_THE "ADDITIONAL" UNION JACK OF JAMES I._
A.D. 1606-1648.
[Illustration: 14. ROYAL ARMS OF ENGLAND, HENRY V., 1413, TO
ELIZABETH.]
The kingdoms of England and Scotland had passed through their centuries
of dissension and conflict when at length, in March, 1603, upon the
death of his second cousin, Elizabeth, Queen of England, James VI.,
King of Scotland, succeeded to her throne, and became also King James
I. of England. Before entering upon the subject of the joining of
the two national Jacks in one flag, it may be well to consider the
changes then made in the Royal Standard in consequence of this union
of the crowns. The Royal Standard is the special personal flag of the
Sovereign, and wears upon it his Royal arms emblazoned with "devise"
or insignia of the kingdoms over which he rules. James, upon ascending
the throne of England, immediately issued a proclamation instructing a
change to be made in its then existing form (14). Richard I., _C[oe]ur
de Lion_, had displayed on his Royal Standard the three golden lions
on a red ground, the sign of England. To these Henry V. had added
three golden _fleur-de-lis_ on a blue ground, typifying his right to
the throne of France. This standard was used thereafter by all his
successors, the sovereigns of England, and by Elizabeth. A change was
now made by James to represent his additional sovereignties. To the
standard of Elizabeth he added the lion rampant of Scotland and also
the harp of Ireland, which had not previously been included in the
Royal Arms (15), thus placing the three lions for England and three
_fleurs-de-lis_ for France in the first and fourth quarters; the lion
rampant for Scotland in the second, and the harp for Ireland in the
third quarter.
[Illustration: 15. ROYAL ARMS OF JAMES I., 1603.]
While he changed the English Royal Standard, no change was instructed
to be made, nor was evidently considered to be necessary, in the
English national flag of St. George, which continued to be used as
previously on the English ships by his new subjects. Thus in the early
years of the reign of James, the English and Scotch ships continued to
use their respective "red crosse" and "white crosse" Jacks, exactly as
they had done prior to his accession to the English throne.
The nations had now been brought into closer contact, and the movement
of shipping along their shores much increased as each was relieved from
any fear of attack by the other.
Each nation, no doubt, retained a predilection for its own national
flag--a preference which its adherents expressed each in their own
way, and most probably in terms not untinged by caustic references to
controversies and contentions of previous days.
When James had ascended the throne of England, it was his great desire
to be styled King of "Great Britain," as well as of "France and
Ireland." He had caused himself at the outset to be so proclaimed,
and afterwards used the phrase in his proclamations, but without due
authority. During the first year of his reign opinions on the point
were asked of the Judges of the courts, and also of the Lords and
Commons of England, but the replies of all were unanimously against his
right to the assumption of any such title, as being one which might
seem to indicate a fusion of the two kingdoms.
The fact was, that although the two kingdoms of Scotland and England
had been joined in allegiance to the same sovereign, who was equally
king of each, yet as each kingdom still retained its own separate
parliament, their union had not been made adequately complete. The King
had particularly desired to complete this union. In a proclamation
he issued, he states he had found among the "better disposed" of his
subjects
"a most earnest desire that the sayd happy union should be perfected,
the memory of all preterite discontentments abolished, and all the
inhabitants of both the realms to be the subjects of one kingdom."
He says he will himself use every diligence to have it perfected,
"with the advice of the states and parliament of both the kingdoms,
and in the meantime till the said union be established with due
solemnite aforesaid, His Majesty doth repute, hold and esteem both the
two realms as presently united, and as one realm and kingdome, and the
subjects of both the realms as one people, brethren and members of one
body."
But charm he never so wisely, the King could not get his subjects to
see matters in the same light as himself, nor was he able to get their
Parliaments to unite.
Thus it occurred that in 1606, in the fourth year after the joining
of the two thrones, the King, finding that difficulties kept arising
about their flags between the subjects of his two adjacent kingdoms,
considered it advisable to issue a proclamation declaring the manner
in which they were in future to display their national Jacks, and also
authorizing a new flag, which was to be used by each in addition to
their own national flag. This flag was the "additional" Jack of James
I. (16).
[Illustration: 16. JACK OF JAMES I., 1606.]
It is probable that the English sailor had objected to seeing the
Scottish cross raised on the mast above his English flag, and the
Scotsman, on his part, too, did not like to see St. Andrew below St.
George. The additional flag was designed for the purpose of meeting
this difficulty, and was ordered to be raised by itself upon the
mainmast. It is evident that some ships had been flying both the
national flags, for, as a further precaution, particular instruction
was given that each ship should fly only one national cross, and this
was to be only the cross of its own nationality. All controversy as to
the precedence of the respective Jacks was thus intended to be brought
to an end.
This proclamation of 1606, as copied from an original issue in the
British Museum, reads as follows:
"_A proclamation declaring what Flagges South and North Britaines
shall beare at Sea._
"BY THE KING:
"Whereas, some difference hath arisen between our subjects of South
and North Britaine travelling by Seas, about the bearing of their
Flagges: For the avoiding of all such contentions hereafter wee have,
with the advice of Our Councell, ordered: That from henceforth all
our subjects of this Isle and Kingdome of Great Britaine, and all our
members thereof, shall beare in their _maine toppe_ the Red Crosse,
commonly called St. George's Crosse, and the White Crosse, commonly
called St. Andrew's Crosse, _joyned together according to the forme
made by our heralds_, and sent by us to our Admerell to be published
to our subjects; and in their _fore-toppe_ our Subjects of South
Britaine shall weare the Red Crosse onely as they were wont, and our
Subjects of North Britaine in their _fore-toppe_ the White Crosse
onely as they were accustomed.
"Wherefore wee will and command all our Subjects to be conformable
and obedient to this our Order, and that from henceforth they do not
use to beare their flagges in any other sort, as they will answere to
contrary at their peril.
"Given at our Palace of Westminster, the twelfth day of April, in the
fourth yere of our Reine of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, etc.
God save the King."
This King's Jack, which subsequently came to be commonly known as
the "Union Flagge," was, it will be noted, not intended to supersede
the existing national Jacks, for it was directed to be displayed in
addition to, and at the same time with, the Jack of each nation. The
new flag of the King was to be raised by itself on the mainmast, and
the old national flag on the foremast, so that each of these flags
should be kept separate from one another.
The reason for this separate use of two flags is evident, one which is
fully confirmed in the creation of the Union Jacks which succeeded one
another in subsequent reigns.
The reason was that the two Parliaments of the nations had not been
united in one, and, therefore, it was that each nation continued to
retain its own distinctive national cross, which it flew on the
flagstaff as the sign of its own particular nationality, and which was,
therefore, not displaced by the King's newly created flag.
[Illustration: PLATE III.
1
THE PERCYS' ENSIGN 1560
2
UNION JACK OF JAMES I-1606
3
COLONIAL UNION JACK-1701]
The position of the flag was, in 1606, regulated to be:
A.D., 1606.
ROYAL NAVY--
Maintop, King's Jack.
MERCHANTMEN--
_English Subjects_--Maintop, "additional" King's Jack.
Foretop, English Jack.
_Scottish Subjects_--Maintop, "additional" King's Jack.
Foretop, Scottish Jack.
The construction of the new flag presents some peculiarities.
In this "additional" Jack of James I. (Pl. III., fig. 2), the
red cross of St. George and its white ground, being the "St. George's
crosse," had been ordered by the proclamation to be united with the
white cross of St. Andrew and its blue ground, being the "St. Andrewe's
crosse," the two flags being "_joyned together according to the forme
made by our heralds_." In this "joining" the white ground of St.
George's flag was reduced almost to a nullity.
As the form was the creation of heralds, it was made according to the
strict heraldic rules of their highly technical craft. In heraldry,
a narrow border of white or gold, termed a "fimbriation," is always
introduced where colour would otherwise touch on colour for the purpose
of keeping the colours separate, the technical statement of the rule
being, "metal cannot be placed upon metal, nor colour upon colour."
The heralds, therefore, in conformity with their tendencies, reduced
the white ground of the St. George flag until it became only a narrow
margin of white, just sufficient to keep the red of the cross of St.
George from touching the blue ground of St. Andrew's flag upon which it
was laid, or so that the white ground became simply "_a fimbriation to
the red cross of St. George_."
The union of the two flags resulted in the Scotsman getting a good
share of all that was going. It is true the crosses of the two flags
were given equal display, but the white ground of the St. George's
English Jack had entirely disappeared, while the blue ground of the St.
Andrew's had been left in occupation of all the remaining space. No
wonder that an English admiral of the "narrow seas," hankering after
his old St. George Jack, says, a few years afterwards, of this new
flag: "Though it may be more honour to both the kingdoms to be thus
linked and united together, yet, in view of the spectators, it makes
not so fair a show, if it would please His Majesty."[41]
[41] Sir William Monson.
The Scotsmen also raised objection to the cross of St. George having
been placed over and in front of that of St. Andrew.[42] With, what
appears to us now, much quaintness of language, the Scottish Privy
Council made its formal complaint to His Majesty in a letter of 7th
August, 1606, saying that,
"the forme and patrone of the flagges of schippis sent down heir and
commandit to be ressavit and used be the subjectis of both kingdomes
is vereie prejudicial to the fredome and dignitie of this Estate,
and wil gif occasion to reprotche--becaus as your Sacred Majestie
may persave, the Scottis Croce, callit Sanctandrois Croce, is troyse
dividit, and the English Croce, called Sanct George, drawne through
the Scottis Croce, which is thereby obscurit."
[42] Hulme: "Flags of the World."
Either one or the other of the crosses had to be in front, but as the
whole of their blue ground had been retained, while the Englishman
had lost all the white ground of his flag, the objection was not
entertained.
This two-crossed Jack of James I., 1606, continued in use in the
Royal Navy for over a century, with the exception of its retirement
during the changes which, as we shall hereafter note, were made under
Cromwell. During its term the British kingdom, which had already under
the English Jack colonized the mainland of America from Massachusetts
to Virginia, became more than ever an American power; for, under
this new Jack, the islands which surrounded the coast, namely, the
West Indies, Barbadoes, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Antigua and Jamaica,
were added to the British Crown. On the continent of Europe as well,
the victorious movements of the flag did not slacken, for under it
Gibraltar was pounced upon and taken by Admiral Rooke, and Blenheim,
the master victory of the great Marlborough, was won. This was a record
and "glory roll" on both the continents worthy of the two races, whose
forces had been joined at its creation.
Its position was, however, not throughout continuous, for successive
changes were introduced in the regulations regarding its use during
the century within which it achieved its varied career. All these
changes, its alternating disappearances and reappearances, show that
this King's Jack of James I. was not a flag which denoted a completed
union, although by habit it came to be called the "Union Flagge," and
subsequently the "Union Jack," of the nations, but was one which was
introduced for another purpose, and carried a different signification,
being that of the union of the thrones in one sovereign. Usage has,
however, so long attached the name to this two-crossed flag of James
I., that it may be well to consider it our first Union Jack.