The Handbook to English Heraldry Part 31

Quarterings, Marks of Cadency, and Differences (but not impalements) are blazoned on Banners under the very same conditions that they appear on s.h.i.+elds of Arms. For example, the Banners, as well as the s.h.i.+eld, on the seal of Sir Robert de Hungerford, No. 392, are Differenced with a label for Cadency, and thus are distinguished from the corresponding Banners and s.h.i.+eld on the Seal of Sir Robert's father, No. 391.

Crests, Badges, Supporters, and other external accessories and ornaments of Armorial s.h.i.+elds have no place on Banners, a Banner representing a s.h.i.+eld, and being charged as a s.h.i.+eld. In the seventeenth century, however, English Banners sometimes were charged with Achievements of Arms, including all the accessories and ornaments of s.h.i.+elds.

In early times Banners appear in use at sea, as well as on land; and the same Banners were used both on sh.o.r.e and afloat. The _sails_ of our early s.h.i.+pping, also, are constantly represented as covered with armorial blazonry, and they thus were enabled to act as s.h.i.+p-Flags. Many curious and interesting representations of the strange, unwieldy, uns.h.i.+p-shape looking craft that were the ancestors of the British Navy, are introduced with their _heraldic sails_ and their Banners into the compositions of Seals. A fine example of its order is the Seal of JOHN HOLLAND, Earl of HUNTINGDON, A.D. 1436, "Admiral of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine," No. 414. The s.h.i.+p is really a n.o.ble-looking vessel, with her solitary sail blazoned with the Lord Admiral's Arms--_England, within a bordure of France_,--the same arms that were borne by Prince JOHN OF ELTHAM, No. 24. In this example the crew are not represented: but in other Seals of early s.h.i.+pping figures are commonly introduced, and almost always they are drawn of ludicrously disproportionate size.

This s.h.i.+p does not display any Banner from a banner-staff, but has a nautical Pennon of ample size flying at the mast-head: when Banners are displayed on board s.h.i.+ps upon early Seals, they are generally narrow in proportion to their height, a form of Banner adopted on land as well as at sea, in consequence of the greater inconvenience attending the display of broad or really square Banners. At a later period, however, s.h.i.+p-Flags of very large size came into favour.

3. The STANDARD, the third variety of early heraldic Flags, which first appears about the middle of the fourteenth century, and was in general use by personages of high rank in the two following centuries, appears to have been adopted for the special purpose of displaying the Badge.

The Badge was worn on his livery by a servant as retainer, and consequently the Standard by which he mustered in camp was of the livery colours, and bore the Badge, with both of which the retainer was familiar.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 415.--Standard of Sir Henry de Stafford, K.G.: about A.D. 1475.]

This Flag is of ample proportions, and great length; but its size varies with the owner's rank. Next to the Staff was usually to be found the _red cross on a silver field_ of ST. GEORGE. The rest of the field is generally divided per fesse into two tinctures, in most cases the livery colours of the owner, or the prevailing tinctures of his Coat of Arms, which in such cases may almost be a.s.sumed to have been his livery. With some princ.i.p.al figure or device occupying a prominent position, various Badges are displayed over the whole field, a Motto, which is placed bend-wise, having divided the Standard into compartments. The edges are fringed throughout, and the extremity is sometimes swallow-tailed, and sometimes rounded.

The Standard of Sir HENRY DE STAFFORD, K.G., second son of HENRY, second Duke of BUCKINGHAM (executed in 1483), is represented in No. 415, from a drawing in the Heralds' College. It is charged, first, with _a cross of St. George_: then, on a _field per fesse sable and gules_ (the colours of the Duke's livery), _the White Swan_ of the De Bohuns, with the _silver Stafford-knot_ (No. 304), differenced with _a Crescent gules_ for Cadency; the Motto is HVMBLE : ET: LOYAL; and the fringe, of the same colours as the field, is _componee sa. and gu._ In other examples a greater variety of Badges is introduced. The student will not fail to take notice of the systematic display of the ensign of St. George in these Standards, as the national armorial device of England. The use and heraldic display of these standards had practically lapsed, but the College of Arms has now reverted to its ancient practice of recording them in cases of the grant or confirmation of a Badge.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 416.--The Royal Standard, or Banner.]

The ROYAL STANDARD (to give it its popular name) is not really a Standard at all, but is the King's Banner of his arms. It stands at the head of our English Flags of the present day, and bears the full blazonry of the Royal Arms of His Majesty THE KING, as they are marshalled on the Royal s.h.i.+eld: No. 416. It is personal to the King, and its use by other people is not permitted. This splendid Flag, so truly heraldic in its character, and charged with Coat-Armour and not with Badges, ought to be styled the ROYAL BANNER. The same Standard is duly differenced with their own Marks of Cadency and their s.h.i.+elds of Pretence for the different members of the Royal Family. For use at sea, whilst the PRINCE OF WALES has his own Flag or Banner of his arms, all other members of the Royal Family use a flag showing the Royal Arms within a bordure ermine. QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ALEXANDRA fly flags of their impaled arms.

The UNION JACK, which is regarded as the national British Flag, as we now display it, is the second of its race. Strictly speaking, it is as much the property of the Sovereign as the Royal Banner, but objection to its use and display is not officially made. The _First Union Jack_, No.

417, was produced in obedience to a Royal Proclamation of JAMES I. in the year 1606. Its object was to provide a single National Flag for both England and Scotland as a single kingdom, which might put an end to certain serious disputes concerning the precedence of their respective Banners of St. George and St. Andrew, Nos. 418, 419, between the natives of England and Scotland--of "South and North Britain." This "Union" Flag combined the blazonry of the two rival ensigns, not marshalling them by quartering after the early heraldic usage, but by reviving a still earlier process, and by blending the cross and the saltire of Nos. 418 and 419 in a single composition. This was effected, accordingly, by charging the Cross of St. George, with a narrow border or "fimbriation"

of white to represent its white field, _upon_ the Banner of St. Andrew, the result being the Flag shown in No. 417. On the final "Union" between England and Scotland in 1707, this device was formally declared to be the "Ensign armorial of the United Kingdom of Great Britain."

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 418.--St. George.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 417.--The First Union Jack.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 419.--St. Andrew.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 420.--The Second Union Jack.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 421.--St. Patrick.]

Upon the first day of January, 1801, the _Second Union Jack_, the "Union Jack" of to-day, No. 420, superseded the Flag of King JAMES and Queen ANNE. The "Union" with Ireland rendered a change necessary in the Union Jack, in order to incorporate with its blazonry the Banner of ST.

PATRICK, No. 421, _arg., a saltire gu._ There seems good reason to believe that the so-called Cross of St. Patrick had little, if indeed any, separate or prior existence. The process that had been adopted before was again brought into action, but now a single compound device had to be formed by the combination of a cross and two saltires, Nos.

418, 419, and 421. As before, in this new Flag the blue field of ST.

ANDREW forms the field: then the two Saltires, the one white and the other red, are formed into a single compound Saltire counter-changed of the two tinctures alternating, the white having precedence; a narrow edging of white is next added to each red side of this new figure, to represent the white field of St. Patrick, as the narrow edging of white about the red cross represented the white field of ST. GEORGE in No.

418; and, finally, the red cross of St. George fimbriated with white, as in the First Jack, is charged over all. Such is the Second Union Jack, No. 420. In this compound device it will be observed that the _broad diagonal white_ members represent the _silver saltire_ of St. Andrew, No. 419: that the _red diagonal_ members represent the _saltire gules_ of St. Patrick, No. 421, and that the _narrow diagonal white_ lines are added in order to place this _saltire gules on a field argent_: that the _diagonal red and the broad diagonal white members_ represent the two Saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick in combination: and that the _fimbriated red cross_ in the front of the goodly alliance declares the presence of the symbol of St. George.

Sir HARRIS NICHOLAS has suggested that this flag may have acquired its name of "Jack" ("Union" is obvious enough) from the original author of the First Union Flag, King JAMES, who, in the Heralds' French language, would be styled _Jacques_: and so the Flag would be called "Jacques'

Union," which would easily settle down into "Jack's Union," and finally would as easily become "Union Jack." The Second Union Flag is always to be hoisted as it is represented in No. 420, the diagonal white having precedence in the first canton. To reverse the proper display of the Flag implies distress or danger; or such a procedure (very often, as I am aware, unconsciously adopted, through ignorance of the real meaning of the Flag itself) subjects the Union Jack to degradation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 422.--The Red Ensign.]

By a recent warrant Lords Lieutenant fly the Union Jack charged with a sword fesseways.

The ENSIGNS now in use are:--

1. The _Red Ensign_, a plain red Flag cantoning a Union Jack--having a Jack in the dexter chief angle next to the point of suspension: No. 422.

This Ensign shares with the Union Jack the honour of being the "Ensign of England"--the Ensign, that is, of the British Empire. When displayed at sea, it now distinguishes all vessels that do not belong to the Royal Navy: but, before the year 1864, it was the distinguis.h.i.+ng ensign of the "red squadron of the Navy," and of the "Admirals of the Red"--the Admirals of the highest rank.

2. The _White_ or _St. George's Ensign_ is the old banner of St. George, No. 418, with a Jack cantoned in the first quarter. It now is the Ensign of the Royal Navy: but, before 1864, it distinguished the "white squadron" of the Navy, and the Admirals--second in rank--of that Squadron.

3. The _Blue Ensign_ differs from the Red only in the field being plain blue instead of red. It now is the Ensign of the Naval Reserve: before 1864 it was the Ensign of "Admirals of the Blue," third in rank, and of their Squadron of the Royal Navy.

A Red Ensign is often charged with a Crown, or with some appropriate device, to denote some particular department of the public service.

With the Ensigns may be grouped the _Flag of the Admiralty_, which displays a yellow anchor and cable set fesse-wise on a red field.

The Ensigns are always to be hoisted so as to have the Jack next to the point of suspension, as in No. 422.

MILITARY FLAGS. 1. _Cavalry Standards_, being lineal descendants of the knightly Banners of mediaeval chivalry, are small square Flags, the colour of the field the same as the regimental facings; and each Standard bears the Number, Motto, and specific t.i.tle of its own Regiment, with whatever heraldic Badge or Device may be a.s.sociated with it. Upon these Standards also are blazoned the regimental "_Honours_"--such words as WATERLOO, ALMA, LUCKNOW, and others, which briefly and with most emphatic significance declare the services of the corps. The Household Cavalry, the Life Guards and Blues, have all their Standards of Crimson, and they are blazoned with the Royal Insignia and their own "Honours" and Devices.

2. _Infantry Colours._ In the first instance, each Regiment of Infantry had one "Colour": subsequently, two others were added: and, finally, in the reign of Queen Anne, it was decided that every Infantry Regiment or Battalion of the Line (the Rifles of the Line excepted, who have no "Colours") should have its own "Pair of Colours." Of this "Pair," one is the "_King's Colour_"--a Union Jack charged with some regimental Devices: the other, the "_Regimental Colour_" is of the tincture of the facings, on which the "Honours" and "Devices" of the Regiment are charged, and in the dexter chief angle a small Jack is cantoned: in fact, the "Regimental Colour" is the same as the Red or Blue Ensign (No.

422), the Colour of the field varying with the regimental facings, and the field itself being charged with the various Devices.

In their Colours, the Guards reverse the arrangement that obtains with the Regiments of the Line. With them, the _Kings Colour_ is always crimson, with or without a Jack, but charged with the Royal Cypher and the regimental Devices: the _Regimental Colour_ of the Guards is the Union Jack.

3. The _Royal Artillery_ have no Colours or Standards.

Military Flags are not now used in actual warfare by British troops.

I conclude this Chapter, which treats briefly of the Heraldry of the most important English Flags, with four still more brief general remarks:--

1. First: by all English people who are disposed to exclaim, making SHAKESPEARE'S words their own, "_Prosper our Colours!_" it ought to be understood that their National Flags are endowed with heraldic, that is, with historical significance, recorded after an heraldic fas.h.i.+on.

2. Second: this significance of their Flags ought also to be understood, that it may be appreciated, by all true English people.

3. Third: our Flags ought always to be made and represented correctly.

And 4. Lastly: our Flags, and all other Flags also, ought always to be hoisted and displayed rightly and properly.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE ROYAL HERALDRY OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND

_s.h.i.+elds of Arms of the Reigning Sovereigns of England; of Scotland; of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland-- Crests-- Supporters-- Mottoes-- Crowns-- Banners-- Armorial Insignia of the late Prince Consort; of the Prince and Princess of Wales; of the other Princes and Princesses._

"On his Banner were three Leopards, courant, of fine gold, set on red: fierce were they, haughty and cruel, to signify that, like them, the KING is dreadful to his enemies; for his bite is slight to none who inflame his anger: and yet, towards such as seek his friends.h.i.+p or submit to his power his kindness is soon rekindled."

--ROLL OF CARLAVEROCK.

"With Scotland's Arms, Device and Crest Embroidered round and round."

--MARMION.