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 Shield: 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 Shields 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.”

No. 418.— St. George. No. 417.— The First Union Jack. No. 419.— St. Andrew.

Upon the first day of January, 1801, the Second Union Jack, the “Union Jack” of to-day, No. 420, superseded the Flag of King James and Queen Anne.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.

No. 420.— The Second Union Jack. No. 421.— St. Patrick.

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.

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

The Ensigns now in use are:—