[CHAPTER VII.]
THE "ADDITIONAL" UNION JACK OF JAMES I.
A.D. 1606-1648.
14. Royal Arms of England, Henry V., 1413, to Elizabeth.
The kingdoms of England and Scotland had passed through their centuries of dissension and conflict when at length, in March, 1603, upon the death of his second cousin, Elizabeth, Queen of England, James VI., King of Scotland, succeeded to her throne, and became also King James I. of England. Before entering upon the subject of the joining of the two national Jacks in one flag, it may be well to consider the changes then made in the Royal Standard in consequence of this union of the crowns. The Royal Standard is the special personal flag of the Sovereign, and wears upon it his Royal arms emblazoned with "devise" or insignia of the kingdoms over which he rules. James, upon ascending the throne of England, immediately issued a proclamation instructing a change to be made in its then existing form (14). Richard I., Cœur de Lion, had displayed on his Royal Standard the three golden lions on a red ground, the sign of England. To these Henry V. had added three golden fleur-de-lis on a blue ground, typifying his right to the throne of France. This standard was used thereafter by all his successors, the sovereigns of England, and by Elizabeth. A change was now made by James to represent his additional sovereignties. To the standard of Elizabeth he added the lion rampant of Scotland and also the harp of Ireland, which had not previously been included in the Royal Arms (15), thus placing the three lions for England and three fleurs-de-lis for France in the first and fourth quarters; the lion rampant for Scotland in the second, and the harp for Ireland in the third quarter.
15. Royal Arms of James I., 1603.
While he changed the English Royal Standard, no change was instructed to be made, nor was evidently considered to be necessary, in the English national flag of St. George, which continued to be used as previously on the English ships by his new subjects. Thus in the early years of the reign of James, the English and Scotch ships continued to use their respective "red crosse" and "white crosse" Jacks, exactly as they had done prior to his accession to the English throne.
The nations had now been brought into closer contact, and the movement of shipping along their shores much increased as each was relieved from any fear of attack by the other.