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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols —^ signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s A des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^1 3 y 3 .-g-y- 'm ;i> r^p. wJU-C u C ' •^ HISTORY OF THE UNION JACK HOW IT GKKW AND WHAT IT IS BY BARLOW CUMBERLAND, M.A.. I'ast I'reHklent of the Satlonal Club, Toronto ; Supreme President of the Sons of England, Canada; and Chairman of the Marine Section of the Board of Trade, Toronto. ILLUSTRATED SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. WITH INDEX TORONTO VVILLIAM BRIGGS WeSLEV BuiLUINliS t . W C:OATES, xMoNTREAi. S. F. HUESTIS, Hai.ikax 1900 l^l o O ^■ear one Kntered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the y. thousand nine hundred, by I^ari.qw PuMHKK.-Ar^,., at the Opp^rt- ment of .\gric^ltu^s• m TO THE FLAG ITSICLF THIS STORY OF THK xrinion 3acl? IS DEDICATED WITH MLCH 1< KSl'KCr BY ONE OF ITS SONS. :U 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 foi'ni, 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 sug- gestion of others, launched upon its public way. The acceptance it has received, and the kindly feeling expressed by many who have appreciated its intentions, is most gratefully acknowledged. In this second edition much additional matter has been included as further sources of information have been developed. To the evolution of our Jacks has been added the evolution of our several national ensigns, and the growth of our colonial flags in harmony and meaning with the expansion of our Empire has been traced. '":» IV Pkekace to Sec'oni) Edition. / 1 The cliapters on the history of th(^ Jacks in the Thirteen Aniericun Colonies and in the United States is also new ground and may be of novel interest to not a few. Tlie added information on the proper proportions of our Union Jack, and the directions and reasons for tlie proper making of its parts, may serve to correct some of the unhappy errors whicli now exist and may interest all in the obser\ation ami study of flags. To* facilitate the making of ready reference an index has been added, as also a number of new illustrations exemplifying the text. 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 collections 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, Octuher 1, 1900. in the 1 States :erest to proper oiiH and ly serve ch now on and 3nce an of new of the kindly !S Bain, b to me [r. J. G. 1 High itaining Clowes, ^nd Dr. lo have .AND. CONTEXTS. ClIAITRIl I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. xviu. XIX. XX. XXI. List of Illustrations ■ A I'oem — Tiie Union JacU - EnihleniH and Flags - The Origins of National Flags - The Origin of the Jacks The English Jack • - ' ■ The Supremacy of the English .lack The Scotch Jack The "Additional" Jack of Jam.. . I., 160(5 The English Jack Restored The Evolution of the Red Ensign The Sovereignty of the Seas— The Fight for the Hag The Sovereignty of the Seas— The Fight for the Trade The Jack of Queen Anne, 1707 - • - . The Jack and Parliamentary Union in Britain • The Two-Crossed Jack in Canada The Jack and Parliamentary Union in Canada - The Jacks in the Thirteen Colonies of North America The Union Flags of the United States The Irish Jack The Union Jack of (ieorge III., 1801 The Lessons of the Crosses The Proportions of the Crosses - l'\(IK vii xi i;j 23 40 59 71 70 HO 101 112 122 180 142 150 159 171 190 204 219 229 239 VI I Contents. ■I I ClIAITER XXII. Tinder the Three Crosses in Canada - XXIII. Tae Flag of Liberty to the Slave XXIV. The Flag of Liberty to the People - XXV. The Jack in the Red, White and Blue Ensigns XXVI. The Union Ensign of the British Empire - Appendix A. The Maple Leaf Emblem - . . . " B. Canadian War Medals - . . . C. A Sample Service Record - - - . D. The " Diamond Anthem " - Index Paob 253 262 273 284 293 305 307 307 308 318 Paob '*-|^| - 253 • 262 ■ 273 - 284 S e - 293 - 305 I. No. 1. 2. - 307 3. - 307 4. - 308 M 5. - 318 6. '^B 8. 9. 10. • ^v^^^H 11. 1 12. 13. 14. mm 15. 16. ^^H 17. 18 19. 20. 21. Mm 22. 23. 24. • 1 '^^^B 25. 26. 27. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Paob St. George - - x Assyrian Emblems 15 Eagle Emblems 16 Tortoise Totem 19 Wolf Totem 19 Hawaiian Ensign 33 Colour.-^ of 10th Royal Grenadiers, Canada - - - 39 A Red Cross Knight - - 42 St. George's Jack ........ 46 The Borough Seal of Lyme Regis, 1284 - - - - 52 Brass in Elsing Church, 1347 55 The Henri Grace d Dien, 1515 ------ 66 St. Andrew's Jack 71 Scotch "TalleShippe," 16th Century - . - - 76 Royal Arms of England, Henry V. , 1413, to Elizabeth, 1603 79 Royal Arms of James I. . 1603 80 Jack of James L, 1606 81 The Sovereign of the Seas, W31 93 Commonwealth 20 Shilling Piece 95 Commonwealth Boat Flag 102 The Naseby. Charles II. 105 Medalof Charles II., 1635 108 Whip-lash Pennant, British Navy 120 Union Jack of Anne, 1707 130 The Red Ensign in "The Margent," 1707 - - - 134 Fort Niagara, 1759 138 The Assault at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec. 1759 - - 140 Vlll History of the Union Jack. !l :' I ' I i i 'I ! No. 28. Fort (ieorge and the Port of New York in 1770 29. Royal Arms of George II. - - - * - 30. The Great Seal of Upper Canada, 1792 - 31. Upper Canada Penny ..-.-. 32. New England Ensign 33. Medal of Louis XIV., '' Kebeca Liherafa," 1690 34. The Louisbourg Medal, 1758 - . . - . 35. The First Union Flag, 1776 36. The Pennsylvania Flag, 1776 37. Arms of the Washington Family .... 38. Washington's Book Plate 39. Washington's Seals --..--. 40. St. Patrick's Jack 41. Laharum of Constantine ---... 42. Harp of Hibernia 43. Seal of Carrickfergus, 1605 ..... 44. Royal Arms of Queen Victoria 45. Medal of Queen's First Visit to Ireland - 46. The Throne of Queen Victoria in the House of Lords 47. Arms of the Fitzgeralds ...... 48. Royal Arms of George IIL, 1801 . . . . 49. Union Jack of George III., 1801 . . . . 50. Outline Jack — The Proper Proportions of the Crosses 51. Square Union Jack 52. Oblong Union Jack .----.- 53. Flag of a French Caravel, 16th Century - 54. The Colonial Jack, 1701 55. Jack of England, 1711 56. Jack in Carolina, 1739 ...... 57. The Combat between La Surveillante and the Quebec, ^S. " King's Colour," 1781 59. The War Medal, 1793-1814 1779 Paoe 148 160 166 169 183 185 187 195 197 199 200 201 205 207 208 214 215 215 216 217 220 221 222 234 235 240 244 245 246 247 248 255 fi List of Ii.lustra'iioxs. IX Page - 148 - 160 - 166 - 169 - 183 - 185 - 187 - 195 - 197 - 199 - 200 - 201 - 205 - 207 - 208 - 214 - 215 - 215 - 216 - 217 - 220 - 221 - 222 - 234 - 235 - 240 - 244 - 245 - 246 779 247 - 248 - 255 No. 60. The Canada (ieneral .Service Medal, 1866-70 61. The North- West Canachi Medal, 1S85 62. Flag of the (iovernor-General of Canada - 63. Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec; 64. Australian Emblems - - . . . €5. Australian Federation Badye Pa(jk 25() •-'•VJ •J80 281 295 299 66. Starting the " Diamond Anthem " at Levuka, Fiji Islands 314 COLOURED PLATES. I. — 1. Red Ensign ; 2. White Ensign ; 3. Blue Ensign Front ixpica IL— National Ensigns—l. British ; 2. Italian; 3. Creek; 4. German ; 5. French ; 0. United States - III.— 1. Grand Union, 1776: 2. United States, 1777; 3. United States, 1897 IV. — 1. p]nglish Jack ; 2. Scotch Jack ; 3. Jack of James I. v.— 1. Commonwealth Ensign; 2. Cromwell's "Great Union " ; 3. Ensign Red VL — 1. Union Jack of Anne; 2. Red Ensign of Anne; 3. Irish Jack VII. — 1. Present Union Jack; 2. Jack Wrongly Made; 3. Jack Wrongly Placed ---... VIII.— Nelson's Signal ---..... IX.— 1, Canadian Red Ensign; 2. Canadian Blue Ensign; 3. Suggested Canadian Ensign .... 24 208 48 96 136 224 227 296 il i I I ! li ! li h 1. 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. ' ! '!!. XI 1 History of the Union Jack. "It floats over Cypress and Malta, O'er Canada, the Indies, Hong Kong ; And Britons, where'er their flag's flying, Claim the right 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. M II I a 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." i ; I ; I ; ( ! HISTORY OF THE UNION JACK. CHAPTER I. EMBLEMS AND ELAGS. There is an instinct in tlie liuman race which delights in the Hying of flags. A senti- ment ai)i)ears to l)e innate in every man whicli causes him to heconie enthusiastic al)()ut a significant eml)lem raised in the air, whether as tlie insignia of descent or as a symbol of race or nationality; something, which, being held aloft before the sight of other men, declares, at a glance, the side to which the l)earer l)elongs, and serves as a rallying point for those who think with him. A child will chortle at a i)iece of ril)and waved Ijefore him ; a boy marches with head erect and martial stride as bearer of the banner at the head of his mimic battalion ; the man rallies to his national standard, and leaving home, and love, and all, stakes his life for it against his country's foes ; and the gray-beard, lifting his heart-tilled eyes, blesses ^ II 14 History of the Union Jack. the (lay 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 glorying in some personal or national emblem. The search and the discovery of the em- blems which they bore discloses to us the eras of a people's history, and therefore it is that the study of a nation's flag is something of more than mere passing interest, but be- comes one of real educational value and merits our closest investigation, for the study of flags is really the tracing of history hj 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 mean- ing 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. At the time of the Exodus the Israelites m 'St m Emhlems and Flags. 15 of had their distinctive emblems, and the Book of Numbers (eh. ii. 2), relates how Moses directed that in their journeyings, ** Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch b?/ his oivti standard, with the ensign of their fathers' house.'' 80 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. 2. Assyrian Emblems. From the lost cities of Nineveh have been unearthed the ensign of the great Assyrian race, the '^ Twin Bull" (2), sign of their imperial might, and the records of their warriors are thus identified. In EurojDe in later times there were few parts of the continent which did not become acquainted with the metal ensigns of Kome. 16 History of the Union Jack. The foriiiidal)le legions, issuing from the centre of the reahn, carried the Ini])ei'ial Eagle at their head, and setting it in triumph over many a suhjugated state, estahlished its su])remacy among the peoj)le as a sign of the all-concjuering power of their mighty II i AiLttrinu. Prus>iiau. 3. Eaule Emblems. Roman. Jius-sian. French. empire. To this eagle of the Roman legions may be traced back the crop of eagle emblems (3), which are borne by so many of the nationalities of Europe at the present day. ;i llljl! Emblems and Flacjs. 17 The golden ecagle 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 the sovereignty over both the ancient Eastern and Western Empires, are all descendants from the Imperial Eagle of ancient Rome. As these nationalities have successively arisen the eml)lem of their previous subju- gation has become the emblem of their power; just as the Cross, which was the emblem of the degradation and death of the Christ, has become the signal and glory of the nations subjugated to the Christian sway. As in the Eastern, so also in 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. Far back in the centuries of existence on the continent of South America, the Peruvians had preserved a tradition of that great event which, although it had taken place on another hemisphere, yet was transmitted by some means to theirs, and, tracing from it their national origin, they 18 • I I ! li 'f Ifi) History of the Uniox Jack. carnod this emblem as sign of the Hneage which they chiimed as heing, 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 domina- tion of Spain. National emblems were ])orne farther north on the Northern continent by another nation, even yet more ancient than the l^niivians. Embechled in the ruins of buried cities of the Aztecs, in Mexico, are found the memorials of a constructive and artistic people, whose emblems of the '^ Eagle ivith out at retched ivings," repeated with patriotic iteration in the stone carvings of their buildings, has thus come down to us as 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. A living instance of much interest also evidences the continuity of national emblems among the earlier inhabitants of North Am- erica. Long before the invading Europeans first landed on the shores of the North Atlantic Emblems and Flags. 19 4. ToKTOISK Tot KM. coasts, the nomad H(m1 Inroke a treaty or falsified its plighted word to the lied Man, or failed to evince for the ancient children of the soil a wise and conscientious solicitude."* Of all emblems, a flag is the one which is universally accepted among men as the incar- nation of their intensest sentiment, and when •Lord DuflFerin, Toronto Club, 1874. Ill Ml i!iP i !3 ! :t !ii J I i! I ■. ■ ^ir .n; u ! 22 History of the Union Jack. 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 ad- ditional value to its people in proportion as its story is more fully known and its symbolism better understood. Its combinations should be studied, its story unfolded — for of itself a flag is nothing, but in its significance it is everything. " What is a riband worth ? Its glory is priceless ! "* So long, then, as pride of race exists amoi^ men, so long will a waving flag command all that is strongest within them, and stir their national instincts to their utmost heights. * Bulwer Lytton, li I 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 flag- maker. 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 com])ination of form or of colourings which, if we l)ut knew it, indicates the reason for their origin, or which marks some historic remi- niscence. There has been, perhaps, some notalile 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 victori- > ■ 4 [1 ■ >■ ■ > 1 ' 1 \ A ■ aivj li -, ! i! ii! '1 ■ I i 1 : ' ! ii ii Mi ! i I I ;'. I 'ii! : \\n 24 History of the Union Jack. ous 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 * 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. Before tracing the history of our own Union Jack, some instances may be briefly mentioned in which associations connected with the history of some other nations are dis- played in the designs of their national flags. The national ensign of United Italy (PI. 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 «hown a red shield, having upon it a white cross. This national flag was adopted in 1870, after the Italian peoples had arisen against their separate rulers, and the pre- viously separated principalities and kingdoms had, under the leadership of Garibaldi, been consolidated into one united kingdom under * Sumner. PLATE i BRITISH GREECE rRENCH UNITED STATES The Origins of National Flags. 25 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 Savov, to which the Royal House of Sardinia belonged, and which had been gained by the following ancient and honourable event : The island of llhodes, an Italian colony in the Eastern Mediterranean, had, in 1:311, 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, Avho were defending the island, and with his help they were able to make a success- ful 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 Italian kingdom, the old emblem won in defence of ancient liberties was further per- petuated on the banner of the new kingdom of liberated and united Italy. i... 26 History of the Union Jack. Hi h liii The colours used on 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, ol)tained, in 1832, 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 his kingdom in 1861. The throne was then of- fered to Prince Alfred of England, but de- clined by him. The present king, chosen in 18(33 after the withdrawal of his predecessors, is a member of the Koval House of Denmark : yet, notwithstanding this change in the reign- ing 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 * Particular names are given to the several portions of a flag. The part of a flag next the flag-staff 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 " can- tons "—two "next the staff," and two "in the fly-" These descriptive terras should be noted as they will be in constant use in the pages which follow. The Origins of National Flags. 27 Hag of (xreece (PL ii., fig. 3), still jH'eserve the blue and white colours of Bavaria, from whence the Greeks had obtained their first king, Otho I. The colours of the Gerninn national banner are black, white and red (PL ii., fig. 4). Since 1S70, when the united German Emj)ire was formed at the conclusion of the French war, this has l)een the general standard for all the states and principalities that were then l)rought into imperial union ; although each of these lesser states continues to have, in addition, its own particular fiag. This banner of united Germanv introduced once more the old German colours, wdiich had been displayed from 1184 until the time when the empire was broken up by Napoleon I., in 1806. 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 Avhicli 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 the 28 History of the Union Jack. ;l ■ ^1 t! ^ V V present union of the German Empire is con- nected with the early liistory of more than seven centuries before. The tri-colour of the present llepubUc of France (PL ii., fig. 5), 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 car- ried the blue banner of 8t. Martin. To this succeeded, in A.D., 1124, the flaming red 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 latest white flag, bear- ing upon it the fleur-de-lys of France, that Cartier had sailed up the St. Lawrence, and under this flag Canada was colonized and held by the French until the cession of Quebec ^ after the assault by Wolfe, when, in 1759, it * The colours carried by the French regiments at the siege of Quebec are described by Capt. Knox to be : "A white silk flag with three fleurs-de-lys within a wreath or circlet in the centre part of gold. ( • * The Fall of New France "—Hart. ) The Origins of National Flags. 2^ it was exchanged for the red-crossed flag of Enghmd. The present tri-colour of France was not the Hag of the forefathers of the Krenc^h Canadians of the Province of Quebec, nor has it any con- nection with the French history of Canachi. in fact it did not make its api)earance as a flatr until the time of the revohition in France in 17H9, or thirty years after the original French regime in (Vmada had closed its event- ful period, and therefore there is no French Canadian allegiance connected with the tri- colour. More detailed evidence of the origin of this flaii' states that the creation of the tri-colour arose from the incident that, when the revo- lutionary 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 Bour- bon regime, who afterwards joined their forces, and thus they combined the blue, white and red in the '* tri-colour" as their revolutionary ensign.''^ Whether or not its colours record those of • Thiers : " History of the French Revolution," Vol. I., p. 74. 30 HiSTOUV OF THE UnION JaCK. i! 1:1 the tlii'eo {ineient iiioiiarcliical periods, as well as tliose of the revolution, the tri-eolour as a French ensign for use by the i)eoi)le of France, as their national Haj»" both on land and sea, was not regularly established until a still later period, in 1794. Then it was that the Keimb- liean Convention i)assed the first decree * authorizing an ensign and directing that the French national Hag should be formed, of the three colours placed vertically in e((ual bands — that next the staff being blue, the centre white, and the fiy red. This was the flag under which Nai)oleon I. won his greatest victories, l)()th as General and F2nii)er()r ; but whatever glories may have been won for it l)y France, yet many years before it had been even devised, or the i)rowess of Nai)oleon's armies had created its renown, the French Canadian had been fighting under the Union Jack as his patriotic ensign and adding to its history of valiant glory by victory won by him in defence of his own Canadian home.t In 1815, with the restoration of the Bour- bon dynasty, the /hite flag was again restored in I>ance and continued in use until the con- clusion of the reign of Charles X, when, in 1830, the tri-colour once more superseded it, and * Decree of February 15, 1794. t Defence of Quebec, 1775. Thk OiutJixs OF Natioxal Fla(;s. 31 has siiu'i' tluMJ, notwitlistaiKliii*;' tlie various c'hanj^es of form of ^•oveninuMit, whether under emperor or president, remained as tlie ensij^n of the Euro[)ean Freneli nation. When in Canada the tri-eolour is seen flying- it is raised solely ontof eomnliment and courtesy to the rrench-speakin*^" friends in modern France. The fact tliat tlie tri-eolour lias received any acceptance with the French-speakinj,^ Canadian arises lar<;ely from tlie reason that, side hy side with the Union fJack, it partici|)ated in all the struj4j4les and <'lories of the Crimea, wlien the two rtaj^s, the tri-eolour and tlie Union Jack, were raiseM his l)lo()(l for the Union Jack at home in defence of Canada or in)on foreign shores in service in the British armies. It has never ])rought him Hl^erty or protection as has his Union Jack, which Inis been his native flag for a century and a half, or for a quarter of a century before the tri-c()h)ur 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 pos- session of the United States — should vet be mentioned by reason of the history which is preserved in its folds. The Hawaiian national ensign was at first composed of nine horizontal stripes of equal width, alternating white, red and l)lue, the top stripe being white, and the bottom blue.* AfLerwards the lowest stripe was taken off and the present flag ((>) adopted, in which there are eight stripes, the bottom stripe being red and the British Union Jack placed in the in the upi)er corner. The Sandwich Islands, made known to the w^orld mainly by the tragic death of Capt. Cook, in 1778, and now known as the Hawaiian Islands, had been fused into a single mon- archy by the impetuous valour of King Kame- * Preble : " History of the Flag of the United States," p. 86. I Mil . (* The Origins of National Flags. 33 liania, who in 171)4 admitted Christian mis- sionaries to liis king(hmi. Its existence as an independent monarchy was thereafter main- tained and was recognized by the ♦•reat powers. Internal difficidties having arisen in the kingdom and an insuk heen given to the Brit- ish consul, the islands were ceded and the sovereignty ottered to Great Britain in 1843, when, on 12th Fel)ruarv, the Union Jack was 6. Hawaiian En>;ion. nan on- me- 15. raised on all the islands, the understanding being that the natives were to be under the protection of the Hag of Great Britain, and internal order to ])e guaranteed pending the final disposition which might be arrived at in England between the representatives of the Hawaiians and the British Government.'*^ The Annual Register, 1843, Vol. 85. 3 I 1 I I [ i ' I I ' j I ' I I I I I I I !i I 34 History of the Union Jack. The British did not accept the piofFered transfer of the islands, but returned the sov- ereignty to the native government, which was thereafter to continue as an indei)endent mon- archy under the protection of Great Britain ; and by an accompanying treaty all British manufactures and produce were to be ad- mitted duty free. On July 31, 1843, the British flag was lowered and the new Hawaiian ensign raised in its place.* It was in recognition of this event that the Union Jack was })laced in the Hawaiian ensign. (6) 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 i)assed almost entirely into American hands. Dissensions had been existent under the subsequent native sovereigns, and in 1893 the Queen, Liliuokalani, was deposed l)y a revolu- tion, 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 * Bird : " Six Months among the Sandwich Islands," 1875. The Origins of National Flags. 35 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 14, 1900, at the inauguration of President Dole as Gover- nor 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 they record changes of rulers or perpetuate the memory of the dynasties or the men who have dominated vital occasions. A singularly simi- lar origin is associated with the creation of the Stars and Stripes, the ensign of the United States of North America (PL ii., fig. 6), which is treated of in Chapter XVI. Ml it 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 '' meaning- less things." Their combinations have a his- tory, and, in many cases, tell a story ; but of all the national flags there is none that Ijears upon its folds so interesting a story, or has its history so plainly written in its parts and colourings, as has our British " Union Jack." 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 parts, is an enquiry of deepest interest, for to trace the story of our national flag is to follow the his- tory of the British race. The flags of other nations have mostly de- rived their origin from association with some 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 >> ley lie ish ind ind The Origin of the Jacks. 37 traces, by the changes made in it during cen- turies of adventure and progress, the gradual extension 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. The name used in most of the earlier records is that of" Union Flag," or " Great Union." 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, A.D. 1707, as "Our Jack, commonly called the Union Jack." The most generally (quoted suggestion for 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, the ex- planation being that King James frequently signed his name in the French manner as " Jacques," which w^as abbreviated into " Jac," and thus the new flag came to be called a "Jack." The derivation suggested is ingenious and ^,^ imm lil 38 History of the Union Jack. III. jlli; '\v' i! ill Hi interesting, but cannot be accej)te(l 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. During the feudal period of European his- tory, when kings called their forces into the field, each of the nol)les, as in duty bound, furnished to the king's cause his quota of men equipped with conq)lete armament. These troops bore u[)on their arms and l)anners the heraldic device or coat-of-arms of their own I logo .!)rd,as a sign of "the company to which they belonged"; and in such way the par- ticuii.i' lucality from which they came could at once be recognized. It was afterwards provided in England that the banner of each liege lord should also bear the national cross as well as his own coat of arms. ** Every Standard, or Gaydhome, is to hang in the chiefe the crosse of St. George and to conteyne the crest or supporter and devise of the owner.''* The kings also in their turn displayed the banner of the kingdom over which each reigned, such as the fleur-de-lys for France, * Harleian MS. The Okkhx of the Jacks. 39 >> ce, the cross of St. (xoorge for Eiigl{iny 'I f t ! I'.l The "First," or "Queen's Colour," is the plain " Union Jack," in sign of allegiance to the sovereign, and upon this, in the centre, is the number oi designation of the regiment, surmounted by a royal crown. The " Second," or " Regimental Colour," has a small Union Jack in the upper corner, and the body of the flag is of the local colour of the facings of the regiment,^ and on it are embroidered the regimental badge and any distinctive em- blems indicating the special history of the regiment itself, and in territorial regiments the locality from which they are recruited. In this wav both the national and local methods of distinction are to-day preserved and displayed in the same way as they were in original times. In the earliest days of chivalry, long 1)efore, the time of the Norman coiKpiest of England, both the knights on horseback and the men on foot of the armies in the field wore a sur- coat or " Jacque,"t extending over their body from the neck to the thighs, bearing upon it the blazon or sign either of their lord or of * 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 {iddition to the small Jack in the upper corner. t Whence our own word " .Jacket." The Origin of the Jacks. 41 it of their nationality. Numberless exani[)les of these are to l)e seen in early illuminated manu- scripts, 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 ccmibined 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 behmged, 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-l)earers. The cross worn by each of the nationalities was of a different colour — that of France l)eing 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 8t. George was adopted and Avorn upon the Jacque as the sign of England, in the same way as shown in the accompany- ing knightly figure. (8.) The continuing use of this cross, and the ill'! llMliI II'' I , > \V 1 1'' li III' Im; 8. A Rkd Crohs Knkjht. \A m- The Origin of the Jacks. 43 i iviisou for wearinj^' it are well shown in tlie followin;^" extracts from the '' Onhiaunces," issued to the army with which Kichard II. of En^dand invaded Scothuid in llJSO : ** . . Also that everi man of what estate, condidon or nation thei be of, so that he be of oure partiet bere a signe of the armes of Saint George^ large^ bothe before and behynde upon parellt that yf he be slayne or wounded to dethy he that has so doon to hym shall not be putte to deth for def aulte of the crosse that he lacketh, and that non enemy do bere the same token or crosse of Saint George^ not- withstanding yf he be prisoner upon payne of dcth.^* Tlie sailors of the Cinciue l*oi'ts,t on the east of England, ])V wh(mi the royal navies were in early (hiys |)rincii)ally manned, are recorded to have worn as their uniform, in l.")13, " rt cote of ivhf/te cotf//i, ivith a red crosse and tlie armes of ye 2)()rts uiidenieatlie.'' 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 Frcs c*i had won Gales (Calais), * Harleian MS. t Hastings, Sandwich, Hythe, Romney, and Dover. Winchelsea and Rye were subsequently added. ■jum'.»JnmuUjllM. i ji^. Ill 44 History of the Union Jack. ii ! '■i;;i i ! IE ** 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 (guns) to the Queen's shyppes." * These " surcoats " or ** Jacqiu came in time to be known as the " Jacks " of the vari- ous nationalities they represented, and it was from the raising of one of them upon a lance or staff at the bow of a ship, in order that the nationality of those on l)oard might be made known, that the single flag bearing on it only the cross of 8t. George, or the cross of St. Andrew, came to be known as a " Jack," and from this origin, too, the small flar )le at the bow of a ship is still called the '* ^ li staff." Similarly the short tlag-pole at the stern of vessels, upon which the distinguishing ensign of nationality is now displayed, is called the *' Ensign staff." This custom of wearing the national Jack at the bow had not only become early established, but was also officially recognized. On the great seal of the first Lord Admiral of Eng- land, in 1409, under Henry IV., a one-masted Machyn's Diary. The Origin of the Jacks. 45 j^^alley is shown.* At the stern of the ?shij) is the I'oval stanihird of the kinu\ and at the how a staff hearing on it the scjnare hanner or Jack of St. George, the sign of England. Such was the origin of the name, and it is from the combination of the three national "Jacks " of England, Scotland and Ireland, at successive periods in their history, that the well-known " Union Jack " of our British nation has gradually grown into its present form. * Bloomfit'ld : "The National Flag." IF CHAPTER IV. THE ENGLISH JACK, A.D. 1194-1606. liiiiii' il'i ' ; ill 1^' I,' 111 I \ I I Si • I : III ill! II! ' II ! ^ The original leader and dominant partner in the three kingdoms which have been the cradle of the British race throughout the world was England, and it was her flag that formed the groundwork upon which the Union Flag has been built up. The ^' English Jack " (PI. iv., fig. 1.) is de- scribed, in simple lan- guage, as a white flag having on it a plain red cross. This is the banner of St. George (9), the patron saint of Eng- land, and in heraldic language is described as ''Argent^ a croas gnles,'' (on silver- white a plain red cross.") The cry of " St. George for Merrie England " has re-echoed through so many centuries that his place as the patron saint of the kingdom is firmly established. Wherever ships have sailed, there the red cross of St. George has 9. St. George's Jack. . The ExGi.mii Jack. 47 lieen carried l)y tlie sailor-nation who chose liim as their hero. The incident from which came his adoption as patron saint is tlius nar- rated in the early chronicles. In 111)0, Rich- ard Coeur de Lion of England had joined the French, Germans and Franks in the third great crusade to the Holy Land ; but while the other nations proceeded tc^ the seat of war overland, llichard l)uilt and engaged a great fleet, in which he conveyed his English troops to Palestine by sea. His armament consisted of " 254 talle shippes and al)out three score galliots." Arriving with these off the coast, he won a gallant sea-fight over the Saracens near Beyrut, and by his victory intercepted the reinforcements which their ships were car- rying to the relief of Acre, at that time being besieged by the combined armies of the Crusaders. About three miles north along the shore from the city of Beyrut (Beyrout), there was then, and still remains, an ancient grotto cut into the rock, and famous as being the traditional spot where the gallant knight »St. George, " Y' cladd in mightie armes and silver sliielde, As one for knightly giusts aod fierce encounters fitt." * .slew the monstrous dragon which was about Spenser : •' The Faerie Queen." 0\\]\ 48 History of the Union Jack. i:ir •^\ 7^'! Mi'y !l! to devour the daughter of the king of the city. This knight was l)orn, the son of noble Christian parents, in the King(h)m of Cappa- docia, and it is this 8t. George of C'appadocia who is the acknowledged patron saint of Eng- land. The Christian hero, St. George, is stated to have suffered martyrdom during the reign of the apostate Roman Emperor Julian, and from his having been beheaded for L ■. faith on the 23rd April, A.D. o61, the anniversary of that day has since been celebrated as *' St. George's day." His memory has always been greatly revered in the East, particularly by the Greek Church ; and one of the first churches erected by Constantine the Great was dedicated to him. The form of his cross is that known as the Greek cross, the four arms being at right angles to each other, and its form is displayed in the upper corner of the national Greek ensign, in this case as a white cross on a blue ground. (Pi. ii., fig. 3.) This Greek religious connection has also caused the adoption of the cross of St. George in the insignia of another nation. The Czar of Russia is not only the "Autocrat of the People of the Empire of all the f the noble *appa- idocia ' Eiig- ted to ign of I from ^n the :)f that 3orge's n-eatlv Greek 1*1 ected ^o him. as the right )laye(l iGreek la bkie IS also )f St. The Itocrat 11 the Scotch Jack The English Jack. 49 Russias" but he is also the "Supreme Head of the Orth()(h)x Faith " which in Russia is re])resente(l by the Greek Church. His Im- perial Standard is a yellow flag upon which is disj)layed a black two-headed eagle bearing ui)on its breast a red shield on which is em- l)lazoned in white the figure of St. George slaying the dragon. This same colouring, white on red, is followed in the decoration of the order of St. George, which is the second order of knighthood in Russia, and in the white cross of St. (xcorge, as shown in the otticial Hags of the Russian ambassadors. On the royal arms of Austria the black two- headed eagle bears on its breast a shield with a red ground having on it a white St. George's cross. Eight nations ])ear the Greek cross of the shape of St. George, but in four dift'erent colours on grounds of three different colours : Greece a white cross on a blue ground ; Russia a " " " red Austria a " Denmark a " " " " " Switzerland ... a " " " " " Norway a blue " '" " " Sweden a yellow " " blue " England a red ' " white " 4 H !H'' 50 History of the Union Jack. i^|:ii » *ij ■ii I :i England is, however, the only nation which has adopted the /rd cross of St. 6Voyv/^ as its special national ensign. It is to he noted that 8t. George has never been canonized by the lionian Church, nor his name placed in her calendar of sacred saints. His name, like those of St. Christopher, St. Sebastian and St. Nicholas, was only included in a list issued in A.D. 404, by Poi)e Gelasius, as being among those " whose names are justlij reverenced among men, hut whose actions are known only to God.'' ^ St. George, the redresser of wrongs, the pro- tector of women, the model of Christian chiv- alry, and the tutelary saint of England, was not a seafaring hero, nor himself connected with the sea, but it was after and in memory of their sailors' victory near the scene of his exploits that the seafaring nation adopted him as their patron saint. The red cross eml)leni of St. George is said by the chroniclers to have ])een at once thereafter adopted l)y Richard I., who immed- iately placed himself and his army under the especial protection of the Saint, and is re- ported to have introduced the emblem into England itself after his return in 1194. Fur- * Jameson : " Sacred and Legendary Art." ,.. I i-ii-- The English Jack. 51 licli ^ as re- into IFur- tlier evidence of its introduction and con- tinued use is given by tlie record that in 1222 8t. George's Day was ordered to be kept as a holiday in England.* Others aver that the emblem was not gener- ally accepted until by Edward I., in 1274. This prince, before his accession to the throne, had served in the last of the Crusades, and during that time had visited the scene of the victory and the grotto of the Saint. It is I)ointed out that this visit of Prince Edward to Palestine coincided with the change made in their badge by the English Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem from an eight-pointed Maltese cross to a straight white (irreek cross, and that with this change came the appearance upon the English banners of tlie 8t. George's cross, but of the English national colour red,t therefore they deduce that the introduction of the emblem in the flag niav have been of Edward's initiation. From this last date (1274) onward the St. George's cross and the legend of " St. George and the Dragon " are, at all events, in plain evidence in England. An early instance is that found in the borough of Lyme Regis, in * Butler : " Lives of the Fathers and Martyrs." t Bloomfield : " The National Flag." 52 History of the Union Jack. Dorset, to which Edward L, in 12S4, granted its first charter of incorporation and its ofticial seal. A photo reproduction of a wax impres- sion of this l)orough seal (10) taken from an :n -'! /I 1 '\ "l, ■ I \ ■'•■■" '•, , Y f U^r oOl i I ! 10. The Borough Seal of Lyme Reois, 1284. old **Toll lease" is here given. The flag of St. George is seen at the mast-head, and below it the three-leopards standard of Richard I., carried by Edward in Palestine during the lifetime of his father. At the bow of the ship The Entilish Jack. 53 is the figure of the Saint represented in the act of slaying the dragon, and having on his shieUl the St. George's cross. " And on his breast a bloodie crosse he bore, The deare remembrance of his dyinju; Lord, For whose sweete sake tliat glorious badge he wore, And dead, as Hving. ever Him adored : Upon his shield tlie like was also scor'd. For soveraine hope which in his helpe he had. Right faithful true he was in deede and word." * The religious and Christian attributes of St. George are commemorated in the seal by the representation of the Crucifixion and by the Saint, who has upon the end of his spear a St. George's cross, being shown as an angelic person. The sea tradition of his adoption is also sustained by the characteristic introduc- tion of the " galley " into the design. Around the edge of the seal is the rude lettering of the inscription in Latin : " SIG- ILLUM: COMUNE: DE : LIM,' (''The common seal of Lyme " ). Near the top may also be seen the star and crescent badge of Richard I., adopted by him as a record of his naval victory, and which is still used as an ''admiralty badge" upon the epaulettes of admirals of the British navy. * Spenser : " The Faerie Queen." \ f 54 History of the Union Jack. This seal of Lyme Kej^is is said to be the earliest representation of St. George and the dragon known in England. The same form of cross was ])laced by Edward I., in 1294, upon the monumental crosses which he raised at Cheapside, Charing Cross and other places, in memory of his loved Queen Eleanor, to mark the spots at which her body rested during the funeral procession when her remains were carried from Lincoln through Northampton to London. Another instance of a later date is found on a ** sepulchral brass" (11) placed to the memory of Sir Hugh Hastings in Elsing Church, Norfolk, and dated 1347. These plates of engraved brass, inserted in the stone coverings of so many graves in the interior of the churches in England, are most interesting examples of early memorial art. The figure of the deceased is usually drawn in full length upon them in lines cut deeply into the metal, and is accompanied by an inscription setting forth his deeds and his name. In the upper part of the architectural tracery surrounding the figure on the brass in ques- tion is a circle 8^ inches in diameter, in which the figure of St. George is shown. The Saint The En(jlish Jack. 65 liere appears as a knight, dad in full armour and mounted upon horseback, representing him in his character as the leader of chivalry and knightly manhood. A further develop- ment of the attribute of manly vigour will be 11. Bkass in ELsiNti CurRCH, 1347. noted in that, instead of being shown as piercing, as previously, the fiery dragon of the ancient legend, he is now represented as slay- ing the equally typical two-legged demon of vice. The large horns on the head of the fiend w\ M 56 History of the Union Jack. and his tail tvviisting paiiifulh botween his legs aro most quaintiy and vigorously drawn. This photo reproduction is from a "rub- bing " in black lead recently taken from the brass, and shows, so far as the reduced scale will permit, the 8t. George's cross ui)on the surcoat and on the shield of the knight. It was under this St. George's cross that Richard the Licm-hearted, after proving their seamanship in victory, showed the mettle of his English Crusaders in the battles of the Holy Land, and led them to within sight of Jerusalem. With it the Heets of Edward I. claimed and maintained the *' lordship of the Narrow Seas." Under this single red cross flag the ships of England won the epochal naval victory of Slitijfi, wdiere the English bowman shot his feathered shafts from ship- board as l)litliely as when afterwards the French battlefields resounded to the crv of *' England and St. George" ; and the undying glories of Cressy, Poitiers and Agincourt were achieved. Under it, too, Cabot dis- covered Cape Breton, Drake sailed round the world, Frobisher sought the Nortl^ west pas- sage, Kaleigh founded Virg'ni?^ and the navy of Elizabeth carried coi >n into he ill- fated Spanish Armada. The English Jack. 57 This is a j^dorv-roll which justifies tlic nanio of England as "Mistress of the Seas." Her patron saint was won as a record of naval victory. With this red cross flag of St. George flying above them, her English sailors pt the seas around their white-clifled and made the vships of all other nations swe coast H do oil to it. With it thev 't rated 'i.sance distant seas, and planted it on ju'eviously unknown lands as signs of the sovereignty of their king, making the power of England and England's flag known throughout the circle of the world. All this was done before the time when the sister-nations had joined their flags with hers, and it is a just tribute to the seafaring prowess of the English people, and to tlie victories won by the English Jack, that the single St. George's cross is in the British fleets the Admiral's flag, and Hies as his badge of rank ; that it is in the Command Pennant of all cap- tains and officers in command of shi])s, and that the English red cross flag is the ground- work of the White Ensign of the British navy. This White Ensign (PI. i, fig. 2) is the Eng- lish Jack, bearing the large red St. George's cross upon its white ground, and having in this present reign a three-crossed Union Jack % 58 History of the Union Jack. placed in the upper quarter or canton next the staff. It is the " distinction flag " of the British navy, allowed to be carried only by Her Majesty's ships-of-war, and is restricted, except by special grant, solely to those bear- ing Her Majesty's royal commission.^ Thus has the memory of Richard I. and his men been preserved, and all honour done to the " Mariners of England," the sons of St. George, whose single red cross flag has worthily won the poet's praise : " Ye mariners of England That guard our native seas, Whose flag has braved a thousand years, The battle and the breeze. ! Ill 1 ! I' !■ ill ^ * " The meteor flag of England Shall vet terrific burn, Till danger's troubled night depart, And the star of Peace return." f * A special permission has been granted to the yachts of the " Royal Yacht S