The Flags of the World: Their History, Blazonry, and Associations — John Shaqi
The Flags of the World: Their History, Blazonry, and AssociationsHulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)
History
The Flags of the World: Their History, Blazonry, and Associations
Hulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)
Flags
In mediæval days many devices were introduced, the streamer being made of
sufficient width to allow of their display. Thus Dugdale gives an account
of the fitting up of the ship in which Beauchamp, fifth Earl of Warwick,
during the reign of Henry VI., went over to France. The original bill
between this nobleman and William Seburgh, "citizen and payntour of
London," is still extant, and we see from it that amongst other things
provided was "the grete stremour for the shippe xl yardes in length and
viij yardes in brede." These noble dimensions gave ample room for {21}
display of the badge of the Warwicks,[13] so we find it at the head adorned
with "a grete bere holding a ragged staffe," and the rest of its length
"powdrid full of raggid staves,"
"A stately ship,
With all her bravery on, and tackle trim,
Sails filled, and streamers waving."
Machyn tells us in his diary for August 3rd, 1553, how "The Queen came
riding to London, and so on to the Tower, makyng her entry at Aldgate, and
a grett nombur of stremars hanging about the sayd gate, and all the strett
unto Leydenhalle and unto the Tower were layd with graffel, and all the
crafts of London stood with their banars and stremars hangyd over their
heds." In the picture by Volpe in the collection at Hampton Court of the
Embarkation of Henry VIII. from Dover in the year 1520, to meet Francis I.
at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, we find, very naturally, a great variety
and display of flags of all kinds. Figs. 20, 21, 23 are streamers therein
depicted, the portcullis, Tudor rose, and fleur-de-lys being devices of the
English king, while the particular ground upon which they are displayed is
in each case made up of green and white, the Tudor livery colours. We may
see these again in Fig. 71, where the national flag of the Cross of St.
George has its white field barred with the Tudor green. In the year 1554
even the naval uniform of England was white and green, both for officers
and mariners, and the City trained bands had white coats welted with green.
Queen Elizabeth, though of the Tudor race, took scarlet and black as her
livery colours; the House of Plantaganet white and red; of York, murrey and
blue; of Lancaster, white and blue; of Stuart, red and yellow. The great
nobles each also had their special liveries; thus in a grand review of
troops on Blackheath, on May 16th, 1552, we find that "the Yerle of
Pembroke and ys men of armes" had "cotes blake bordered with whyt," while
the retainers of the Lord Chamberlain were in red and white, those of the
Earl of Huntingdon in blue, and so forth.
In the description of one of the City pageants in honour of Henry VII. we
find among the "baggs" (_i.e._, badges), "a rede rose and a wyght in his
mydell, golde floures de luces, and portcullis also in golde," the "wallys"
of the Pavilion whereon these were displayed being "chekkyrs of whyte and
grene."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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