History of the Union Jack and Flags of the EmpireCumberland, Barlow
History
History of the Union Jack and Flags of the Empire
Cumberland, Barlow
Emblems -- Great Britain; Flags -- Great Britain
The form of these escutcheons is well shown in the twenty-shilling
piece (18) issued during the Commonwealth, and also on a Parliamentary
flag (19) then in use which had on the fly the same two emblems.
One of these flags is still preserved in the house of the Admiralty
Superintendent at Chatham, the colour of the ground of the flag being
red.[45]
[45] W. Laird Clowes: "History of the English Navy."
Thus the two-crossed Union Jack of James ceased to be used and
disappeared from the navy, as it already had from the merchantmen, and
the single red cross Jack of England was restored to its position as
the only Jack carried on the men-of-war of the State, or on any English
ship sailing the seas.
The merchant vessels of the two nationalities continued to use their
English and Scottish national Jacks as before, but the Scottish ships
were especially warned that they must not carry either the King's arms
or the red cross of St. George, and in case any of these Scottish ships
should be met so doing, the State's colonel-admirals were ordered to
"_admonish them not to do it in future_."
[Illustration: 19. COMMONWEALTH BOAT FLAG.]
The position of the Jacks was now:
A.D. 1648.
_The State Ships_ The St. George crosse.
_English Merchantmen_ The St. George crosse.
_Scottish Merchantmen_ The St. Andrew crosse.
This position the English St. George Jack continued to hold on the
ships of the State navy until 1660, when another change took place,
and, at the "Restoration" of Charles II., the two-crossed "Union
Flagge" returned, without any proclamation, to the places where it had
been displayed before the change made by the Commonwealth Parliament.
On the _Naseby_ (20) it will be noticed that the two-crossed Jack is
flying at the bow and on the mizzen, instead of the single red cross
flag ordered by Parliament. How this came about is told in the next
chapter.
Here, then, ended the period during which the English Jack, having been
restored as a single flag, had continued to be, from 1648 to 1660, the
only Jack authorized to be used on the men-of-war.
After the return of the King his subjects evidently began, in their
enthusiasm, to make such indiscriminate use of this "King's Jack"
instead of the single St. George Jack that they needed, a few years
afterwards, to be reminded of the special instructions respecting the
flag which had been given in the previous reign. In consequence of
this, in 1663, another proclamation was issued, under Charles II., from
which the following extract is made:
"_A proclamation for the regulating the colours to be worn on merchant
ships.--Charles R._
"Whereas by ancient usage no merchants' ships ought to bear the Jack,
which is for distinction appointed for His Majesty's ships:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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