Essex, United Kingdom

Last modified: 2001-06-30 by rob raeside
Keywords: united kingdom | essex |
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The flag of the County of Essex, England, can be seen over municipal buildings and sports grounds in Essex. The flag, and variations of it, is used by many businesses and academic institutions in the county.

As well as being a modern English county, Essex is one of the seven ancient Kingdoms that united to form England in the 10th and 11th Centuries. The flag bears three "seaxes" in silver (sometimes the hilts are in gold) on a field of red which is the emblem of the ancient Kings of Essex. The old Kingdom stretched from the East coast, just north of London and went further inland towards what is now the English Midlands, but was then the Kingdom of Mercia.

The old Kingdom contains the modern counties of Essex and Hertfordshire and those parts of Greater London that are north of the river Thames. The modern county of Essex is about half the size of the old Kingdom and has pproximately 1.5 million people. It contains the ancient town of Colchester which was the Roman capital of the British Isles. Colchester was then known as Camelodunum, which many people believe to be Camelot. The County town and Catherdral city is Chelmsford.

The flag itself is free to use, BUT if the emblems on the flag are placed on a red shield the resultant shield is registered with the college of heralds as copyright. Reproduction of the shield would break UK copyright laws. The flag itself is NOT copyright.
Alister McClure, 13 May 2000

See also:

• United Kingdom
• England