left to right the vertical lines of segments show: blue and white for the sea, blue and yellow (gold) for the lakes and agriculture, green and white for mountains and lakes and green and yellow (gold) for mountains and agriculture.
		Commercially available Flag of Dorset Council	Three red lions passant (referencing Dorset's Royal and Norman connections) and a fleur-de-lys on a white background. Banner of the Dorset Council Arms.
		Flag of Durham County Council	Local authority flag. A yellow cross on a blue field with lions rampant in each quarter, the centre of the cross is broken with a white rose and black diamonds on each arm. Flag modified from the arms of the Bishopric of Durham[26]
		Flag of East Riding of Yorkshire Council	Local authority flag based on the coat of arms.
		Flag of East Sussex Council	A variation on the arms attributed to the Kingdom of Sussex.
		Flag of Greater London	The flag used officially between 1965 and 1984. Prior to 1965 it had been the flag of the County of London from 1889. Since 1984 the flag has had no official status.
		Flag of the former Greater Manchester Council	Local authority flag. "Gules, ten Towers three two three two, all within a Bordure embattled Or".
		Flag of Hampshire Council	Local authority flag.
		Flag of Herefordshire Council	Local authority flag. The red field represents the county's red earth. Across this runs a white and blue wave for the River Wye. In chief is a gold lion from the arms of the City of Hereford, and in base is a Herefordshire Bull's head.
	November 2008	Flag of Hertfordshire coa	Against eight blue and white wavy lines, representing the county's rivers, a gold shield bearing a resting deer or hart. (Also used as a county flag.)[13]
		Flag of Leicestershire Council	The flag is divided into four quarters. The first quarter is a cinquefol, or five within a red circle,the second quarter is charged a white lion with two tails on a red ground, the third quarter shows an ermine plume on a red ground and the fourth shows a black maunch.[27]
		Flag of the former Merseyside Council	The waves represent the River Mersey; the six golden mural crowns represent the six County Boroughs—Birkenhead, Bootle, Liverpool, Southport, St Helens, and Wallasey—that Merseyside was created from..
		Flag of Norfolk Council	The top part of the flag, shows a lion from the Royal arms of England together with ostrich plumes and coronet referring to the Prince of Wales. This is a very special honour for the County Council, the King, in the Royal Licence, specifically instructs on the design of the arms to be granted "in commemoration of our long residence in Norfolk". This of course refers to Sandringham. The lower part of the flag comprises the arms attributted to Ralph de Gael or Guader, first Earl of Norfolk circa 1069. The ermine may well refer to Brittany as Ralph was Lord of Gael in that Duchy.
	7th century (modern form 1951)	Flag of Northumberland	Historical flag readopted in 1951 and used officially by the county council, with use permitted to local people as a County Flag. Flies in more than 200 locations across the county.[19] Eight yellow rectangles on a red field, note that the canton (top corner nearest the flagpole) should be gold.[20]
		Flag of Nottinghamshire Council	Local authority flag. The wave is for River Trent and the oak tree for Sherwood Forest.
		Flag of Rutland Council	Local authority flag. A green background strewn with golden acorns, surrounding a central golden horseshoe.
		Flag of Somerset Council	Local authority flag. A red dragon on a yellow field, bearing a blue mace – a banner of the county arms.[28]
		Logo flag of South Yorkshire Council	Former local authority flag.
		Former South Yorkshire Council	Flag based on the council's arms.
		Flag of Staffordshire Council	Local authority flag. All the devices on the flag come from arms of various Earls of Stafford. The red chevron on gold was the arms of the de Staffords. It is charged with the family's famous Stafford knot badge.
		Flag of Suffolk Council	Local authority flag. Coat of arms of Suffolk on a gold background. The main charge in the arms is the sun rising over the sea. Suffolk is the most easterly county in England and thus the first to see the sun rise. The open crowns and crossed arrows refer to Bury St. Edmunds and have been widely used in the arms of Suffolk towns and districts.
		Flag of Surrey Council	Local authority flag. Divided into halves, blue and black, with two gold keys representing the Chertsey Abbey, a woolpack on blue and a sprig of oak on black. (a banner of the modern coat of arms of Surrey County Council).
		Flag of the former Tyne and Wear Council	Former local authority flag.
		Flag of the former West Midlands Council	Local authority flag. The flag has two dancetty barrulets interlaced to form a W and M representing the initials of "West Midlands".
		Flag of West Sussex Council	Local authority flag. Blue and gold flag with six golden martlets.
		Flag of Worcestershire	Black pears appear in the arms of the City of Worcester, and as such have long been considered a county badge, reportedly dating back to the battle of Agincourt.

Districts, towns and cities

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Birmingham (City and Metropolitan borough)	Banner of the arms of Birmingham City Council
	2009	Flag of Cheshire East (Unitary Authority)	The logo of the council displayed on a white banner[29]
		Flag of the Borough of Dacorum (District, Hertfordshire)	The lesser arms of the borough displayed on a green field. The Tudor Rose commemorating Berkhamsted's royal connections and King Henry VIII who granted the first charter to Hemel Hempstead, the Oak Leaves of Ashridge Woods commomorating the five councils who combined to form Dacorum, Berkhamsted Rural District Council, Berkhamsted Urban District Council, Hemel Hempstead Rural District Council, Hemel Hempstead Urban District Council, Tring District Council
		Flag of the London Borough of Ealing (Greater London)	White with an oak tree standing on a green mound, the chief consists of three Saxon crowns on a red background.
		Flag of the city of Durham (Charter Trustees, County Durham).	A red cross outlined in white on a black field.
		Flag of the City of London (sui generis, Greater London)	A red cross on a white field, with a red sword in the canton.
		Flag of the City and District of St Albans (District, Hertfordshire)	The Cross of St Alban – A gold saltire on a blue field.

Historic kingdoms and regions

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1900s	Flag of East Angliareg	The arms ascribed to the Wuffingas dynasty of East Anglia, three crowns on a blue shield, superimposed on a St. George's Cross, 3:5.[30]
	13th Century	Flag of Mercia	A gold saltire on a blue field (Cross of St Alban); the traditional flag of the Kingdom of Mercia, still flown on Tamworth Castle.
	7th century	Flag of Northumbriareg coa	The oldest flag in England. Historical flag of Kingdom of Northumbria used officially by Northumberland County Council since 1951.[19]
		Flag of Wessexreg	A gold wyvern on a red field.

Historical flags

Royal standards

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1198 – 1340	Royal Banner of King Richard I	Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure,[31][32] meaning three identical gold lions with blue tongues and claws, walking and facing the observer, arranged in a column on a red background. It forms the first and fourth quarters of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom
	1340 – 1406	Royal Banner of King Edward III	The Coat of Arms of England quartered with the Royal Standard of France, the Fleur-de-lis representing the English claim to the French throne.
	1406 – 1603	Royal Banner of King Henry IV	The French quartering has been altered to three fleurs-de-lys.
	1603 – 1689, 1702 – 1707	Royal Standard of the House of Stuart, used first by King James VI/I	A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of James I, first and fourth quarters representing England and the English claim to the French throne, second quarter representing Scotland, third quarter representing Ireland. This was the last royal banner of the Kingdom of England.

National flags and ensigns

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Anglo-Saxon era		A dragon (known later in heraldry as a wyvern) which appears twice in the death scene of King Harold II on the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
	1620–1707	English Red Ensign	A red ensign with the Flag of England in the canton
	1620–1707	English White Ensign	A white ensign with the Flag of England in the canton
	1620–1707	English Blue Ensign	A blue ensign with the Flag of England in the canton
	1606–1801	English Union Flag	First Union Flag with the Flag of England overlying the Flag of Scotland

See also

• List of Cornish flags

Footnotes

• ^reg Registered at the Flag Institute.
• ^coa Designed by the College of Arms, the only legal body to grant official arms.

References