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United Kingdom: Alternative flags

Flags that might have been

In an article about the Union Jack in a 1952-1953 issue of "Coat of Arms", the journal of the Heraldry Society, Commander Messenger wrote, "Instead of counter-colouring the saltire alone, the heralds might also have done the same with the field and then overlaid the cross of St George. Doubtless that may have occurred to them but after considering it they found the result would have been far less happy. Blazon: Gironny azure and silver a saltire gironny silver and gules bordered silver overlaid by a cross gules bordered silver."

David Prothero, 11 October 2001

by Joe McMillan

Reconstruction of the blazon of an alternative design of the 1801 Union Jack as described in David Prothero's message on this subject.

Well, I don't know that it's doubtless that the heralds would have come up with this one, but certainly they wouldn't have been happy. Especially since the silver border on the saltire would be invisible-- putting a saltire gyronny silver and gules on top of a field gyronny azure and silver puts the white part of the saltire on the blue part of the field and the red area of the saltire on the white part of the field.

Joe McMillan, 12 October 2001

In an article on the Union Jack, Emanuel Green wrote,

"The St George being a cross proper was not interfered with by the saltire of St Patrick, and consequently remained intact. This has been the cause of some further rather small jealousy from North Britain. As in the previous case in the first Union with the saltire of St Andrew it could not be otherwise. Had St Patrick come with a cross instead of a saltire, a cross the reverse in colours to St George say a white cross on a red ground, then St George must have been interfered with and the saltire of St Andrew left intact. Supposing this, and that the Heralds followed the same plan, St Patrick's white would have been quartered and counter-changed on and with St George giving it the necessary red border, as is now given by the white of St Andrew, producing something like .....?"

[If you can draw this flag, please send it to us!]

December 1891 issue of the Archaeology Journal. David Prothero

David Prothero, 13 October 2001