County Flags of the United Kingdom
Hey guys, today we have an interesting blog post for you where we are going to take a look at the county flags of the United Kingdom and provide you with a useful infographic and information about some of our favourite flag designs. Many people in the UK don't know much about our county flags and we are going to try to change that.
We hope that you enjoy this UK county flags blog post and please share it with your friends on social media.
Here we have a well designed infographic produced by the folks at De Vere Hotels which places the majority of the county flags in the UK on a map for you to check out.
Please note that some of the flags in this infographic are just proposed designs and are not recognised by the Flag Institute.
Image via Daily Mail
Best County Flag Designs
And now we have pictures and a little bit of information about 10 of our favourite county flag designs listed in alphabetical order. We have had a good look at all of the United Kingdom county flags and these are the ones that struck us as the coolest. Enjoy!
Buckinghamshire Flag
This is the traditional flag of Buckinghamshire which features a chained swan on a bicolour of red and black, taken from the arms of Bucks. The swan emblem dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when Buckinghamshire was known for breeding swans for the king.
Essex Flag
The Essex Flag is a community flag proclaiming the unique identity of this historic English county. The flag is ancient in origin and features three Saxon seaxes on a red field.
Flintshire Flag
The design features four choughs in each quarter of a black engrailed fleury cross on white. The flag was recognised by the Flag Institute in February 2015.
Herefordshire Flag
The red field in this design represents Herefordshire’s famous red earth. It also evokes the reddish-brown coat of the Hereford breed of cattle. In the top centre is the head of a Hereford bull with its typical wide white face, while the three wavy stripes in blue and white represent the River Wye flowing through the county.
Kent Flag
This design features a white horse of Kent on a red background and is supposedly based on that of Horsa, the Jute. Horsa was the brother of Hengest, who founded the Kingdom of Kent in 449.
Nottinghamshire Flag
The flag includes a white-fimbriated red St George's Cross on a green background, and a green silhouette of James Woodford's bronze statue of Robin Hood on a white shield
Oxfordshire Flag
The basic field colour is the dark blue associated with Oxford University; against this two broad, white, wavy stripes that symbolise the River Thames, and against this sits a red ox head, the combination of which alludes to the origin of the county town of Oxford. At the lower left and upper right corners, a golden oak tree and wheatsheaf or garb represent the county's woodland and agriculture.
Shropshire Flag
The flag is a banner of the arms of the former Shropshire (or Salop) County Council which were awarded in 1895. The leopards' faces, referred to as "loggerheads" locally, are a traditional emblem for Shropshire and several of its towns. The blue and yellow colours represent those of Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury.
Somerset Flag
In May 2013, the Somerset County Gazette, along with a local law firm, Pardoes, organized a county-wide competition to choose a county flag for Somerset. The competition was won by Ed Woods who submitted the traditional emblem of Somerset.
Surrey Flag
The flag displays a gold and blue checky pattern. The checks derive from the arms of the de Warenne family, Earls of Surrey. These are among the earliest coats of arms. The checks are also recorded in flag form at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle (1300), representing the Earl of Surrey.