List of English flags
This is a list of English flags, including symbolic national and sub-national flags, standards and banners used exclusively in England.
The College of Arms is the authority on the flying of flags in England and maintains the only official register of flags. It was established in 1484 and as part of the Royal Household operates under the authority of The Crown. A separate private body called the Flag Institute, financed by its own membership, also maintains a registry of United Kingdom flags that it styles 'the UK Flag Registry', though this has no official status under English law.
Certain classes of flag enjoy a special status within English planning law and can be flown without needing planning permission as advertisements. These include any country’s national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign; the flag of the Commonwealth, the European Union, the United Nations or any other international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member; a flag of any island, county, district, borough, burgh, parish, city, town or village within the United Kingdom; the flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire or any historic county within the United Kingdom; the flag of St David; the flag of St Patrick; the flag of any administrative area within any country outside the United Kingdom; any flag of Her Majesty’s Forces; and the Armed Forces Day flag.
National flag
Royal Standards
Government
Church
Historic counties
Islands
Local government areas
Heraldic bearings are granted to individuals and corporations by the Lord Lyon in Scotland or by the College of Arms in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on behalf of the sovereign as the fount of all honours. Local authority flags come within this category when based on the arms granted to that authority, and such a flag is the authority's personal property, representing that authority rather than its area.| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
| Banner of the former Bedfordshire Council | Red and gold quarters split horizontally by blue and white waves and vertically with a black band containing three white shells. The red and gold quarters are from the arms of the Beauchamps, the leading family in the county after the Norman Conquest. The waves signify the River Great Ouse, and the shells are from the arms of the Russell Family, commemorating their services to the state and to the county. | ||
| Commercially available Flag of Berkshire | Two blue lions passant and a Saxon Crown on a white background. | ||
| Flag of Cambridgeshire Council | Local authority flag. Gold with a red bordure based on the Scottish tressure. The blue wavy pallets represent the many rivers of the County, while the straight pallets are for the drains and dykes that run through the Fenlands. | ||
| Flag of the former Cheshire Council | Local authority flag. A trio of golden wheatsheaves on blue which have been associated with the Earldom of Chester since the late 12th century. | ||
| Flag of Cumbria Council | On the green border are Parnassus flowers interspersed with white roses superimposed with red roses. The centre of the shield is made up of segments of blue, white, yellow and green divided by wavy vertical lines and zig-zag horizontal lines. This depicts the new County and from left to right the vertical lines of segments show: blue and white for the sea, blue and yellow for the lakes and agriculture, green and white for mountains and lakes and green and yellow for mountains and agriculture. | ||
| Commercially available Flag of Dorset Council | Three red lions passant and a fleur-de-lys on a white background. Banner of the Dorset Council Arms. | ||
| Flag of Durham County Council | Local authority flag. A yellow cross on a blue field with lions rampant in each quarter, the centre of the cross is broken with a white rose of York and black diamonds on each arm. Flag modified from the arms of the Bishopric of Durham | ||
| Flag of East Riding of Yorkshire Council | Local authority flag based on the coat of arms. | ||
| 1975 | Flag of East Sussex Council | The banner of arms was granted to East Sussex County Council by the College of Arms in 1975. | |
| Flag of Greater London | The flag used officially between 1965 and 1984. Prior to 1965 it had been the flag of the County of London from 1889. Since 1984 the flag has had no official status. | ||
| Flag of the former Greater Manchester Council | Local authority flag. "Gules, ten Towers three two three two, all within a Bordure embattled Or". | ||
| Flag of Hampshire Council | Hampshire County Council local authority flag. This is a corporate flag, not the ceremonial county flag of Hampshire. | ||
| Flag of Herefordshire Council | Local authority flag. The red field represents the county's red earth. Across this runs a white and blue wave for the River Wye. In chief is a gold lion from the arms of the City of Hereford, and in base is a Herefordshire Bull's head. | ||
| November 2008 | Flag of Hertfordshire | Against eight blue and white wavy lines, representing the county's rivers, a gold shield bearing a resting deer or hart. | |
| Flag of Leicestershire Council | The flag is divided into four quarters. The first quarter is a cinquefol, or five within a red circle, the second quarter is charged a white lion with two tails on a red ground, the third quarter shows an ermine plume on a red ground and the fourth shows a black maunch. | ||
| Flag of the former Merseyside Council | The waves represent the River Mersey; the six golden mural crowns represent the six County Boroughs—Birkenhead, Bootle, Liverpool, Southport, St Helens, and Wallasey—that Merseyside was created from.. | ||
| Flag of Norfolk Council | The top part of the flag, shows a lion from the Royal arms of England together with ostrich plumes and coronet referring to the Prince of Wales. This is a very special honour for the County Council, the King, in the Royal Licence, specifically instructs on the design of the arms to be granted "in commemoration of our long residence in Norfolk". This of course refers to Sandringham. The lower part of the flag comprises the arms attributed to Ralph de Gael or Guader, first Earl of Norfolk circa 1069. The ermine may well refer to Brittany as Ralph was Lord of Gael in that Duchy. | ||
| 7th century | Flag of Northumberland | Historical flag readopted in 1951 and used officially by the county council, and later released by the council and registered as the flag of the historic county. Eight yellow rectangles on a red field, note that the canton should be gold. | |
| Flag of Nottinghamshire Council | Local authority flag. The wave is for River Trent and the oak tree for Sherwood Forest. | ||
| Flag of Rutland Council | Local authority flag. A green background strewn with golden acorns, surrounding a central golden horseshoe. | ||
| Flag of Somerset Council | Local authority flag. A red dragon on a yellow field, bearing a blue mace – a banner of the county arms. | ||
| Logo flag of South Yorkshire Council | Former local authority flag. | ||
| Former South Yorkshire Council | Flag based on the council's arms. | ||
| Flag of Staffordshire Council | Local authority flag. All the devices on the flag come from arms of various Earls of Stafford. The red chevron on gold was the arms of the de Staffords. It is charged with the family's famous Stafford knot badge. The lion represents the authority of the council. | ||
| Flag of Suffolk Council | Local authority flag. Coat of arms of Suffolk on a gold background. The main charge in the arms is the sun rising over the sea. Suffolk is the most easterly county in England and thus the first to see the sun rise. The open crowns and crossed arrows refer to Bury St Edmunds and have been widely used in the arms of Suffolk towns and districts. | ||
| Flag of Surrey Council | Local authority flag. Divided into halves, blue and black, with two gold keys representing the Chertsey Abbey, a woolpack on blue and a sprig of oak on black.. | ||
| Flag of the former Tyne and Wear Council | Former local authority flag. | ||
| Flag of the former West Midlands Council | Local authority flag. The flag has two dancetty barrulets interlaced to form a W and M representing the initials of "West Midlands". | ||
| 1889-1974 | Old Flag of West Sussex Council | Blue and gold flag with six golden martlets. Old 1889-1974 West Sussex County Council flag. | |
| 2008-Present | Flag of West Sussex Council | A blue banner with 7 light blue wavy lines with the crowned coat of arms in the centre in white. |
Districts, towns and cities
Historic kingdoms and regional flags
Historical flags
Royal standards
National flags and ensigns
Footnotes
- Registered at the Flag Institute.
- Designed by the College of Arms, the only legal body to grant official arms.