| Union Flag |
Article Index for Union |
Website Links For Union |
Information AboutUnion Flag |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT UNION FLAG | |
| british empire | |
| international flags | |
| flags of the united kingdom | |
| flags of northern ireland | |
| monarchy in canada | |
| monarchy in australia | |
| national symbols of the united kingdom | |
|
Flag Ratio: 1:2]] The Union Flag (also known as the '''Union Jack''') is the national Flag Of The United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland . Historically, the Flag has been used throughout the former British Empire . It still retains an official or Semi - Official status in many Commonwealth Realms . The current Design dates from the Union Of Ireland And Great Britain In 1801 . TERMINOLOGY: "UNION FLAG" OR "UNION JACK"? The issue of whether it is acceptable to use the term "Union Jack" or not is one that used to cause considerable , the Vexillological organisation for the United Kingdom, asserts that this is not the case and is a "relatively recent idea". It also states "the Admiralty itself frequently referred to the flag as the Union Jack, whatever its use, and in 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that Their Lordships had decided that either Union Jack or the Union Flag name could be used officially. Such use was given Parliamentary approval in 1908 when it was stated that 'the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag'." Flag Institute Accessed 2nd May 2007 When the flag was initially introduced, in 1606, it was known simply as "the British flag" or "the flag of Britain". The first use of the name "Union" appeared in 1625. The word "jack" was in use before 1600 to describe the maritime bow flag, and by 1627 it appears that a small version of the Union flag was commonly flown in this position. For some years it was called just "the Jack", or "Jack flag", or "the King's Jack", but by 1674, while formally referred to as "His Majesty's Jack", it was commonly called the Union Jack, and this was officially acknowledged. The word Jack may also have come from the name of of the United Kingdom as "the Union flag (commonly known as the Union Jack) …". HISTORY The Union Flag before 1801 , with Irish harp]] When James VI King Of Scots inherited the throne of England and was crowned as King James I Of England in 1603 , the crowns of the Kingdom Of England (which since 1535 had included Wales) and the Kingdom Of Scotland were united in a Personal Union through him. Despite this Union Of The Crowns , each kingdom remained an Independent State . On 12 April 1606 , a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the Flag Of England , also representing Wales by implication, (a red cross with a white background, known as St George's Cross ) and the Flag Of Scotland (a white Saltire with a blue background, known as the Saltire or Saint Andrew's Cross ) would be ''"joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds, and sent by Us to our Admerall to be published to our Subjects."'' This royal flag was at first only for use at sea on civil and military ships of both Scotland and England. In 1634, its use was restricted to the Monarch 's ships. Land forces continued to use their respective national banners. After the Acts of Union 1707 , the flag gained a regularised status, as "the ensign armorial of the Kingdom Of Great Britain ", the newly created state. It was then adopted by land forces as well, although the blue field used on land-based versions more closely resembled that of the blue of the flag of Scotland. , Toronto, Ontario]] Various shades of blue have been used in the Saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep " Navy " blue, ( Pantone 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the Blue Ensign of the Royal Navy's historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on Maritime Flags on the basis of durability). The currently accepted flag of Scotland however uses a lighter " Royal " blue, (Pantone 300), following the Scottish Parliament recommendation of 2003 . The Blazon for the old flag, to be compared with the current flag, is ''Azure, the Cross Saltire of St Andrew Argent surmounted by the Cross of St George Gules, Fimbriated of the second.'' Wales had no explicit recognition in the Union Flag because of Saint David's .) The Kingdom Of Ireland , which had existed as a personal union with England since 1541 , was likewise unrepresented in the original versions of the Union Flag. The flag does remain in use however, appearing in the canton of the Commissioners' Ensign of the Northern Lighthouse Board . This remains the only contemporary official representation of the pre-1801 Union Flag. www.fotw.net/flags/gb-lthse.html#cnlc Flags of the World, Northern Lighthouse Commissioner's Flag This version of the Union Flag is also shown in the Canton of the Grand Union Flag (also known as the Congress flag, The First Navy Ensign, The Cambridge Flag, and The Continental Colours), the first widely used Flag Of The United States . Other proposed versions Various other designs for a common flag were drawn up following the union of the two Crowns in 1603, but were rarely, if ever, used.''The Kings and Queens of England and Scotland'' by Plantagenet Somerset Fry (Grove Press, 1990). Includes several proposed versions of the original Union Flag. One version showed St George's cross with St Andrew's cross in the canton, and another version placed the two crosses side-by-side. Also, some Scots were upset that the Scottish flag was underneath the English flag in the version finally adopted, and preferred a version where the Scottish cross was on top (the English flag was placed between the cross of St Andrew and its background).Flags Of The World United Kingdom - History Of The Flag: Scottish Variant Despite the flag representing a union of kingdoms, it has been suggested that the Union Flag be modified to include either the Red Dragon or Flag Of Saint David in order to represent Wales , despite Wales never having been a kingdom itself. (This status also accounts for the absence of any Welsh symbol in the Royal Arms Of The United Kingdom . The last symbol representing Wales, incorporated as part of the royal arms of Elizabeth I Of England , ceased to be used following her death in 1603 ). Since 1801 |
|
|