Lancashire Flag | British County Flags British County Flags Posted on June 23, 2013 by vexilo Lancashire’s warm and sunny flag was registered in 2008. It features the county’s traditional red rose with which it has long been associated. A rose had first been used as a royal badge by Henry III (reigned 1216 – 1272) , who adopted his golden rose from his wife, Eleanor of Provence. This royal badge was then used by the four subsequent monarchs but Henry’s son Edmund (Crouchback) (1245-1296) the first Duke of Lancaster, distinguished his own badge by making the rose red. His descendants, the Dukes of Lancaster, used the badge as an emblem of the house of Lancaster. The specific variety or species of rose depicted is generally held to be the “Rosa Gallica Officinalis”, possibly the first cultivated rose. There are conflicting opinions regarding the prominence of the red rose during the period of the civil war, subsequently named “The Wars of The Roses”.

Although a badge of the House of Lancaster it is conceivable that it came to prominence only with the victory of Henry VII (Tudor) at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 in response to the white rose badge used by the rival House of York. The promulgation of this Lancastrian badge allowed Henry Tudor to symbolise the restoration of peace and unity by creating the combined red and white, Tudor rose, that came to symbolise England as a whole and to bask in the reflected glories of both York and Lancaster – each a cadet branch of the royal Plantagenet House. The floral union also reflected his personal union in marriage, with Elizabeth of York and the cessation of hostilities between these rival branches of the royal dynasty. Whether this deft, political use of emblems was of Henry VII’s own devising or that of some insightful herald is unknown. The association of the red rose of the House of Lancaster with the county of Lancashire seems to have developed retrospectively, thereafter, in consequence of its use as an element in the much featured Tudor symbol.

In the nineteenth century the red rose appeared as the badge, or on the military banners, of some county militia regiments including the Royal Lancashire Militia A red rose also reportedly featured on the regimental colours of: Blackburn Hundred Higher Division Local Militia, and Trafford House and Hulme Local Militia. Notably however in this era of the early nineteenth century other militia units from Blackburn, Leyland and Oldham for example bore no rose on their insignia. Similarly the red rose makes no appearance on the arms of the county’s older or larger towns and cities, for example; By contrast the arms of urban areas awarded in later years, regularly include roses, e.g. indicating a developing association between the County of Lancaster and the red rose emblem of the House of Lancaster. Architectural features incorporating the red rose also appeared at this time. A cobblestone mosaic depicts the red rose of the county in Williamson Park, Lancaster.

The building and grounds date from the early twentieth century Another cobbled mosaic of the red rose can be seen outside Manchester Town Hall, completed in 1877 Towards the end of the nineteenth century the red rose was also adopted by Lancashire County Cricket Club as the club’s badge demonstrating that the symbol had become firmly established as the county emblem. This was followed at the start of the twentieth century with the award to the local county council, which had been established in 1889, of an official coat arms. The firm association of the county and the red rose by this time is evident in the pattern adopted which boldly displays three red roses, of the House of Lancaster. The main arms were officially granted on August 31, 1903, the supporters were granted on October 26, 1903. The various other elements that make up the arms, for example the colours, are derived from the arms of the Ferrers family, earls of Derby who held the land between the rivers Ribble and Mersey in the thirteenth century before the Earldom (later Duchy) of Lancaster was created.

However, the rather distinctive heraldic “piles”, the three triangles on which the roses sit, seem to have been an entirely novel creation. Occasionally a banner of these arms has been seen over council buildings in the county A decade later, during World War 1, (1914 -1918) the red rose had become entrenched as the county symbol. The 55th (West Lancashire) Territorial Division wore the Lancaster Rose on their shoulder flashes as their Divisional Sign and had the motto “They win or die, who wear the Rose of Lancaster” At some stage in the late twentieth century the red rose began to appear in flag form, against a white cloth, possibly in the early to mid 1980s but the precise details regarding the inception of this design have seemingly disappeared with the passing years. Its initial appearance seems not to have been very widespread however, for in the 1990s William Crampton and Michael Faul of the Flag Institute were considering other potential designs for a flag for the county.

William Crampton conceived several designs shown below, clockwise from top left; a white flag with red cross between four roses, one in each corner; a blue-white-blue horizontal triband with a red rose on the white stripe, shifted towards the hoist; a white flag with a blue border and a central red rose; a white flag with a red cross and a red rose in the first quarter. Michael Faul designed a white flag with a blue Scandinavian cross bearing a red rose at its centre and a blue flag with a white triangle extending from the hoist to the fly edge bearing a red rose. The blue and white that features in some of these designs are the recognised livery colours of the house of Lancaster. Over the next decade however, the burgeoning popularity in the county of the red rose on a white background made these alternatives unnecessary. Several years after the inception of the Flag Registry moves were made by a local interest and pressure group named the Friends of Real Lancashire (F.O.R.L), to see this design registered. The organisation had been formed to campaign for recognition of the county’s true boundaries rather than the administrative area named Lancashire.

This proved unachievable however because one of the rules that applies to the registry is that it cannot have two flags of the same design representing different entities. In this case the shield in the arms of the Scottish town of Montrose was also white with a red rose and a banner formed of this design produced an identical flag. It was therefore necessary to consider an alternative design for Lancashire’s flag. Inspiration was found in the red and yellow arms of the county council. Graham Bartram of the Flag Institute applied these two principal or livery colours to the existing white flag with red rose, to produce a version in yellow In essence this new flag was an adaptation or simplification of the council arms in banner form The new flag was registered on November 20 2008 , at which time Chris Dawson, chairman of F.O.R.L referred to the flag’s derivation from the council’s arms “The Lancashire coat of arms is yellow and red, so the yellow seemed to be an appropriate colour. It seems to have been favourably accepted by everyone who has seen it. I think it will show up better than the white, which often clashes against the clouds. We’d like to see everybody flying the Lancashire flag.

We want to see it on public buildings.” As Graham Bartram commented at the time of registration “…it’s quite a striking flag.” Since then the flag has been raised on Lancashire Day and to celebrate cricketing success and now regularly flies or is displayed, around the county and appears on tee-shirts, caps and ties, badges, key rings and bags With thanks to Ian Sumner, Flag Institute librarian, for additional research and information. Useful Links Yorkshire Flag | British County Flags British County Flags Posted on May 17, 2013 by vexilo The flag of Yorkshire was registered in 2008. It bears a white rose which has long been associated with the county. The white rose, also known as the “rose alba” or “rose argent”, was originally the symbol of the House of York and is believed to have originated with the first Duke of York, Edmund of Langley in the fourteenth century, who founded the House of York as a cadet branch of the then ruling House of Plantagenet. The rose carried religious connotations, its white colour symbolising innocence and purity. It was accordingly also held to evoke the Virgin Mary, who was referred to as the “Mystical Rose of Heaven”.

An alternative view is that a white rose was originally a badge of the Mortimer family whose member Anne married Edmund’s younger son Richard. Their son, also Richard, third Duke of York and father of Edward IV, claimed the throne through his Mortimer descent and therefore naturally displayed their white rose in opposition to the Lancastrian Henry VI, who bore a red rose. The white rose emblem of the House of York is found as a detail in a book produced for Edward IV, the first Yorkist king. It has further been noted that the livery colours of the Plantagenets were red and white and thus the white and red rose emblems reflected the family split. However it should be borne in mind that The ‘House of York’ was a line of aristocracy, which, whilst owning estates in the county, was based, not in York, but mainly in the south of England and Wales. During the civil war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster there were few ‘Yorkists’ in York, in fact, major Yorkshire landowners were prominent supporters of the House of Lancaster!

By the 18th century however there is an account of an event whose exact nature is a little shadowy but which has certainly inspired a trenchant mythology that may have helped to develop the association of the white rose with the county. Sources report that at the Battle of Minden on 1 August 1759, Yorkshiremen of the 51st Regiment of Foot picked white roses from bushes near to the battlefields and wore them on their clothing. Some accounts describe this as an act of tribute to their fallen comrades after the battle, placing the flowers in their coats, although an alternative theory is that the flowers were plucked and worn during the advance as an act of bravado, placing them in the head-dress. Military historian C.E. Audax however, has written of this incident; in his work ‘Badge backings and special embellishments of the British Army’ published in the 1990s, he quotes one Major C.B.T.

Thorp, who, in 1932 wrote “I have not seen any contemporaneous account of the battle which mentions the incident nor can I discover that prior to 1860 roses were worn by the Minden regiments on the anniversary of the battle.” He goes on to say “…nowhere can I find mention of roses until some years after the centenary of Minden the celebration of which was clouded by the aftermath of the Crimea and the Indian Mutiny.” The Yorkshire Ridings Society itself on its website writes “250 years ago, on the 1st August 1759, soldiers of the 51st Regiment of Foot, a Yorkshire Regiment, took part in the battle of Minden… Reports of the battle mention that the British Soldiers picked roses and wore them on their uniforms, possibly in memory of their fallen comrades. News was in black and white in those days so the colour of the roses is not known.” which even sheds doubt on whether the flowers in question were actually white! However there is certainly a “white rose” tradition arising from these events and on August 1st, Minden Day, a celebrated British military victory is commemorated by Yorkshire regiments with the wearing of white roses.

Whatever the precise circumstance were, events do indicate a developing association between the white rose of the House of York and the county of York, which reached its full development in the nineteenth century. The term ‘Wars of the Roses’ is believed to have been first used in the novel”Anne of Geierstein” by Walter Scott in 1829 who likely coined the term from the fictional scene in William Shakespeare’s play Henry VI Part 1, where the opposing sides pick their different coloured roses at the Temple Church. Subsequently, the Victorian fashion for matters medieval, evident in their Gothic architecture and numerous “follies”, seems also to have cultivated the link between York and the white rose symbol, with a crop of rose motifs appearing on the buildings of York! In the twentieth century the association was extended to embrace the entire county; almost all Yorkshire civic arms registered in this period prominently feature a white rose e.g. By contrast Yorkshire’s older towns, such as Leeds, Hull, and York itself, have no rose in their arms; indicating the comparatively recent recognition of the white rose as the emblem of the county of Yorkshire.

The white rose also featured prominently in the arms of the local councils established in 1889 in the three historic divisions of Yorkshire termed “ridings”. This term, of Danish origin, referred to a “third” of the county and with separate judicial systems and lieutenancies the three Ridings operated effectively as separate counties. Accordingly a council was created to administer each Riding, which were each larger than many other counties. The arms of the West Riding Council, awarded in 1927, distinctively feature a “rose en soleil” a device adopted by the Yorkist king, Edward IV, upon his accession to the throne after the Battle of Towton. The emblem was fashioned by combining the rose of the House of York with the sun badge used by Richard III and was the punning reference in Shakespeare’s famous lines from Richard III; “Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York.” The combined badge seemingly indicated that the House of York, the white rose, was now combined with the kingship, the royal badge of the sun. The above image of a white rose from Edward IV’s book, in fact, looks rather like the rose is depicted against the rays of a sunburst.

The rose en soleil device is incidentally said to have been the cause of the result of the Battle of Barnet in 1471 when Edward IV confronted the Lancastrian De Vere, Earl of Oxford, whose men wore a silver star. Through a mist De Vere’s ally, the Earl of Warwick, mistook the star for Edward’s rose en soleil and charged his own side. The resulting confusion lost the Lancastrians the battle! The rose en soleil badge was very specifically designed to represent Edward, Duke of York, as King; its appearance in these arms, in the twentieth century, is therefore a rather marked statement of the perceived association of the white rose with the locality. Not only was a basic white rose a symbol of Yorkshire but even the specifically royal, highly adorned one, was appropriated as a county emblem. Accepting this, the use of this device by the one riding does seem rather arbitrary, as any of the three might have an equal claim to use what was evidently regarded as a symbol of the whole county. To judge from military insignia however, it is arguable that the white rose was initially perceived as a more specifically West Riding emblem.

It may be noted for example, that a white rose featured in the military colours of some local militia regiments during the Napoleonic period. A notebook in the National Army museum dated circa 1812, shows the regimental colours of some Yorkshire forces, of which only the Craven, Strafforth & Tickhill, Wakefield and West Halifax regiments included a white rose – several on the first named and one in the centre of the banner, for the other three. These locations are all located in the West Riding. Even so the white rose in this era seems not yet to carry any overt Yorkshire symbolism; none of the other regiments bore a white rose. Most other militia units used borough or town arms, the Southern Regiment of West Yorkshire Yeomanry, for example, raised in Doncaster in 1794 and disbanded in 1821, used the arms of the city of York to signify ‘Yorkshire’ generally; none of them it seems, deemed a white rose an appropriate symbol to depict on their standards.

A century later however, the white rose had become a defiantly Yorkshire device, for example “The Queen’s Own Yorkshire Dragoons” a yeomanry regiment of the British Army , despatched to serve in the Second Boer War in 1899, bore a white rose as its regimental badge which interestingly, was depicted against a blue background. Whilst in chief, or at the top of the shield, on the West Riding arms, are three more white roses representing the three Ridings of the county of Yorkshire. This feature was common to all three Ridings’ council arms and is an unequivocal statement that a white rose represents Yorkshire generally. It was therefore inevitable that a white rose would feature on the county flag of Yorkshire but who first placed it upon a blue piece of cloth, appears to have been lost in the mists of the not far distant past. All references to the origin of the flag of Yorkshire speak of it having appeared in the 1960s, the Registry itself describes the flag as dating from 1965, although exactly when, where and how this came about remains unclear.

It is pure speculation but one conceivable inspiration for the blue flag bearing the white rose may be the colours and devices borne by the county cricket team. The badge of Yorkshire County Cricket Club was designed by Lord Hawke, in the early days of his captaincy in the nineteenth century. Inspired by the use of a red rose by Lancashire, his rose however was not a real flower but featured eleven petals to represent the eleven players of the team. Yorkshire’s club colours are dark blue, light blue and yellow for the 1st eleven and plain blue for the 2nd eleven. These are knitted in bands forming the v-neck of each player’s sweater. The limited overs team, Yorkshire Vikings, wears the colours in the players’ overall uniforms. Use of these colours goes back to the start of the 20th century at least, although why these colours are used is unaccounted for. It does seem likely that with blue being so prominently used to represent the county in a sporting context that the colour became naturally accepted as the county colour, generally.

As can be seen above, the club badge appears against a dark blue background and indeed a dark blue flag bearing this stylised white rose is raised during matches as seen here in this photo from Scarborough in 2003. This is very similar indeed to the Yorkshire county flag, as seen in previous decades, which was also a dark shade of blue. Curiously in 1989 the magazine “This England” issued a chart of the Traditional Counties of England along with a series of stickers depicting the arms associated with each county – basically those used by the former county councils in most cases. There was of course no Yorkshire county council so it was necessary to invent the “arms” issued for this county and the sticker for Yorkshire shows a white rose on a, red, background! The chart and stickers also appeared in an article in the publication “The Coat of Arms” no.153 (Spring 1991) by Ralph Brocklebank who remarks on the red field, which remains unexplained. One wonders if the red shield in this chart may have been inspired by the arms of the former West Riding Council – which was partly red and featured a large white rose?

Brocklebank himself suggests that the West Riding council arms could be used to represent the whole county (as previously noted), rather than just a rose on a plain field, red or blue. The blue flag was promoted by the Yorkshire Ridings Society (YRS) which was formed in 1974, in the wake of the legislation which abolished the Riding councils, to preserve the county’s true, whole, identity. Again, exactly when the society first started to promote the blue flag is unclear; it was operating in 1989 so if the blue flag was being promoted at this time the red shield on the “This England” chart is curiouser still! By the turn of the twenty first century the blue flag had become quite prominent and with the advent of the Flag Institute’s registry moves were made to see the design registered as the county flag. The YRS cited the case of a Ryedale farmer who in 2003 was summonsed, but not prosecuted, for flying the “Yorkshire flag” at a time before the liberalisation of flag flying regulations and that this was one of the motivations to secure registration of the design. Its ultimate registration was not completely without controversy however.

The late William Crampton, founder of the Flag Institute, had considered a possible Yorkshire flag in the 1990’s, which placed the rose en soleil, now firmly associated with county, at the centre of a Saint George’s cross. Michael Faul’s, (later editor of the Flag Institute’s journal, Flagmster,) design had a Scandinavian cross in English colours, in recognition of the lengthy and significant Dano-Norwegian presence in York and the surrounding county, a neat encapsulation of the region’s history. The rose en soleil emblem of Yorkshire was retained. This latter version became an established contender for the county flag and was taken up by the Yorkshire Dialect Society and the “Campaign for Yorkshire”, which sought to establish a Yorkshire parliament.

Another contending Yorkshire flag was designed by Mrs Olive Snaith of Goole, which was also a white rose on a blue background and essentially the same as the flag that was registered, although interestingly the hue of this flag is significantly lighter than the shade of blue used in earlier versions of the registered design In 2008 prior to the registration of the Yorkshire flag, Michael Faul had called for all three contending designs to be given an equal chance to be registered, his flag having already been manufactured and flown by expatriates abroad and used by local bodies. In Devon, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire and Orkney, the designs were the winners of local competitions and he hoped for a similar opportunity in Yorkshire. The YRS favoured blue flag however, was also endorsed by the Lord Mayor of Hull and the Admiral of the Humber and other local representatives and ultimately the high profile of the Yorkshire Riding Society proved unassailable and their preferred design was registered as the county flag. In 2013, Michael Faul’s flag was submitted to the competition to select a flag for the West Riding.

With its colour scheme of red and white and its use of the rose en soleil device the design was similar to the arms of the former West Riding Council so there was a certain familiarity in the pattern. The flag was the winning entry in the competition and was duly registered as the flag of the West Riding by the Flag Institute on May 23rd 2013. As has been remarked the Yorkshire flag in earlier days had been dark, like the colour of the flag used by the Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Here is a Yorkshire flag in a dark shade, displayed at Mickle Fell, the highest point in the county, which was purchased in April 2008, two months before the Yorkshire flag’s registration. At the time of registration the exact shade of blue used in the Yorkshire flag was fixed as Pantone 300 This shade is the one used in the Scottish national flag, not quite as dark as the early versions of the flag but not varying from it by a great degree. In practice however, the adoption of this slightly lighter blue shade appears to have given rise to the production of Yorkshire flags of an extremely light blue colour as evidenced by this version flying outside the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2010.

Such very light blue flags appear to originate in the Far East where perhaps the guide of pantone shades is not recognised or followed. This recent innovation is not welcomed by many as it seems to have changed the whole character of the recognisable county flag. One wonders also if the above “Snaith flag” may have been an influence in this change of colour? The YRS itself refers to this colour change on its website where it states simply “ In the past this has been a dark blue background but more recently a light blue background has become fairly common. “ The orientation of the rose is also worthy of consideration. The rose in the registered design sits on one sepal, forming the base of a letter “Y” for Yorkshire, with the other two sepals at either side of the top petal. However, in the East Riding the tradition holds that the rose is depicted with a sepal at the top, that is, the inverse of the registered rose. It is posited that this reflects the fact that, as noted previously, not every land owner in Yorkshire supported the Yorkist claim to the throne, especially in the East Riding! This was not reflected however in the orientation of the white roses used in the arms of the East Riding Council.

The date of the battle of Minden, August 1st and the subsequent reported wearing of white roses by the Yorkshire regiment, is now commemorated as Yorkshire Day, when white roses are worn and the Yorkshire flag is raised. This photo depicts celebrations in Micklegate, York in 2011. With its distinct identity, the flag of Yorkshire is one of the most popular there is With thanks to Ian Sumner, Flag Institute librarian, for additional research and images. Useful Links CIVIC HERALDRY OF ENGLAND AND WALES-OBSOLETE COUNTIES BERKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (later) ARMS: Azure two Lions passant guardant in pale each crowned with an ancient Crown Or within a Bordure embattled Ermine. CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours upon a Mount Vert within a Mural Crown Ermine a Stag at gaze Or in front of a hollow Oak Tree leaved and fructed proper.

SUPPORTERS: On the dexter side a Lion Gules gorged with an ancient Crown Or charged on the shoulder with a Tudor Rose proper and on the sinister side a Horse Sable gorged with a like crown pendant therefrom a Mullet of six points Gold. Granted 1974. The later Berkshire County Council was created in 1974. On 1st April 1998 it was abolished and the districts became unitary authorities. The arms were based very much upon the former Berkshire Arms. The principal change was the substitution of a Black Horse for a White Horse as the right-hand supporter, the White Horse representing the White Horse of Uffington which is no longer in the county. The Black Horse represents the county's considerable connections with horse-racing, there being a reference in old county histories to the ancient native horses of Berkshire being black. The six-pointed star on the collar, refers to the six borough and districts in the county, and also to the close association of Slough with the celebrated astronomer Sir William Herschel. *ARMS: Azure a Bend Wavy over all a double Tressure flory counterflory Or.

*CREST: On a Wreath Or and Azure a Castle with an open Helmet above the port proper *SUPPORTERS: On either side a Great Bustard proper. Motto 'PER UNDAS PER ARGOS' - By water and land. Arms and crest granted 17th June 1914. Supporters granted 18th June 1914. The wavy bend stands for the River Cam, formerly a channel of trade and a source of prosperity, hence it is tinctured gold. It also represents the Cambridgeshire Fens, the last English home of the great bustard (now extinct in this country) which supports the shield and represents the wild life of the shire. The double-tressure of fleurs-de-lis is from the Royal Arms of Scotland, its presence in the arms of this English County being due to the fact that in the twelfth century the Earldom of Cambridge (united with that of Huntingdon) was held by David I, King of Scotland, husband of Earl Waltheof's daughter Matilda.

In this fenland William I encountered the sturdy opposition of Hereward the Wake and his followers, and the castle forming the crest is that which the Conqueror built at Cambridge as his headquarters against 'the last of the English'. The helmet is a sign of a knight bachelor in token of Sir H.G. Fordham, Chairman of the County Council when the arms were granted. The motto is an allusion to the river, the fens, and the agriculture which is the County's main industry. CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND ISLE OF ELY COUNTY COUNCIL ARMS: Or a double Tressure flory counterflory Gules over all on a Bend wavy Azure three [open] Crowns Or; the shield ensigned with a Mural Crown Or. SUPPORTERS: On either side a Great Bustard proper the exterior leg resting on a closed Book Gules garnished Or. BADGE: Within an Annulet issuant there�from four Fleurs-de-Lys in cross an open Crown Or. Motto 'SAPIENTES SIMUS' - Let us be men of understanding. Granted 1st September 1965.

The wavy blue band across the shield, like that in the arms of the former Cambridgeshire CC , refers to the River Cam, which apart from being a geographical feature was for long important as a trade route and a source of prosperity. The three golden crowns are from the of arms of the Isle of Ely CC . Forming a border on the shield are double lines set with fleurs-de-lis; this is derived from the Royal Arms of Scotland because the Earldom of the shire was held by Kings of Scotland in the twelfth century. Above the shield is a mural crown, a common symbol of civic government. The two supporting birds are Great Bustards, now extinct in Britain. It is claimed that this county formed their last English habitat; it is interesting to note that Wiltshire also claims the last associations with these magnificent birds and shows one in its Arms. Each bird stands on a book as an allusion to the University of Cambridge. The motto applies both to the community attitude of the area and to the significance of the part played by education throughout it.

CLEVELAND COUNTY COUNCIL ARMS: Argent a Lion rampant Azure crowned Or and gorged with a Collar compony Ermine and Or breathing Flames proper on a Chief wavy Azure on a Pale Sable fimbriated between on the dexter a Cogwheel and on the sinister a voided Hexagon Argent an ancient Ship sails furled pennons flying Or. CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours on a Grassy Mount an Anchor proper between two Estoiles Or. SUPPORTERS: On the dexter side a Hart Or and on the sinister side a Cleveland Bay Horse proper both gorged with a Collar compony Ermine and Azure and resting their interior hind hooves on three Ingots of Steel proper the whole upon a Compartment per pale of a Grassy Mount and Waves of the Sea proper. BADGE A Roundel Azure thereon a Pile throughout Argent charged with a Lion as in the Arms. Motto 'ENDEAVOUR'. Granted 10th December 1974.

The County of Cleveland was formed in 1974 from the Hartlepool County Borough, the Teesside County Borough, the south-eastern part of the County of Durham and the north-eastern part of the North Riding of Yorkshire. It was abolished in 1996. Badge The blue lion is from the arms of the Brus family who, following the Norman Conquest, were given substantial lands in what is now Cleveland, and its collar and crown are similar to those in the heraldry of the Dukes of Cleveland. Charles II created Barbara Villiers Duchess of Cleveland in 1670 and their illegitimate son became the first Duke upon the death of his mother in 1709. The flames symbolize the energy industry generally, the ancient ship represents shipping, the cogwheel - engineering and the hexagon - the petro-chemical industry. The two vertical lines separating these symbols represent the railways and are a reminder that the World's first passenger railway had its terminus at Stockton-on-Tees.

The anchor resting on the grassy mount represents the sea and the golden 'estoiles' are identical to the polar stars in the arms of Captain Cook, but are blazoned as estoiles as they are not in a North-South position. The supporters consist of a Hartlepool hart and a Cleveland Bay horse, each with a hoof resting on three steel ingots, representing the iron and steel industry. The motto "Endeavour" was chosen not only for its obvious message but because Endeavour was the name of Captain James Cook's ship. GREATER LONDON COUNCIL ARMS: Barry wavy Argent and Azure on a Chief Gules a Saxon Crown Or. BADGE: On a Roundel Argent fimbriated Gules charged with three Bars wavy Azure a Torteau thereon a Saxon Crown Or. Arms granted 1st September 1965. Badge granted 5th October 1966. Greater London was formed in 1965 from the County of London, most of the County of Middlesex, parts of the Counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey and Kent.

In addition the County Bouroughs of Croydon, East Ham and West Ham. Badge The arms combine the blue and white waves from the arms of the London County Council , where they represented the River Thames, with the Saxon corown from the arms of the Middlesex County Council . ISLE OF ELY COUNTY COUNCIL *ARMS: Argent three Bars wavy Azure a Pile Gules charged with three open Crowns Or. *CREST: On a Wreath Argent and Azure a dexter cubit Arm the wrist charged with the Wake Knot proper the hand grasping a Trident Or entwined by an Eel also proper. Granted 1st May 1931. The Isle of Ely CC was formed in 1889. It was abolished in 1965 and merged with Cambridgeshire CC to form Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, which in turn was abolished in 1974. The three gold crowns on red are from the arms of the See of Ely , which were used by the County Council before they obtained arms of their own.

They refer particularly to St Etheldreda, the foundress of the religious house which has become the Cathedral. Etheldreda was a lady of the royal house of East Anglia to which, long after its extinction, the heralds assigned for arms three gold crowns on blue. The blue and white waves refer to the fens and many local waterways. The knot refers to Hereward the Wake, but there is no evidence to support the tradition that Hereward was the ancestor of the family named Wake, but he has been credited with their knot. The eel refers to the supposed derivation of the name from 'eel isle', stated by Bede to be due to 'the great plenty of eels taken in those marshes'. MERSEYSIDE METROPOLITAN COUNTY COUNCIL ARMS: Azure three Bendlets wavy Argent between six Mural Crowns three and three conjoined in pile Or. CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours rising from a Wreath of Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper and Garbs Or placed alternately a Cormorant wings displayed holding in the beak a Branch of Seaweed called Laver proper.

SUPPORTERS: On the dexter side a Sea Horse proper gorged with a Wreath of Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper and on the sinister side a Sea Lion proper gorged with a Wreath of Garbs Or each supporting a Trident Or all upon a Compartment a Water barry wavy Argent and Azure. BADGE: On a Roundel Azure three Mural Crowns conjoined in pile Or in base two Barrulets wavy Argent. Motto 'UNITY IN THE SERVICE OF ALL'. The County of Merseyide was formed in 1974 from the City of Liverpool, the south western part of Lancashire and the Wirral area of Cheshire. It was abolished in 1986?. Badge The white and blue waves refer to the River Mersey and the six mural crowns, being civic emblems, to the six constituent districts. The red roses and sheaves are emblems of Lancashire and Cheshire respectively, both emblems appeared in the arms and dvices numerous former local authorites in the area. The cormorant or liver bird is from the arms of the City of Liverpool. The supporters combine national emblems with those of the sea.

ARMS: Sable a Pile throughout barry dancetty Argent and Gules over all a Pile reversed throughout counterchanged in the Sable a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper between two like Roses dimidiated and issuing from the flanks. CREST: Issuant from a Mural Crown Gules a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper dimidiating a Bezant. SUPPORTERS: Dexter a Horse guardant Or crined and unguled Sable supporting with the dexter forehoof a Hoe Gules sinister a Lion guardant Sable maned Or supporting a Miner's Pick-Axe Gules. Motto 'EACH SHALL STRIVE FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL'. Granted 1978. The County of South Yorkshire was abolished in 1986. Picture and information courtesy of Laurence Jones. The black diamonds on the shield recall the mining industry and the zig-zag pattern, coloured red and white, alludes to the heat processing of steel. The white rose of York appears in the arms and is repeated in the crest, here united with a gold coin which symbolises the riches of South Yorkshire - moral, intellectual and commercial.

The crest rises from a mural crown, sign of civic authority. The horse with the hoe is refers to agriculture and the black lion grasping the pick-axe represents the strength and courage of the miner. Both implements are coloured red to remind us that the County's natural riches must sometimes be bought with blood. WEST YORKSHIRE METROPOLITAN COUNTY COUNCIL ARMS: Or two Piles Azure [over all] a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper. CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours a Mural Crown Or standing thereon a Lion rampant guardant per fess Gules and Tenne crowned Or bearing in its forepaws a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper. SUPPORTERS: Dexter a Lion rampant guardant per fess Gules and Sable armed and langued Azure crowned and charged on the shoulder with a Sun in splendour Or sinister a Lion rampant guardant per fess Tenne and Vert armed and langued Gules crowned Or charged on the shoulder with a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper, the whole upon a Compartment representing the Pennine Hills. Motto 'BY EFFORT ACHIEVE'. Granted ?. Picture courtesy of Dennis Towner.

The two 'piles' on the shield form a letter W the initial of West and the white rose is for Yorkshire, thus representing heraldically the name of County. The shield is divided into five parts which stand for the five districts, as do the petals of the rose. The lion holds in his keeping the emblem of Yorkshire, the white rose of York, and the mural crown is appropriate to the dignity of the County. The two lions, as in the crest, are British emblems, and long used in many arms in Yorkshire. They are divided horizontally in colour to symbolize the new District structure of local government, and also the mid-way position of the County in Britain. The left hand lion is in colours representing industry, and has on its shoulder the sun, source of all energy. The right hand lion is in colours representing agriculture, and it bears a white rose for the countryside. The base represents the Pennine hills, so much a feature of the County.

Flower and plant emblems of the UK - Online English Lessons Online English Lessons You are here: Home / Guest posts / Flower and plant emblems of the UK Flower and plant emblems of the UK May 16, 2010 Anita Hunt of Nita Joy Craft Design has very kindly written me a guest post about the plants and flowers associated with some of the counties and countries of the UK. ___________________________________________ Flowers and plants are used in so many ways throughout our lives. They mark a variety of occasions such as the celebration of births and weddings, and the remembrance of someone’s life. And many of us love adding plants to our gardens, and protecting our wildflowers. Many flowers have a meaning, and the language of flowers is also known as floriography. The significance of flowers doesn’t stop there, as they are also associated with country and county emblems. England The Tudor Rose has always represented England. The Tudor Rose signifies the coming together of the red rose emblem for Lancashire and the white rose of Yorkshire after the War of the Roses ended in 1495, and Henry VII from Lancashire married Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV of Yorkshire.

Scotland’s flower emblem is the thistle , which is common throughout the country. There are many stories about why the thistle was chosen for their emblem, one being that it dates from the 1263 Battle of Largs . The story says that when the Norwegians took off their shoes so as not to wake their Scottish enemies, they did not realise that beneath their feet was the painfully sharp thistle. Their cries of pain woke the Scottish army who won the ensuing battle. Ireland Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland are represented by the shamrock, which is a three leaved plant similar to the clover. The shamrock is also known as Wood Sorrel. This plant’s story is that St Patrick used it to explain the Trinity from the Christian religion – the three leaves represent the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 17th March each year and it is common to wear a shamrock in honour of this day. In the USA, in towns and cities with a large Irish population, St Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated and many places have parades.

The phrase ‘ In clover ’, which has been previously mentioned by Angela in her series on English idioms, is also associated with the shamrock’s meaning. The shamrock is associated with many mystical stories and often linked with the Irish Leprechaun. Wales’ emblems are the leek and the daffodil. These represent St David’s Day which is celebrated on the 1st March each year, in honour of the Welsh patron saint St David. The leek was seen as a vegetable that would promote health and happiness, and so became an important symbol for Wales. The importance of the daffodil is relatively recent compared to the leek: it was introduced as an emblem after being a part of ceremonies in the 1900’s. County flower emblems Some counties in the UK are historically linked with their chosen flower; for example the red rose, whose historical significance to the county of Lancashire dates back to the middle ages. This particular flower emblem was also chosen quite recently, in 2002, to unofficially represent the United Kingdom.

To gain an insight into various flowers representing particular counties and countries the international wild plant conservation charity Plantlife ran a competition for members of the public to nominate a wildflower for their county flower emblem. The Plantlife competition is a fascinating read. The results of the competition highlight areas of special interest, with flowers and plants particularly associated with a given area. Dorset and Cornwall, for example, are famous for their heath so this was chosen as their counties’ wildflower emblems. To see a further list of the chosen wildflowers for various counties in the UK, please visit Plantlife’s website . What flower or plant emblems do you have for your county or country? Guest post by Anita Hunt from Nita Joy Design. You can follow Anita on Twitter @NitaJoyDesigns Read Anita’s blog: Handmade greeting cards Images © Anita Hunt

Question: Which English county is known as ‘The Red Rose County’?
Answer: Lancashire