[Illustration: I.
ENGLISH JACK--ST. GEORGE'S CROSSE
2
SCOTCH JACK--ST. ANDREW'S CROSSE
3
IRISH JACK--ST. PATRICK'S CROSSE]
HISTORY OF THE
UNION JACK
AND
FLAGS OF THE EMPIRE
Their Origin, Proportions and Meanings as tracing the Constitutional
Development of the British Realm, and with References
to other National Ensigns
BY
BARLOW CUMBERLAND, M.A.
Past President of the National Club, and of the Sons of England,
Toronto; President of the Ontario Historical
Society, Canada
With Illustrations and Nine Coloured Plates
THIRD EDITION, REVISED AND EXTENDED, WITH INDEX
TORONTO
WILLIAM BRIGGS
Booksellers' Row, Richmond Street West
1909
Copyright, Canada, 1909, by
BARLOW CUMBERLAND.
TO
THE FLAG ITSELF
THIS STORY OF THE
Union Jack
IS DEDICATED WITH MUCH RESPECT
BY
ONE OF ITS SONS.
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
This history of the Union Jack grew out of a paper principally
intended to inform my boys of how the Union Jack of our Empire grew
into its present form, and how the colours and groupings of its parts
are connected with our government and history, so that through this
knowledge the flag itself might speak to them in a way it had not done
before.
A search for further information, extended over many varied fields,
gathered together facts that had previously been separated, and grouped
them into consecutive order; thus the story grew, and having developed
into a lecture, was afterwards, at the suggestion of others, launched
upon its public way.
The chapters on the history of the Jacks in the Thirteen American
Colonies and in the United States are also new ground and may be of
novel interest to not a few. The added information on the proper
proportions of our Union Jack, and the directions and reasons for the
proper making of its parts, may serve to correct some of the unhappy
errors which now exist and may interest all in the observation and
study of flags.
An Index has been added, and a record of the "Diamond Anthem" is also
appended.
I would acknowledge the criticisms and kindly assistance of many,
particularly of Mr. James Bain, Public Librarian of Toronto, who
opened out to me the valuable collection in his library; of Mr. J. G.
Colmer, C.M.G., Secretary to the Canadian High Commissioner, London,
who assisted in obtaining material in England; and of Mr. W. Laird
Clowes, Sir James Le Moine, Sir J. G. Bourinot and Dr. J. G. Hodgins,
Historiographer of Ontario, who have made many valuable and effective
suggestions.
BARLOW CUMBERLAND.
TORONTO, _October 1, 1900_.
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
The celebration of EMPIRE DAY and of other National and Historic
Anniversaries, accompanied by appropriate addresses, has greatly
developed at home and abroad. The instructing value of Flags as the
visible evidences of the progressive periods of National history,
and the concentration of patriotic remembrance, having become more
appreciated, have led, no doubt, to the request for a re-issue of this
book, which had been for some time out of print.
For such purposes, and as an assistance to Readers and Teachers, the
material has been practically recast and new matter incorporated,
so that with the collations in the Index the phases of the various
portions of the Flags, both of the British and other nationalities, may
be more conveniently traced and connected.
Much additional information, particularly in the designing and creation
of the Flags, has been sought out and, with additional illustrations,
recorded with a view that the intentions expressed in their forms
may be more clearly evidenced, their meanings realized, and their
connection with Constitutional movements developed.
The suggestions and assistance of many correspondents, to this end, has
been much availed of and is thankfully acknowledged.
During the interval since the last issue the Liberties and Methods
of the British Constitution have still further expanded. Additional
Daughter-Parliaments in the Dominions over-seas have been empowered,
and their Union Flags created. To these, as also added information on
other Ensigns, is due the addition to the Title.
The references in stating the progress of our National Flag are,
of necessity, much condensed, but the writer trusts that with the
instructing aid and narrations of its exponents, the information here
put together may be found of help in causing the study of Flags, and
the stories which they voice, to be of increasing interest, and their
Union Jack and Ensigns more intimately known to our youth as the living
emblems of our British History and Union.
PORT HOPE, _September, 1909_.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
A Poem--The Union Jack 11
Notes on Flags 12
I. Emblems and Flags 13
II. The Origins of National Flags 21
III. The Origin of the Jacks 32
IV. The English Jack 41
V. The Supremacy of the English Jack 53
VI. The Scottish Jack 64
VII. The "Additional" Union Jack of James I. 71
VIII. The English Jack Restored 81
IX. The Evolution of the Red Ensign 92
X. The Sovereignty of the Seas--The Fight for the
Flag 102
XI. The Sovereignty of the Seas--The Fight for the
Trade 111
XII. The Union Jack of Queen Anne, 1707 118
XIII. The Two-Crossed Jack in Canada 132
XIV. The Irish Jack 140
XV. The Jacks in the Thirteen Colonies of North America 153
XVI. The Union Flags of the United States 170
XVII. The Jack and Parliamentary Union in Britain 182
XVIII. The Jack and Parliamentary Union in Canada 189
XIX. The Union Jack of George III., 1801 199
XX. The Lessons of the Crosses 215
XXI. The Proportions of the Crosses 222
XXII. Under the Three Crosses in Canada 235
XXIII. The Flag of Freedom 243
XXIV. The Flag of Liberty 253
XXV. The Union Jack as a Single Flag 264
XXVI. The Jacks in Red, White and Blue Ensigns 272
XXVII. The Union Ensigns of the British Empire 280
Appendix A. The Maple Leaf Emblem 295
Appendix B. Letters from the Private Secretary of His
Majesty King Edward VII. 298
Appendix C. Canadian War Medals 299
Appendix D. A Record of the "Diamond Anthem" 300
Index 313
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
NO. PAGE
1. Assyrian Emblems 15
2. Eagle Emblems 16
3. Tortoise Totem 18
4. Wolf Totem 18
5. The Hawaiian Ensign 30
6. A Red Cross Knight 35
7. Colours of 10th Royal Grenadiers, Canada 39
8. St. George's Jack 41
9. The Borough Seal of Lyme Regis, 1284 46
10. Brass in Elsing Church, 1347 49
11. The _Henri Grace à Dieu_, 1515 60
12. St. Andrew's Jack 64
13. Scotch "Talle Shippe," 16th Century 67
14. Royal Arms of England, Henry V., 1413, to Elizabeth 71
15. Royal Arms of James I., 1603 72
16. Jack of James I., 1606 74
17. The _Sovereign of the Seas_, 1637 85
18. Commonwealth Twenty-Shilling Piece 87
19. Commonwealth Boat Flag 88
20. The _Naseby_. Charles II. 95
21. Medal of Charles II., 1665 98
22. Whip-lash Pennant, British Navy 108
23. Union Jack of Anne, 1707 118
24. Draft "C," Union Jack, 1707 121
25. The Red Ensign in "The Margent," 1707 125
26. Fort Niagara, 1759 128
27. The Assault at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec, 1759 130
28. St. Patrick's Jack 141
29. Labarum of Constantine 142
30. Harp of Hibernia 143
31. Seal of Carrickfergus, 1605 148
32. Royal Arms of Queen Victoria 148
33. Medal of Queen's First Visit to Ireland 149
34. The Throne of Queen Victoria in the House of Lords, 1900 150
35. Arms of the Fitzgeralds 151
36. Medal of Louis XIV., "_Kebeca Liberata_," 1690 165
37. New England Ensign 166
38. The Louisbourg Medal, 1758 168
39. The First Union Flag, 1776 174
40. The Pennsylvania Flag, 1776 176
41. Arms of the Washington Family 177
42. Washington's Book-Plate 178
43. Washington's Seals 179
44. Fort George and the Port of New York in 1770 187
45. Royal Arms of George II. 190
46. The Great Seal of Upper Canada, 1792 195
47. Upper Canada Penny 198
48. Draft "C" of Union Jack, 1800 200
49. Royal Arms of George III., 1801 202
50. Union Jack of George III., 1801 203
51. Outline Jack--The Proper Proportions of the Crosses 209
52. The Union Jack and Shackleton at Farthest South 213
53. Square Union Jack 219
54. Oblong Union Jack 220
55. Flag of a French Caravel, 16th Century 223
56. The Colonial Jack, 1701 226
57. Jack of England, 1711 227
58. Jack in Carolina, 1739 228
59. The Combat between _La Surveillante_ and the _Quebec_, 1779 229
60. Ensign of 7th Royal Fusiliers, 1775 230
61. "King's Colour," 1781 231
62. The War Medal, 1793-1814 236
63. The Service Medal, Canada, 1866-1870 237
64. The North-West Canada Medal, 1885 240
65. Flag of the Governor-General of Canada 259
66. Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec 260
67. Australian Emblems 283
68. Australian Federation Badge 287
69. Suggested Canadian Union Ensign 297
COLOURED PLATES.
PLATE I. _Frontispiece_
1. English Jack--St. George's Crosse.
2. Scottish Jack--St. Andrew's Crosse.
3. Irish Jack--St. Patrick's Crosse.
PLATE II. 22
1. Germany. 2. Italy.
3. Greece. 4. Hawaii.
5. Champlain, 1608. 6. French from 1794.
PLATE III. 76
1. The Percys' Ensign, 1560.
2. Union Jack of James I., 1606.
3. Colonial Union Jack, 1701.
PLATE IV. 92
1. Commonwealth Ensign, 1648.
2. Cromwell's "Great Union," 1658.
3. Ensign Red--Charles II., 1660.
PLATE V. 118
1. Union Jack of Anne, 1707.
2. Red Ensign of Anne, 1707.
3. Union Jack of George III., 1801.
PLATE VI. 174
1. Grand Union, 1776.
2. United States, 1777.
3. United States, 1909.
PLATE VII. 218
1. Present Union Jack upside down.
2. Jack wrongly made.
3. Jack wrongly made.
PLATE VIII. 272
1. Red Ensign.
2. White Ensign.
3. Blue Ensign.
PLATE IX. 280
1. Canadian Union Ensign.
2. Australian Union Ensign.
3. New Zealand Union Ensign.
[Illustration: ST. GEORGE.]
THE UNION JACK.
"It's only a small bit of bunting,
It's only an old coloured rag,
Yet thousands have died for its honour
And shed their best blood for the flag.
"It's charged with the cross of St. Andrew,
Which, of old, Scotland's heroes has led;
It carries the cross of St. Patrick,
For which Ireland's bravest have bled.
"Joined with these is our old English ensign,
St. George's red cross on white field,
Round which, from King Richard to Wolseley,
Britons conquer or die, but ne'er yield.
"It flutters triumphant o'er ocean,
As free as the winds and the waves;
And bondsmen from shackles unloosened
'Neath its shadows no longer are slaves.
"It floats over Cypress and Malta,
O'er Canada, the Indies, Hong Kong;
And Britons, where'er their flag's flying,
Claim the rights which to Britons belong.
"We hoist it to show our devotion
To our Queen, to our country, and laws;
It's the outward and visible emblem
Of advancement and Liberty's cause.
"You may say it's an old bit of bunting,
You may call it an old coloured rag;
But Freedom has made it majestic,
And time has ennobled the flag."
--"ST. GEORGE."
NOTES ON FLAGS.
NAMES OF PARTS.
Particular names are given to the several parts of a flag.
The part next the flagstaff, or width, Is called the "_hoist_."
The outer part, or length, is termed the "_fly_," and also the
"_field_."
These parts are further divided into "_quarters_," or "_cantons_": two
"_next the staff_," two "_in the fly_."
These descriptive terms should be noted, as they will be in constant
use in the pages which follow.
USAGE.
A flag at half-mast is a sign of mourning.
A flag reversed is a signal of distress.
The lowering of a flag is a signal of surrender.
The raising of the victors' flag in its place is a signal of capture.
The nationality of a country is shown by its flag.
The nationality of a vessel is made known by the flag she flies at the
stern.
To hoist the flag of one nation under that of another nation, on the
same flag-staff, is to show it disrespect.
History of the Union Jack
And Flags of the Empire.
CHAPTER I.
_EMBLEMS AND FLAGS._
There is an instinct in the human race which delights in the flying of
flags--a sentiment which appears to be inborn, causing men to become
enthusiastic about a significant emblem raised in the air, whether as
the insignia of descent, or as a symbol of race, or of nationality;
something which, being held aloft before the sight of other men,
declares, at a glance, the side to which the bearer belongs, and serves
as a rallying point for those who think with him.
The child chortles at a piece of riband waved before him; a boy marches
with head erect and martial stride as bearer of the banner at the
head of his mimic battalion; the man, at duty's call, rallies to his
national standard, and leaving home and all, stakes his life for it in
his country's cause; and when the battle of life is closing and steps
are homeward bound, the gray-beard, lifting his heart-filled eyes,
blesses the day that brings him back within sight of his native flag.
At all ages and in all times has it been the same. The deeper we go
into the records of the past the more evidence do we find that man,
however varied his race or primitive his condition, however cultured
his surroundings or rude his methods, has universally displayed this
innate characteristic instinct of delighting and glorifying in some
personal or national emblem.
To search for and discover the emblems which they bore thus discloses
to us the eras of a people's history, and, therefore, it is that
the study of a nation's flag is something more than a mere passing
interest, and becomes one of real educational value, meriting our
closest investigation, for _the study of Flags is really the tracing of
History by sight_.
In ancient Africa, explorations among the sculptured antiquities on
the Nile have brought to light a series of national and religious
emblem-standards, which had meaning and use among the Egyptians
long before history had a written record. The fans and hieroglyphic
standards of the Pharaohs are the index to their dynasties.
The Israelites, at the time of the Exodus, had their distinctive
emblems, and in the Book of Numbers (ch. ii. 2), it is related how
Moses directed that in their journeyings, "_Every man of the children
of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their
father's house_."
So it came that to every Jewish child, in all the subsequent centuries,
the emblem on the standard of his tribe recalled the history and the
trials of his ancestors and fortified his faith in the God of their
Deliverance.
From the lost cities of Nineveh have been unearthed the ensign of the
great Assyrian race, the "Twin Bull" (1), sign of their imperial might,
and the records of their warriors are thus identified.
[Illustration: 1. ASSYRIAN EMBLEMS.]
In Europe in later times there were few parts of the continent which
did not become acquainted with the metal ensigns of the great Roman
Empire. The formidable Legions of their armies, issuing from the centre
of the realm, carried the Imperial Eagle at their head, and setting
it in triumph over many a subjugated state, established its supremacy
among the peoples as a sign of the all-conquering power of their mighty
Empire. To this eagle of the Roman legions may be traced back the crop
of eagle emblems (2), which are borne by so many of the nationalities
of Europe at the present day. The golden eagle of the French
battalions, the black eagle of Prussia, the white eagle of Poland, and
the double-headed eagles of Austria and Russia, whose two heads typify
claim to sovereignty over both the ancient Eastern and Western sections
of the Roman Empire, are all descendants from the Imperial Eagle of
ancient Rome.
[Illustration: 2. EAGLE EMBLEMS.
_Austrian._ _Roman._ _Russian._
_Prussian._ _French._]
As these nationalities of modern Europe have successively arisen and
developed into their separate existence, the emblem of their ancient
subjugation has been raised by them as the emblem of their power, just
as the Cross, which was once the emblem of the degradation and death
of the Christ, has been accepted as the signal and glory of the nations
which have come under the Christian sway.
As on the Eastern, so also on the Western hemisphere. On all continents
the rainbow in the heavens is a perpetual memorial of the covenant
made between God and man--the sign that behind the wonders of nature
dwells the still more wonderful First Cause and Author of them all.
The Peruvians, far back in the centuries of existence on the continent
of South America, had preserved a tradition of a great event which,
although it had taken place on another hemisphere, yet had been, by
some means, transmitted to theirs, and, tracing from it the story of
their national origin, they carried this emblem as sign of the lineage
which they claimed as being, as they called themselves, "_The Children
of the Skies_." Thus it was that under the standard of a "_Rainbow_"
the armies of the Incas of Peru valiantly resisted the invasions of
Pizzaro when, in the sixteenth century, the South American Continent
came under the domination of Spain.
National emblems were borne farther north on the Northern continent
by another nation, even yet more ancient than the Peruvians. Embedded
in the ruins of buried cities of the Aztecs, in Mexico, are found the
memorials of a constructive and artistic people, whose emblem of the
"_Eagle with outstretched wings_," repeated with patriotic iteration
in the stone carvings of their buildings, has thus come down to us the
mute declarant of their national aspirations. The nation itself as a
power has long since passed away, but the outlines of their emblem
still preserve the ideals of the vanished race.
[Illustration: 3. TORTOISE TOTEM.]
A living instance of much interest also evidences the adherence to
national emblems among the earlier inhabitants of North America. Long
before the invading Europeans first landed on the shores of the North
Atlantic coasts, the nomad Red Indian, as he travelled from place to
place through the fastnesses of the forests, along the shores of the
great lakes, over the plains of vast central prairies, or amid the
mountains that crown the Pacific slope, everywhere attested the story
of his descent by the "Totem" of his family. This sign of the Tortoise
(3), the Wolf (4), the Bear, or the Fish, painted or embroidered on
his trappings or carved upon his weapons, was displayed as evidence of
his origin, and whether he came as a friend or advanced as a foe, its
presence nerved him to maintain the reputation of his family and the
honour of his tribe.
[Illustration: 4. WOLF TOTEM.]
To-day the Red Man slowly yields to the ever-advancing march of the
dominant and civilizing white; his means of sustenance by the chase,
or of livelihood by his skill as a trapper, have been destroyed. The
Indian tribes are, under the Indian treaties, required to remain
within large blocks of territory called "Reserves," so that now in
his poverty he is maintained upon these "reservations" solely by the
dole of the peoples by whom his native country has been absorbed;
yet, though so changed in their circumstances, his descendants still
cling with resolute fortitude and pathetic eagerness to these ancient
insignia of their native worth. These rudely-formed emblems, in outline
and shape mainly taken from the animals and birds of the plain and
forest, are the memorials in his decadence of the long past days
when his forefathers were the undisputed monarchs of all the wilds
and possessors of its widest domains. They are the Indian patents of
nobility, and thus are clung to with all the pride of ancient race.
This Instinct in man to attach a national meaning to some vital emblem,
and to display it as evidence of his patriotic fervour, is thus found
to be all-pervading. The accuracy of its form may not be exact--it may,
indeed, be well-nigh indistinguishable in its outlines--but whenever
it be raised aloft, the halo of patriotic meaning, with which memory
has illumined it, is answered by the flutterings of the bearer's
heart; self is lost in inspiring recollection; clanship, absorbing the
individual, enfolds him as one of a mighty whole, and the race-blood
that is deep within him springs quick into action, obedient to the
stirring call.
The fervour of this manifestation was eloquently expressed by Lord
Dufferin in narrating some incidents which had occurred during one
of his official tours through Canada, when Governor-General of the
country, the greatest daughter-nation among the children of the Union
Jack:
"Wherever I have gone, in crowded cities, in the remote hamlets, the
affection of the people for their Sovereign has been blazoned forth
against the summer sky by every device which art could fashion or
ingenuity invent. Even in the wilds and deserts of the land, the most
secluded and untutored settler would hoist some cloth or rag above
his shanty, and startle the solitude of the forest with a shot from
his rusty firelock and a lusty cheer from himself and his children
in glad allegiance to his country's Queen. Even the Indian in his
forest and on his reserve would marshal forth his picturesque symbols
of fidelity in grateful recognition of a Government that never broke
a treaty or falsified its plighted word to the Red Man, or failed to
evince for the ancient children of the soil a wise and conscientious
solicitude."[1]
[1] Lord Dufferin, Toronto Club, 1874.
Of all emblems, a Flag is the one which is universally accepted among
men as the incarnation of their intensest sentiment, and when uplifted
above them, concentrates in itself the annals of a nation and all the
traditions of an empire.
A country's flag becomes, therefore, of additional value to its people
in proportion as its symbolism is better understood and its story
is more fully known. Its combinations should be studied, its story
unfolded--for in itself a flag is nothing, but in its meaning it is
everything.
"What is a riband worth?
Its glory is priceless!"[2]
[2] Bulwer Lytton.
So long, then, as pride of race and nation exists among men, so long
will a waving flag command all that is strongest within them, and stir
their national instincts to their utmost heights.
CHAPTER II.
_THE ORIGINS OF NATIONAL FLAGS._
With such natural emotions stirring within the breasts of its people,
one can appreciate the fervid interest taken by each nation in its own
national flag, and understand how it comes that the associations which
cluster about its folds are so ardently treasured up.
Flags would at first sight appear to be but gaudy things, displaying
contrasts of colour or variations of shape or design, according to the
mood or the fancy of some enterprising flagmaker. This, no doubt, is
the case with many signalling or mercantile flags. On the other hand,
there is, in not a few of the flags known as "national flags," some
particular combination of form or of colourings which, if they were
but known, indicates the reason for their origin, or which marks some
historic memory. There has been, perhaps, some notable occasion on
which they were first displayed, or they may have been formed by the
joining together of separate designs united at some eventful epoch, to
signalize a victorious cause, or to perpetuate the memory of a great
event. These great stories of the past are thus brought to mind and
told anew by the coloured folds each time they are spread open by the
breeze; for of most national flags it can be said, as was said by an
American orator[3] of his own, "It is a piece of bunting lifted in the
air, but it speaks sublimity, and every part has a voice." It is to see
these colours and hear these voices in the British national flags that
is our present undertaking.
[3] Sumner.
Before tracing the history of our British Union Jack, some instances
may be briefly mentioned in which associations connected with the
history of some other nations are displayed in the designs of their
national flags.
The colours of the German national banner are black, white and red
(Pl. II., fig. 1). Since 1870, when, at the conclusion of
the French war, the united German Empire was formed, this has been
the general Standard for all the states and principalities that were
then brought into imperial union; although each of these lesser states
continues to have, in addition, its own particular flag. This banner
of United Germany introduced once more the old German colours, which
had been displayed from 1184 until the time when, in 1806, the empire
was broken up by Napoleon I. Tradition is extant that these colours
had their origin as a national emblem at the time of the crowning of
Frederic I. (Barbarossa) in 1152, as ruler of the countries which are
now largely included in Germany. On this occasion the pathway to the
cathedral at Aix-la-Chapelle was laid with a carpeting of black, gold
and red, and the story goes that after the ceremony this carpet was cut
by the people into strips which they then displayed as flags. Thus by
the repetition of these historic colours in their ensign the present
union of the German Empire is connected with the early history of more
than seven centuries before.
[Illustration: PLATE II.
1
GERMANY
2
ITALY
3
GREECE
4
HAWAIIAN
5
CHAMPLAIN 1608
6
FRENCH FROM 1794]
The national ensign of United Italy (Pl. II., fig. 2) is a
flag having three parallel vertical stripes, green, white and red, the
green being next the flagstaff. Upon the central white stripe there
is shown a red shield, having upon it a white cross. This national
flag was adopted in 1870, after the Italian peoples had risen against
their separate rulers, and the previously separated principalities and
kingdoms had, under the leadership of Garibaldi, been consolidated into
one united kingdom under Victor Emmanuel, the then reigning king of
Sardinia. The red shield here displayed on the centre of the Italian
flag designates the arms of the House of Savoy, to which the Royal
House of Sardinia belonged, and which had been gained by the following
ancient and honourable event:
The island of Rhodes, an Italian colony in the Eastern Mediterranean,
had, in 1311, been in deadly peril from the attacks of the Turks. In
their extremity the then Duke of Savoy came to the aid of the Knights
Hospitallers of St. John, who were defending the island, and with his
help they were able to make a successful resistance. In record and
acknowledgment of this great service the Knights of St. John granted to
the House of Savoy the privilege of wearing upon their royal arms the
white cross on a red shield, which was the badge of their order of St.
John.
So it happened when, nearly six centuries afterwards, the Sardinians
again came to the aid of their southern brethren, and the King of
Sardinia was crowned as ruler over the new united Italian kingdom, the
old emblem won in defence of ancient liberties was further perpetuated
on the banner of the new kingdom of liberated and united Italy.
The colours of the Greek flag preserve the memory of a dynasty. In
1828, the Greeks, after rising in successful rebellion, had freed
their land from Mohammedan domination and the power of the Sultan of
Turkey. The several States formed themselves into one united kingdom,
and seeking a king from among the royal houses of Europe, obtained, in
1832, Otho I., a scion of the ruling house of Bavaria. The dynasty at
that time set upon the throne of Greece has since been changed, the
Bavarian having parted company with the kingdom in 1861. The throne
was then offered to Prince Alfred of England, but declined by him. The
present king, chosen in 1863, after the withdrawal of his predecessor,
is a member of the Royal House of Denmark; yet, notwithstanding this
change in the reigning family, the white Greek Cross upon a light blue
ground in the upper quarter, and the four alternate stripes of white
on a light blue ground in the field, which form the national flag of
Greece (Pl. II., fig. 3), still preserve the blue and white
colours of Bavaria, from whence the Greeks had obtained their first
king.
The Tri-colour as displayed by the present Republic in France (Pl.
II., fig. 6) has been credited with widely differing
explanations of its origin, as its plain colours of blue, white and red
admit of many different interpretations.
One story of its origin is, that its colours represent those of
the three flags which had been carried in succession in the early
centuries of the nation. The early kings of France carried the plain
blue banner of St. Martin. To this succeeded, in A.D. 1124, the flaming
red flag, or Oriflamme, of St. Denis, to be afterwards superseded, in
the fifteenth century, by the white "Cornette Blanche," the personal
banner of the heroic Joan of Arc.
It was under this royal white flag (Pl. II., fig. 5), bearing upon it
the lilies of ancient France, that Cartier, in 1534, had sailed up the
St. Lawrence, and Champlain, in 1608, had founded Quebec. Under this
flag Canada was colonized; to it belonged the glories of the Jesuit
Fathers and Dollard; with it La Salle and Marquette explored the far
West, planting three _fleur-de-lis_ as the sign of their discoveries.
Under it Frontenac, Montcalm and Levis[4] achieved their renown, and
all the annals of early Canada are contained under its régime until, in
1759, after the assault by Wolfe, it was exchanged, at the cession of
Quebec, for the British Union Flag.
[4] The colours carried by the Royal French regiments are described by
Capt. Knox to have been: "A white silk flag with three _fleur-de-lis_
within a wreath or circlet in the centre part of gold." ("The Fall of
New France"--HART.)
The tri-colour of Republican France was never carried by the
forefathers of the French Canadians of the Province of Quebec, nor has
it any connection with the French history of Canada. In fact, it did
not make its appearance as an emblem until the time of the revolution
in France in 1789, or thirty years after the original French régime in
Canada had closed its eventful period.
More detailed evidence of the origin of this flag states that the
creation of the tri-colour arose from the incident that, when the
revolutionary militia were first assembled in the city of Paris, at
the revolution of 1789, they had adopted blue and red, which were the
ancient colours of the city of Paris, for the colours of their cockade;
between these they placed the white of the soldiery of the Bourbon
régime, who afterwards joined their forces, and thus they had combined
the blue, white and red in the "tri-colour" as their revolutionary
signal.[5]
[5] Thiers: "History of the French Revolution," Vol. I., p. 74.
Whether or not its colours record those of the three ancient
monarchical periods, or those of the revolution, the tri-colour as a
French ensign for use by the people of France, as their national flag
both on land and sea, was not regularly established until a still later
period, in 1794. Then it was that the Republican Convention passed the
first decree[6] authorizing an ensign and directing that the French
national flag (Pl. II., fig. 6) shall be formed of the three
colours placed vertically in equal bands--that next the staff being
blue, the centre white, and the fly red.
[6] Decree of Feb. 15, 1794.
This was the flag under which Napoleon I. won his greatest victories,
both as General and Emperor; but whatever glories may have been won
for it by France, yet many years before it had been even designed, or
the prowess of Napoleon's armies had created its renown, the French
Canadian had been fighting under the Union Jack as his patriotic
ensign and adding to the history of its valiant glory by victory won
by himself in defence of his own Canadian home.[7] When in Canada the
tri-colour is seen flying it is raised solely out of compliment and
courtesy to the French-speaking friends in modern France. The fact that
the tri-colour has received any acceptance with the French-speaking
Canadian may have arisen from the reason that, side by side with the
Union Jack, it had participated in all the struggles and glories of the
Crimea, when the two flags, the tri-colour and the Union Jack, were
raised together above Sebastopol.
[7] Defence of Quebec, 1775.
It is interesting to note how it is stated to have first arrived.[8]
The _Canadiens-Français_ being, by lineage and temperament,
Monarchists, had shown no regard or liking for the early Revolutionary
and Republican emblem, and had never raised it in Canada.
[8] Benjamin Suite: "Le Drapeau Tri-colore en Canada."
In 1853, under Victoria and Napoleon III., an _entente cordiale_ had
been established between England and France, and in that same year
arrangements had been completed with the Allan Line to build new
steamers and perform a regular service direct between Liverpool and
Montreal. Actuated, no doubt, by the prevailing fervour, they had
selected as the distinguishing, or "house," flag of their line one of
the same shape and colours as the French flag, but with the broad bands
reversed, the red being next the mast instead of the blue as in the
French ensign.
In the spring of 1854, as their first steamer was seen entering the
St. Lawrence, this flag so nearly resembled the French ensign as to
cause surprise to be expressed. "What," said the older heads, "the flag
of the Revolution on an English ship!" It was a novel sight, but great
were the rejoicings over the establishment of the new line.
Their second ship came in dressed with many French and English flags,
for war had been declared by the alliance of England and France against
Russia, this being the first announcement in Canada, for there were no
telegraph cables in those days.
Following this came the exploits of the allied armies in the Crimea,
bringing with them the consequent profusion and intertwining of the
English and French flags with which ships and business buildings were
decorated to celebrate their combined victories.
Such was the entry of the tri-colour into Canada, not being introduced
by the Canadians, speaking French, but by their English friends.
A quaint suggestion has been made to the writer by no less an authority
than Sir James Le Moine, the historian of Quebec: "The French Canadian
is very partial to display, but is primarily economical. While the
simple colours of the tri-colour can be conveniently made by the most
inexperienced, the details of the Union Jack are very difficult to cut
and to correctly sew together. The _bonne mère_ can easily provide
out of her household treasures the materials for the one, but she
must purchase the other, and this, therefore, is the reason why the
tri-colour is so frequently seen in French-speaking Quebec."
The tri-colour, having never been the flag of his forefathers, carries
neither allegiance nor loyalty to the French Canadian. His people have
never fought under it, while many a gallant French Canadian son has
poured out his blood for the Union Jack at home in defence of Canada
or upon foreign shores in service in the British armies. It has never
brought him liberty or protection as has his Union Jack, which has been
his British flag for a century and a half, and for more than a quarter
of a century before the tri-colour of the European French ever came
into existence.
Another flag--although it has ceased to be a national flag, and is now
the flag of a possession of the United States--should yet be mentioned
by reason of the history which was told in its folds.
The Hawaiian national ensign (5) was at first composed of nine
horizontal stripes of equal width, alternating white, red and blue, the
top stripe being white and the bottom blue.[9]
[9] Preble: "History of the Flag of the United States," p. 85.
Afterwards the lowest stripe was taken off and the new flag (Pl.
II., fig. 4) adopted, in which there are eight stripes, the
bottom stripe being red and the British Union Jack placed in the upper
corner.
The Sandwich Islands, made known to the world mainly by the tragic
death of Captain Cook, in 1778, and now known as the Hawaiian Islands,
had been fused into a single monarchy by the impetuous valour of King
Kamehama, who, in 1794, admitted Christian missionaries to his kingdom.
Its existence as an independent monarchy was thereafter maintained and
was recognized by the great powers.
Internal difficulties having arisen in the kingdom and an insult been
given to a British consul, the islands were ceded and the sovereignty
offered to Great Britain in 1843, when, on 12th February, the Union
Jack was raised on all the islands, the understanding being that the
natives were to be under the protection of the flag of Great Britain,
and internal order to be guaranteed pending the final disposition which
might be arrived at in England between the representatives of the
Hawaiians and the British Government.[10]
[10] The Annual Register, 1843, Vol. 85.
[Illustration: 5. THE HAWAIIAN ENSIGN.]
The British did not accept the proffered transfer of the islands, but
returned the sovereignty to the native government, which was thereafter
to continue as an independent monarchy under the protection of Great
Britain; and by an accompanying treaty all British manufactures and
produce were to be admitted duty free. On July 31st, 1843, the British
flag was lowered and the new Hawaiian ensign raised in its place.[11]
It was in recognition of this event that the Union Jack was placed in
the Hawaiian ensign.
[11] Bird: "Six Months among the Sandwich Islands," 1875.
In the same year France and England agreed never to take possession of
the islands either by protectorate or in any other form.
The natives steadily decreased in number and in power, and the trade
and commerce of the islands had passed almost entirely into American
hands.
Dissensions had afterwards arisen under the subsequent native
sovereigns, and in 1893 the Queen, Liliuokalani, was deposed by a
revolution, and a republican government formed under President Dole, an
American citizen.
Cession of the islands was offered in 1896 to the American Government
and was refused, but in 1898 the islands were finally annexed to the
United States and the American ensign raised; but the Hawaiian flag,
with its Union Jack in the upper corner, continued as a local flag, and
was so displayed on June 14th, 1900, at the inauguration of President
Dole as Governor of the new-formed "Territory of Hawaii," among the
Territories of the United States.
These instances of the origin of some of the national flags of other
nations show how history is interwoven in their folds, and how they
perpetuate the memories of past days or of the men who have dominated
vital occasions. A singularly similar origin is associated with the
creation of the Stars and Stripes, the ensign of the United States
of North America (Pl. VI., fig. 3), which is treated of in
Chapter XVI.
CHAPTER III.
_THE ORIGIN OF THE JACKS._
It is quite evident, then, that national flags are not merely a
haphazard patchwork of coloured bunting, nor by any means "meaningless
things." Their combinations have a history, and, in many cases, tell a
story; but of all the national flags there is none that bears upon its
folds so interesting a story, nor has its history so plainly written in
its parts and colourings, as has our British "Union Jack."
Our present enterprise is to search out whence it got its name, how it
was built up into its present form, and what is the meaning of each of
its several parts. This is not only an enquiry of deepest interest, but
is of practical and educational value, for to trace the story of the
successive combinations of our national flags is to follow the history
of the British race.
The flags of other nations have mostly derived their origin from
association with some dominant personage, or with a particular epoch.
They are, as a rule, the signal of a dynasty or the record of some
revolution; but our British Union Jack records in its folds the steady
and continuous growth of a great nation, and traces, by the changes
made in it during centuries of adventure and progress, and by the flags
in which it has been successively combined, the gradual extension of
its union and methods of Constitutional Government over a world-wide
Empire.
The origin of the name "Union Jack" has given rise to considerable
conjecture and much interesting surmise; in the proclamation of Charles
I., 1634, it is called the "Union Flagge"; in the treaty of peace made
with the Dutch in 1674, in the reign of Charles II., it is mentioned as
"His Majesty of Great Britain's flag or Jack," and in the proclamation
of Queen Anne, in 1707, as "Our Jack, commonly called the Union Jack."
The most generally quoted suggestion given for the origin of the name
is that it was acquired from the fact that the first proclamation
which authorized a flag, in which the national crosses of England and
Scotland were for the first time combined, was issued by James VI. of
Scotland, after he had become James I. of England, and that as King
James frequently signed his name in the French manner as "Jacques,"
this was abbreviated into "Jac," and thus his new flag came to be
called a "Jack."
The derivation suggested is ingenious and interesting, but cannot be
accepted as correct, for the simple reason that there were "Jacks" long
before the time and reign of James I., and that their prior origin may
be clearly traced.
In the earliest days of chivalry, long before the time of the Norman
conquest of England, both the knights on horseback and the men on foot
of the armies in the field wore a surcoat or "Jacque" (whence our
word "Jacket"), extending over the body from the neck to the thighs,
bearing upon it the blazon or sign either of their lord or of their
nationality. Numberless examples of these are to be seen in early
illuminated manuscripts, or on monuments erected in many cathedrals and
sanctuaries.
In the time of the Crusaders, during the eleventh and twelfth
centuries, when the Christian nations of Europe were combined together
to rescue Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the rule of the Mohammedan,
the warrior pilgrims, recruited from the different countries, wore
crosses of different shapes and colours upon their surcoats, to
indicate the nationalities to which they belonged, and to evidence
the holy cause in which they were engaged. It was from wearing these
crosses that they gained their name of "Crusaders," or cross-bearers.
The cross worn by each of the nationalities was of a different
colour--that of France being red; Flanders, green; Germany, black, and
Italy, yellow.
In the earlier crusades the cross worn by the English was white, but in
later expeditions the red cross of St. George was adopted and worn upon
the Jacque as the sign of the English, in the same way as shown in the
accompanying knightly figure (6).
The continuing use of this St. George cross, and the reason for
wearing it as an identification of English forces is well shown in the
following extracts from the "Ordnaunces," issued to the army with which
Richard II. of England invaded Scotland in 1386:
"... Also that everi man of what estate, condicion or nation thei
be of, so that he be of oure partie, bere a signe of the armes of
Saint George, large, bothe before and behynde upon parell, that yf
he be slayne or wounded to deth, he that has so doon to hym shall
not be putte to deth for defaulte of the crosse that he lacketh, and
that non enemy do here the same token or crosse of Saint George,
notwithstanding yf he be prisoner upon payne of deth."[12]
[12] Harleian MSS.
[Illustration: 6. A RED CROSS KNIGHT.]
A fuller understanding is afforded of the character of this "parell,"
as also of the early adoption of its name by references to it given in
1415:
"At those days the yoemen had their lymmes at lybertie, and their
jackes were longe and easy to shote in."[13]
[13] Fabyan, 1415.
The sailors of the "Cinque Ports" of Hastings, Sandwich, Hythe, Romney
and Dover, on the east of England, to which Winchelsea and Rye were
subsequently added, and by whose municipalities, in consideration of
certain privileges granted them, the royal navies were in early days
principally manned, are recorded to have worn as their uniform, in
1513, "_a cote of whyte cotyn, with a red crosse and the armes of ye
Ports underneathe_."
In the time of Queen Mary the continuation of the custom is further
evidenced by entries in a contemporary diary of 1588:
"... The x day of January hevy news came to London that the French had
won Cales _(Calais)_, the whyche was the hevest tydings to England
that ever was herd of.
"The xj day of January the Cete of London took up a thousand men and
made them whytt cotes and red crosses and every ward of London found
men.
* * * * *
"The xviij day of May there was sent to the shyppes men in whytt cotes
and red crosses, and gones to the Queen's shyppes."[14]
[14] Machyn's Diary.
These "surcoats" or "Jacques" came in time to be known as the "Jacks"
of the various nationalities they represented, and it was from the
raising of one of these upon a lance or staff at the bow of a ship, in
order that the nationality of those on board might be made known, that
a single flag bearing on it only the cross of St. George, or the cross
of St. Andrew, came to be known as a "Jack." From this origin, too, the
small flag-pole at the bow of a ship is still called the "Jack-staff,"
and similarly the short flag-pole at the stern of vessels, upon which
the distinguishing Ensign of the nationality of the ship is displayed,
is called the "Ensign-staff."
This custom of wearing the national Jack at the bow had not only been
early established by usage, but had also been officially recognized.
On the great seal of the first Lord Admiral of England, in 1409, under
Henry IV., a one-masted galley is shown.[15] At the stern of the ship is
the Royal Standard of the King, and at the bow a staff bearing on it
the square banner or Jack of St. George, the sign of England.
[15] Bloomfleld: "The National Flag."
Another instance of the use of these national Jacks as a sign of
national union is to be noted.
During the feudal period of European history, when armed forces were
called into the field, each of the nobles and leaders, as in duty
bound, furnished to the cause his quota of men equipped with complete
armament. These troops bore upon their arms and banners the heraldic
device or coat-of-arms of their own liege lord, as a sign of "the
company to which they belonged"; and in such way the particular
locality from which they came, and the leadership under which they were
marshalled could at once be recognized.
The Sovereigns also in their turn displayed the banner of the kingdom
over which each reigned, such as the fleur-de-lis for France, the cross
of St. George for England, the cross of St. Andrew for Scotland; and
this banner of the king formed the ensign under which the combined
forces of the royal adherents and their supporters served.
As the forces collected together came to be more the national army
of the nation and less the personal adherents of their chief, it was
provided in England that the liege lord of each local force should bear
on his banner the cross of St. George, as well as his own coat-of-arms,
the ordinance being:
"Every Standard, or Guydhome, is to hang in the chiefe the crosse of
St. George and to conteyne the crest or supporter and devise of the
owner."[16]
[16] Harleian MSS.
An excellent example of this is given in the standard or ensign
of the forces of the Earls of Percy in the sixteenth century (Pl.
III., fig. 1). In the chief is the red cross of St. George,
as the sign of allegiance to King and nation; in the fly is the crest
of the Percys, a blue lion with other insignia, and their motto,
"_Esperance en Dieu_," the signs of their liege lord and local country.
This flag declared its bearers to be the men of the Percy contingent,
Englishmen, and soldiers of the King.
[Illustration: 7. COLOURS OF THE 10TH ROYAL GRENADIERS,
CANADA.]
A survival of this ancient custom exists to this day in our British
military service, both in the Colonial and Imperial forces. Rifle
regiments do not carry "colours," but all infantry regiments are
entitled, upon receiving the royal warrant, to carry two flags, which
are called "Colours" (7).
The "First," or "King's Colour," is the plain "Union Jack," in sign
of allegiance to the Sovereign, and upon this, in the centre, is the
number or designation of the regiment, surmounted by a royal crown. The
"Second," or "Regimental Colour," has a small Union Jack in the upper
corner. The body of the flag is of the local colour of the facings of
the regiment. If the facings are blue, as in all "Royal" regiments,
the flag is blue; if they are white, then the flag is white, having
on it a large St. George's cross in addition to the small Union Jack
in the upper corner. On the body of this colour are embroidered the
regimental badge, the names of actions in which it has taken part,
and any distinctive emblems indicating the special history of the
regiment itself, and in territorial regiments the locality from which
they are recruited. In this way both the national and local methods of
distinction are to-day preserved and displayed in the same way as they
were in original times; the Union Jack of the present day having been
substituted for the St. George's cross of the first period.
Such, then, was the origin of the name Jack, and it is from the
combination of the three national "Jacks" of England, Scotland and
Ireland, at successive periods in their history, into one flag, that
the well-known "Union Jack" of our British nation has gradually grown
into its present form.