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
The rampant lion within the tressure, the device of Scotland--seen in the
second quarter of our Royal Standard, Fig. 44--is first seen on the Great
Seal of King Alexander II., about A.D. 1230, and the same device, without
any modification of colour or form[19] was borne by all the Sovereigns of
Scotland, and on the accession of James to the throne of the United
Kingdom, in the year 1603, the ruddy lion ramping on the field of gold
became an integral part of the Standard.
The Scotch took considerable umbrage at their lion being placed in the
second place, while the lions of England were placed first, as they
asserted that Scotland was a more ancient kingdom than England, and that in
any case, on the death of Queen Elizabeth of England, the Scottish monarch
virtually annexed the Southern Kingdom to his own, and kindly undertook to
get the Southerners out of a dynastic difficulty by looking after the
interests of England as well as ruling Scotland. This feeling of jealousy
was so bitter and so potent that for many years after the Union, on all
seals peculiar to Scottish business and on the flags displayed north of the
Tweed, the arms of Scotland were placed in the first quarter. It was also
made a subject of complaint that in the Union Flag the cross of St. George
is placed over that of St. Andrew (see Figs. 90, 91, 92), and that the lion
of England acted as the dexter support of the royal shield instead of
giving place to the Scottish Unicorn. One can only be thankful that Irish
patriots have been too sensible or too indifferent to insist upon yet
another modification, requiring that whensoever and wheresoever the Royal
Standard be hoisted in the Emerald Isle the Irish harp should be placed in
the first quarter. While it is clearly impossible to place the device of
each nationality first, it is very desirable and, in fact, essential, that
the National Arms and the Royal Standard should be identical in arrangement
in all parts of the kingdom. The notion of unity would be very inadequately
carried out if we had a London version for Buckingham Palace, an Edinburgh
version for Holyrood, and presently found the Isle of Saints and "gallant
little Wales" insisting on two other variants, and the Isle of Man in
insurrection because it was not allowed precedence of all four.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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