County Flags of England, Scotland and Wales

The counties of the United Kingdom have not uniformly borne distinctive flags, with a few exceptions such as Kent and Essex. However, certain territories have raised flags to mark themselves out as distinct and different, with a Cornish flag existing since the nineteenth century and Nottinghamshire's flag featuring Robin Hood. Gloucestershire's flag was registered in March 2008 and was the winning entry in a competition held by the High Sheriff of the county to commemorate the countys millennium. Today, more than fifty counties have their own flag, with the stories behind the flag designs being a window into local history and local pride.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2024
Publisher: Amberley Publishing

The counties of the United Kingdom, unlike American states or German Länder, have not uniformly borne distinctive flags. A few, such as Kent and Essex, have been associated with specific emblems for centuries, which in the modern era have also appeared as flags. However, certain territories of the United Kingdom, with differing historical, cultural, and linguistic legacies, have raised flags to mark themselves out as distinct and different.

One such flag is the Cornish flag, which has existed since at least the nineteenth century and is considered to be a 'national flag reflecting the status of the territory and its people as an assimilated Celtic land, rather than just one amongst many English counties.' Nottinghamshire's flag features Robin Hood, no surprise there, but why is he at the centre of England's St Georges Cross? Because Nottinghamshire is located at the centre of England. Gloucestershire's flag was registered in March 2008 and was the winning entry in a competition held by the High Sheriff of the county to commemorate the county's millennium. The winner explains his design: 'The green is representative of our rural county, the blue, the River Severn, and the yellow, Cotswold Stone.'

Today, more than fifty counties have their own flag. All of them are reproduced here. The stories behind the flag designs are a window into local history – and local pride.

Weight: 308g
Dimension: 233 x 164 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781398120082