Chapter IV: Flags of Command (2)

At the Restoration the standard and jack flags reverted to the forms in use before 1649. The existing method of displaying the admirals' flags and the precedence of the squadronal colours remained unaltered, but a more strict regulation of their use gradually makes itself felt, and precise instructions as to the wearing of their flags begin to appear in the commissions of appointment issued to the flag officers. This was no doubt the logical outcome of the improved methods of naval administration, and especially of such improvements in the status of officers as the establishment of "Half-pay," of the introduction into the fleet of suitable youths with the express purpose of training them as officers, and the institution of qualifying tests before promotion to the rank of lieutenant. All these reforms tended to make the navy a regular profession for its higher officers instead of a mere haphazard calling, but it must be remembered that as yet the only established "Flag" ranks were those of Lord Admiral and Vice- and Rear-Admiral of England (or "of the Fleet"). All other Admirals were only "occasional," and officers holding such "occasional" rank yielded up the dignity on hauling down their flag and may frequently be found serving later as simple "Captain."

An important step forward was made in recognising that there might be two or more ships in company without either of them necessarily becoming an "Admiral" ship. This led to the institution in 1674 of the "Distinction-Pendant," which will be discussed in detail later. (See Broad Pendant, p. 102.)

When the Revolution of 1688 put an end to Pepys' activities at the Admiralty he was engaged in codifying the regulations relating to flags, and had laid before the king (as Lord High Admiral) a "new establishment" under which "no flags are to be issued but by particular warrant, which I suppose is to express their no., colors, and dimensions according to the occasions which they are issued for[274]."

The position at the end of Pepys' career is well summarised in the table overleaf drawn up by him--one of the many instances of his fondness for methodical statements.

The last entry is of especial interest. When the stricter regulation enforced had prevented many officers from wearing flags who would, in similar circumstances, undoubtedly have had that privilege in the first half of the century, much importance was attached to the right to exhibit a naked flagstaff. One striking instance of this occurs in 1687, when Sir Roger Strickland was appointed Vice-Admiral of the fleet under the Duke of Grafton, ordered to transport the Queen of Portugal (the king's sister) to Lisbon. Strickland, not unnaturally, wanted to wear a flag as Vice-Admiral. Not many years earlier he would have done this as a matter of course; now he had to obtain the king's permission, which was granted. But he had omitted Pepys from his reckoning. The king's sign manual warrant was accompanied by a long letter from Pepys dissuading him from exercising the right:

a thing so extraordinary, so irregular, and so unjustified by any
practice past, and unlikely to be ever imitated in time to come,
as this which you have thus contended for, of having two of the
Top Flags of England exposed to sea, in view of the two greatest
Rivalls of England for Sea Dominion and Glory (I mean the Dutch and
French) with no better provision for supporting the Honour thereof,
then Six Ships, and two of them such as carry not above 190 men and
54 guns between them, and this too obtained through meer force of
Importunity,

and hinting that the king will take it well if he does not hoist the flag, though he may bear the flagstaff. Like a wise man, he took Mr Secretary's hint, and resigned the honour. The king thereupon authorised Strickland to bear the naked staff only, and informed that officer that he was pleased to find that Pepys' advice had been taken, for it had been offered with his privity.

A DESIGNATION OF THE SEVERAL FLAGS AND COLOURS USED IN THE ROYAL NAVY OF ENGLAND FOR DISTINGUISHING DEGREES OF COMMAND THEREIN (Table Part 1)

--------------+----------------------------------------------
| The various Flags and Colours used
| in the Navy of England denoting command
+---------+---------+--------+--------+--------
The several |Standard |Anchor |Union |Red |White
Degrees of | |of the Ld|or Jack |Flag |Flag
Command in use| |Admiral |Flag | |
in the Navy of| | | | |
England | | | | |
--------------+---------+---------+--------+--------+--------
Ld High Adm^l |At the |At the | -- | -- | --
of England |Maintop |Maintop | | |
|the King |the King | | |
|being |being in | | |
|aboard or|the Fleet| | |
|not at |aboard | | |
|all in |another | | |
|the Fleet|ship | | |
| | | | |
Vice Adm^l | -- | -- |At the | -- | --
of England | | |Foretop | |
| | |w^h a | |
| | |distinc-| |
| | |tion | |
| | |pendant | |
| | |under it| |
| | | | |
Rear Adm^l | -- | -- |At the | -- | --
of England | | |Mizentop| |
| | |w^h a | |
| | |Distinc-| |
| | |tion | |
| | |Pendant | |
| | |under it| |
| | | | |
Admiral of | -- | -- |At the | -- | --
a Fleet of | | |Maintop | |
3 Squadrons | | | | |
with nine | | | | |
flags | | | | |
| | | | |
Admiral | -- | -- | -- | -- |At the
of the | | | | |Maintop
White | | | | |
Squadron | | | | |
| | | | |
Admiral | -- | -- | -- | -- | --
of the | | | | |
Blue | | | | |
Squadron | | | | |
| | | | |
{ Red | -- | -- | -- |At the | --
{ | | | |Foretop |
Vice { | | | | |
Admiral{ White| -- | -- | -- | -- |At the
of the { or | | | | |Foretop
{ Blue | -- | -- | -- | -- | --
| | | | |
{ Red | -- | -- | -- |At the | --
{ | | | |Mizentop|
{ | | | | |
Rear { | | | | |At the
Admiral{ White| -- | -- | -- | -- |Mizentop
of the { or | | | | |
{ Blue | -- | -- | -- | -- | --
| | | | |
Admiral of the| -- | -- |At the | -- | --
Fleet w^h | | |Maintop | |
3 flags only | | | | |
| | | | |
Vice Adm^l | -- | -- |At the | -- | --
of the same | | |Foretop | |
| | | | |
Rear Adm^l | -- | -- |At the | -- | --
of the same | | |Mizentop| |
| | | | |
Adm^l or | -- | -- |At the | -- | --
Commander in | | |Maintop | |
Chief of a | | | | |
squadron with | | | | |
one flag | | | | |
| | | | |
Private | -- | -- | -- | -- | --
Captain | | | | |
--------------+---------+---------+--------+--------+--------

A DESIGNATION OF THE SEVERAL FLAGS AND COLOURS USED IN THE ROYAL NAVY OF ENGLAND FOR DISTINGUISHING DEGREES OF COMMAND THEREIN (Table Part 2)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The various Flags and Colours used
in the Navy of England denoting command
---------+--------+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------
| | | | |
| | | | Pendant |
Blue Flag| Jack | Ensigne | Pendant | of | Flag Staff
| | Ordinary | Ordinary | Distinction | Naked
| | | | |
---------+--------+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------
| | | | |
-- |At the |At the Poop | -- | -- |At the Fore
|Bowsprit|with an | | |and Mizen
| |anchor in it| | |tops
| | | | |
-- | Do |At the Poop | -- |At the Fore- |At the Main
| | | |top under the|and Mizen
| | | |Union Flag |tops
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do | -- |At the Mizen-|At the Main
| | | |top under the|and Fore tops
| | | |Union Flag |
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do | -- | -- |At the Fore
| | | | |and Mizentops
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do White | -- | -- |At the Fore
| | | | |and Mizentops
| | | | |
At the | Do | Do Blue | -- | -- |At the Fore
Maintop | | | | |and Mizentops
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do Red | -- | -- | }
| | | | | } At the
-- | Do | Do White | -- | -- | } Main and
| | | | | } Mizentops
At the | Do | Do Blue | -- | -- | }
Foretop | | | | |
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do Red | -- | -- | }
| | | | | } At the
-- | Do | Do White | -- | -- | } Main and
| | | | | } Fore tops
At the | Do | Do Blue | -- | -- | }
Mizentop | | | | |
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do Ordinary| -- | -- |At the Fore
| | | | |and Mizentops
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do | -- | -- |At the Main
| | | | |and Mizentops
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do | -- | -- |At the Main
| | | | |and Fore tops
| | | | |
-- | Do | Do | -- | -- |At the Mizen
| | | | |and Fore tops
| | | | |
-- | Do |Do. White or|At the Main- |At the Main- |At the Main-
| |Blue, when |top when |top when eld-|top or Mizen-
| |of either of|alone or in |est captain |top according
| |those |Comp^y with a|in company |to the high-
| |squadrons |Senior Capt^n|with Private |est flag he
| | |and in the |ships |may at any
| | |Colour to be | |time before
| | |answerable to| |have had the
| | |the Squadron | |Honour of
| | | | |wearing
---------+--------+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------

Although Pepys' influence ceased at the Revolution, and his proposed "establishment" of flags was never ratified, the work of regulation and restriction went on through the reigns of William and Mary and Anne, culminating in the abolition of the Lord Admiral's standard and the confining of the Union flag at the masthead to the "Admiral of the Fleet." Nevertheless, several curious anomalies remained until the opening years of the eighteenth century. Officers appointed to the chief command of squadrons sent to the Mediterranean or West Indies were, whatever their rank, usually authorised to wear the Union flag at the main so soon as they had left the Channel. Thus in 1690 Captain Lawrence Wright was authorised to wear the Union flag at the main when sent to the West Indies in command of a small squadron.

Whereas his Ma^{tie} thinks fitting for his Service that in ye
present Employment on which you are going of Commander in cheife
of the Squadron of their Ma^{ts} Shipps appointed for service in
ye West Indies you should weare a fflagg at the Maintop. These
are in pursuance of his Ma^{ts} pleasure signified to this Board
on that behalfe to authorize and require you that in your Voyage
outwards bound to ye West Indies, soe soon as you shall be out of
ye English Channell, you weare ye Union fflagg at the maintop-mast
head of their Ma^{ts} Shipp on board w^h you shall be in person in
your aforesaid Employment as Comand^r in cheife, and to continue
soe to doe untill in your returne from the West Indies you shall
againe arrive in the Channell. And for soe doing this shall be your
Warrant. Given under our hands & ye Seale of ye Office of Ad^{ty}
this Sixth day of ffeb^y 1689 (1690)

To Capt^n Lawrence Wright
Commander in cheife of their Ma^{ts} Ships
now bound to ye West Indies[275].

The position occupied by Captain Wright was equivalent to that for which, at a later date, the title "Commodore" was borrowed from the Dutch. The Distinction Pendant, which it might be thought would be more applicable to such cases, was as yet confined in its use to the Downs. Ten months later Captain Aylmer was sent to the Mediterranean in a similar position, but instead of being allowed the Union flag he was only granted a special distinction pendant with the Union instead of the St George's cross at the head. Cases in which captains were ordered to wear the Union flag at the main are rare, but junior flag officers in command of squadrons were, during the reigns of William III and Anne, frequently directed to wear the Union flag as though they were full admirals. Thus Sir George Rooke, when appointed Commander-in-Chief in February, 1693, of a fleet destined for the Mediterranean was instructed:

12. So soone as you shalbe out of ye English Channell in your
voyage outwards bound, you are to wear the Union Flag at ye
Mainetopmast head and to continue so to do untill in your returne
you shalbe againe in the Channell[276].

At that date Rooke was Vice-Admiral of the Red, and flew, while in the Channel, the red flag at the fore.

Early in 1702 an important alteration was made in the white squadronal colours, which led to the introduction of the St George's cross in the admiral's flag and in the fly of the ensign. It will be remembered that hitherto the white colours consisted of: (1) a plain white flag for the admirals; (2) a plain white ensign with a small St George's cross in the upper canton next the staff; (3) a plain white pendant with a St George's cross at the head. In February, 1702, the Earl of Pembroke, then Lord High Admiral, sent the Navy Board instructions for fitting out the fleet intended to operate against the French; these instructions included:

An account of what Flagg-Ships are ordered to be fitted out at
Chatham and Portsmouth, and what Flags they are to wear.

_Chatham_:

Britannia Ld High Admiral The Standard
Sr George Rook
Soveraigne Adml of ye White Union Flagg
Marq^s of Carmarthen
Prince George Rear Adml to L^d Adml. Redd flagg
Sr Dav^d Mitchell
Boyne Vice Adm^l of ye White Union fflagg
Sr Clo. Shovell

Queen Adm^l of ye Blue Blue Flagg

_Portsmouth_:

Roy^l William Mr Aylmer
Vice Adm^l to ye L^d Adm Redd fflagg
Victory Sr Jno. Munden
R^r Adm^l of ye White Union Flagg
St George S^r Staff^d Fairborne
Rear Adml of ye Blue Blue Flagg

The Vice Adm^l of the Blue vacant by Mr. Benbow being in the West
Indies.

The Lord High Adm^l and the Flagg Ships of his squadron to have
Redd Ensignes and Pendants as usual to ye Private Ships.

The Admiral of the White to have Ensignes with the usual Cross
in the Canton, with this distinction; that a third part of the
said Ensignes for himself and the Flaggs and private Ships of his
Squadron are to be White in the middle of the Flye:--and this to be
in the whole length of the Ensigne.

The Adm^{rll} of the Blue and the Flagg Ships of his Squadron to
wear blue Flaggs and Blue Ensignes and Pendants to the private
ships with the usual Cross in the Canton of each as hath been
usually worne by ships of the Blue Squadron.

But as for the Pendants to the Private Ships of each Squadron, and
the Flaggs to wear in the Boats by the fflagg Officers, particular
directions will be suddenly given therein[277].

The white admirals' flag was to be replaced by the Union, and the white ensign by a red one with a broad white horizontal stripe through it. The reason for some such change is obvious when we recollect that at this date the French flag was white. Six weeks later were given the further directions that had been promised "suddenly." After cancelling the order for the standard, as already related[278], Pembroke instructs the Navy Board:

And whereas it may be necessary to distinguish the Vice and Rear
Adm^{ll} of each squadron by some particular mark in the fflaggs
which they carry in the heads of their Boats, I do hereby desire
and direct you to cause the distinctions exprest in ye papers
herewith sent you to be made in the Flaggs which the respective
Vice and Rear Adm^{lls} shall be furnished with for the Boats as
aforesaid: as also that what Pendents there shall now or for the
future be wanting for the Fleet, be made somewhat broader than they
now are, and shorter according to the draught in one of the said
papers, that so the inconveniencys that attend the present Lengths
of them by entangling in the Rigging or otherwise may be
prevented[277].

This was accompanied by a diagram showing the following boat flags.

Vice Admiral of the Red Plain red flag[279]
Rear Admiral of the Red Red flag with a white ball in hoist
Vice Admiral of the White Union flag with a white ball in hoist
Rear Admiral of the White Union flag with two white balls
placed diagonally
Vice Admiral of the Blue Blue flag with a white ball in hoist
Rear Admiral of the Blue Blue flag with two white balls
placed diagonally[280]

The need for some distinction in the flags of the admirals of the same squadronal colour, when displayed in a boat, or indeed any small craft in which only one position was available, must, one would suppose, have been felt often before, but this was the first attempt to solve the difficulty. Its main interest lies in the fact that it supplied the solution of the similar difficulty which arose, nearly three hundred years later, when the three-masted sailing-ship had given place to the two-masted iron ship, which often had only a single masthead available for the Admiral's flag.

The changes promulgated by the orders of the 5th February and the 20th March, 1702, already quoted, did not end there, for the officers of the fleet were not satisfied with an arrangement that made over the Union flag to the admirals of the second squadron of the fleet and introduced a red and white ensign. Accordingly, on the 6th of May, Pembroke issued the following further order:

Whereas I did some time since direct in what manner the Flaggs
and Ensignes should be made for such ships as should be appointed
to be of the Squadron of the Adm^l of the White, and whereas upon
consulting with the Flagg Officers of the Fleet, it is thought
more advisable that the said Flaggs and Ensignes should be rather
made white with a large St George's Cross, according to the sample
herewith sent you: and I do therefore hereby desire and direct you,
to cause all such of the said Flaggs and Ensignes as have already
been made by your orders to be altered, and that such as are still
to be made be conformable to what is before directed, as also
the Flaggs necessary for the Boats of the Ships of the aforesaid
Squadron[281].

The drawing included with the order shows a very broad red cross, in width equal to one-third of the depth of the whole flag[282].

This alteration necessitated a change in the boat flags of the Vice- and Rear-Admirals of the White. The balls became blue and were gathered into the upper canton instead of being placed diagonally across the flag; the white balls in the red and blue flags also underwent the same alteration in position.

In November, 1805, as a special compliment to the navy, the rank of Admiral of the Red was created. As this introduced three red flags in place of two, the boats' flags of the Vice- and Rear-Admiral of the Red were altered so as to have the same number of balls as the other Vice- and Rear-Admirals.

No further alteration took place in the Admirals' flags until 1864, when the division of Flag Officers into the three categories "of the Red," "of the White," and "of the Blue" was abolished and the squadronal colours discontinued. The reason for this change will be discussed in dealing with "Flags of Distinction," and it will therefore be sufficient to note here that the white colours were retained for the navy, red balls being substituted for blue in the "boat" flags.

The invention of the modern battleship, with only two masts (one of which was often unfitted for the display of the Admiral's flag owing to the presence of a masthead semaphore) had caused the general adoption by Vice- and Rear-Admirals of the "boat" form of their flags instead of the plain flag at the fore or mizen respectively, and this led to the question being raised in 1898 of a suitable flag for Vice- and Rear-Admirals, who often found the main masthead alone available for their flag, while on the contrary an Admiral was, in other ships, often obliged to hoist his on the foremast. In view of the fact that many of the great maritime nations had adopted the British method of differencing by balls (or stars) it was not thought desirable to abandon this method, but to make the flags more easily distinguishable the balls were increased in size to one-half of the depth of the canton, which necessitated placing the second ball of the Rear-Admiral in the lower canton next the staff, instead of in the upper one.

With the arrangement then adopted, which clearly distinguishes the flags of the three grades in all conceivable circumstances, we may assume that finality has been reached.

(iv) PENDANTS OF COMMAND

(_a_) _The Commodore's Broad Pendant_

Although the use of a specially large pendant to denote the presence of the officer in command of a squadron was not unknown in early days[283], the custom was not adopted in the English fleet until the latter part of the seventeenth century. Introduced first in 1674 simply to denote the ship of the officer in command for the time being of that important roadstead the Downs, the natural rendezvous of all ships going to and from the Thames and Medway, the custom was extended in 1690 to embrace the case in which a small squadron was sent abroad under a captain for whom there was no room on a Flag List which had become restricted to the nine admirals of the red, white, and blue colours.

On 14th November, 1674, in the course of a debate by the King and the Admiralty Board concerning the flying of pendants by foreign men-of-war in the Downs, the question was raised as to the desirability of marking the ship of the officer in command there, when that officer was not of flag rank. The summary of this discussion, recorded by Pepys in the Admiralty "Journal," contains so many points of interest that it seems desirable to reproduce it in full.

14 Nov^r 74
Present
The King
Prince Rupert Mr Sec^y Coventry
Lord Treasurer Mr Sec^y Williamson
Mr Vice Chamberlaine
Navy Offrs attending

Upon readeing another Lre from Capt Dickinson in ye Hunter,
Command^r in Cheife in ye Downes, disireing direction how to
demeane himselfe in reference to any forreigne Men of Warr which
shall come into and remaine in ye Downes with ye Pendant in ye
Mainetop, while his Ma^{ts} ship at ye same time Comanding there
shall ride without other Marke or distinction then that of a
Pendant in ye Maintop, viz^t whether hee shall suffer ye said
forreigne Man of Warr to continue rideing with his Pendant up, or
cause it to be taken downe; and it being, upon discourse thereon,
observed first that Pendants originally were not at all designed as
a mark or distinction, but only ornament. Next, That at this day
ye weareing of a Pendant at ye Maintopp is yt which is everywhere
become ye Marke of distinguishing a Man of Warr from a Merch^t man.
Thirdly, That our Ensigns and Jacke, together with their lyeing in
ye Adm^{ls} Birth, will sufficiently informe as well straingers
as his Ma^{ts} Subjects which is ye Comand^r in Cheife without ye
helpe of ye Pendants, soe as noe mistake can arise from ye want
of it either on occasion of applications to be made or respect
to be paid to her. Lastly, That noe difficulty has at any time
heretofore been made of permitting Straingers Men of Warr to weare
their Pendants in presence of ye Comand^r in Cheife in ye Downes,
noe more than elsewhere. The respect challenged by his Mat^y lying
not in ye lowreing of ye Pendant but ye fflagg or Topsaile which
was now avered by Mr Vice Chamberlaine and S^r Jeremy Smith, as it
had lately been to Mr Pepys by ye body of ye Trinity House of whom
hee had on this occasion lately inquired after the knowledge and
observation of ye Eldest Seamen there. Whereupon it was resolved by
his Mat^y and their Lord_ps_, that ye loureing of ye Pendant and
kepeing of it downe is not in this case to be exacted, and y^t Capt
Dickinson should be accordingly directed therein, But in case upon
further inquiry into this matter (w^{ch} Mr Pepys was ordered to
make w^{th} ye Off^{rs} of the Navy) it should be found needfull
(with respect either to decency or use) that some distinction be
observed betweene his Ma^{ts} Ship Commanding in Cheife (and not
beareing a Flagg) and others of his Ma^{ts} Ships or his Subjects
rideing in ye Downes at ye same time, some convenient marke or
distinction be by them Propounded to his Ma^{ty} & my Lords on that
behalfe in order to their further determination thereon.

On the 18th Pepys sent the Navy Board a memorandum

to put them in mind of considering how far it may be necessary for
the ship which shall command in chief there, and which from her
quality and the saving of charge shall not be allowed to wear a
flag, be appointed to bear some mark of difference, and if so what
may be proper to be established without exposing the King to the
extraordinary charge of a flag[284].

After a week's consideration the Navy Board replied that

in case the evills that may arise from the want of this distinction
are such as shalbee thought necessary to bee prevented, wee
doe humbly acquaint yo^r Lo^{pps} that in our opinion severall
inconveniences fitt to be prevented may accrew in case severall
of his Ma^{ties} Shipps doe at one and the same tyme ride in the
Downes and it bee not knowne which of the said shipps doeth command
there in cheife[285].

They therefore humbly conceived it expedient to appoint, as a mark of distinction, a Red Pendant, somewhat larger than ordinary, on a small flagstaff at the main topmast head. With a view to saving expense they were careful to suggest that the

Flaggstaff & Pendant when the shipp by whome it was worne happens
to leave the Downes shall bee delivered to such other shipp there
as shall bee appointed to succeed in the roome of the former, or
if there bee noe such shipp there, then that the same bee sent
on shore to Deale and lodged there with his Ma^{ties} Muster
Master[286]

until it was again wanted. Their fear that they might have to supply every likely ship with a staff and distinction pendant is perhaps the reason of the hesitating reluctance which their letter displays.

The Admiralty approved their proposals, and on the 12th December issued the necessary order, being careful to add that it was done "without any extra wages to be allowed for the same[287]."

The arrangement seems to have been viewed with some apathy by those concerned, probably because there were no extra wages attached, for in June, 1676, Pepys wrote to his brother-in-law, the Muster Master at Deal, reminding him that it was his duty to see the order complied with, and at the same time informing Captain Sir R. Robinson, then Commander-in-Chief in the Downs:

I am to note to you that his Majesty's last orders authorised
you to wear the pendant of distinction which was some time since
established ... the wearing which pendant I fear hath been for some
time neglected, but the King's said orders will remedy it by your
calling for it from his Agent at Deal and putting it up according
to the establishment ... which will abundantly I hope distinguish
you[288].

Pepys in his _Miscellanea_ has given us a drawing and description of this pendant, from which it appears that it had the St George's cross in a white field in chief and was five breadths (4 ft 7 ins.) broad at the head, and 21 yards in length, whereas the ordinary pendants were only three breadths (2 ft 9 ins.) at the head and varied in length from 22 to 32 yards according to the size of the ship. Both were "swallow-tailed" (i.e. slit at the end of the fly).

In 1683 the Navy Board had again to be reminded that this distinction pendant was to be used, but by 1692 it had become so popular that "some Commanders of their Ma^{ts} ships do take the liberty to wear distinction pendants without order for the same[289]," and they were strictly forbidden to do so.

In 1695 the use of this pendant was extended to the senior captain of ships cruising in the "Soundings" at the entrance to the Channel.

In the meantime another form of distinction pendant was introduced, in which the St George at the head was replaced by the Union. This form was for use abroad, in analogy with the practice by which Admirals sent abroad were ordered to wear the Union flag when out of the Channel, instead of their squadronal flag. As early as 1687 Pepys had noted the use abroad of a red ensign with the Union instead of the St George in its canton. At this date the St George's flag was still being flown by Genoese ships, and it was doubtless the desire to avoid any misunderstandings on this account that led to the disuse, before 1707, of the St George's flag by English men-of-war outside home waters. For some unexplained reason this form of ensign had become known as the Budgee flag, and this name was later transferred to the Union Broad Pendant, which became known as the Budgee Pendant[290] and was no doubt the parent of the modern word "Burgee."

The first instance of the use of the Budgee Pendant occurs in December, 1690, when Captain Aylmer, appointed Commander-in-Chief of the squadron intended for the Mediterranean, was ordered to be supplied with a distinction pendant "made with ye Union Crosses in place where other Distinction Pendants have only St Georges Crosse[291]."

Three years later the Earl of Danby, Captain of the 'Royal William' in the fleet under the three joint-admirals, was ordered to wear this same pendant and given precedence next to the Flag Officers[292], and in 1697 Captain J. Norris was appointed Commander-in-Chief of a squadron bound to Newfoundland and ordered, when out of the Channel, to "wear such a swallow tail pendant as Mr Aylmer had when he commanded a squadron in the streights, and which was afterwards worne by the Earle of Danby[293]."

All these officers, whether commanding-in-chief like Aylmer or in subordinate command like Danby, were serving in a position afterwards known as that of "Commodore." This title, derived from the Dutch "Commandeur" (originally the senior officer of a merchant fleet) which had been adopted in the Dutch navy from their merchant service at the end of the sixteenth century, was introduced into the English navy about 1695, no doubt as a consequence of the close connection between the two navies under "Dutch William." It was, however, not yet officially recognised; in their official orders the officers were simply "Captain" or "Captain and Commander in chief." They received a special allowance, usually 10_s._ a day, while so acting. Later on the importance of some of these positions was enhanced by the introduction, in certain cases, of a second captain into the Commodore's ship. This practice, which was in vogue at least as early as 1720, does not seem at first to have entailed any difference in flag or pay, but it made an important difference in prize money, for those Commodores who had Captains under them were treated in this respect as though they were flag officers.

In 1731 the Admiralty attempted to establish the rank of Commodore by providing for three posts of this rank in the _Regulations and Instructions for his Majesty's service at sea_, then for the first time gathered together in one book, but the Privy Council struck out all the articles relating to this proposal before recommending the book for the king's approval. The title was, however, formally recognised in 1734 by an Order in Council which, in laying down the relative precedence of Sea and Land Officers, provided "That Commodores with Broad Pendants have the same respects as Brigadiers-General," but the rank remains to this day a "temporary" one, carrying special pay and privileges but giving the captain holding it no authority over captains senior to him on the list.

Regulations governing the rank first appeared in the _King's Regulations_ of 1806. The Broad Pendant was to be of the squadronal colour and was to have the further distinction of a white ball if the Commodore had no second captain in his ship.

There shall be a temporary rank of Commodore which shall be
distinguished by a Broad Pendant, Red, White or Blue....

If the Commodore commands the ship himself the Pendant shall have
a large white Ball near the staff and he shall not rank as a Rear
Admiral.

Prior to 1806, Commodores appear to have kept their pendants flying in all circumstances. The new regulations, however, directed that if the Commodore met a senior captain, that captain was also to hoist a broad pendant, but if there were more than one senior to him then the Commodore was to strike his broad pendant instead.

This anomalous arrangement was altered in the Regulations of 1824, which provided that no Commodore should fly his broad pendant, or even hold the rank, while in the presence of a senior captain; but the difference in the two positions, dependant on the presence or absence of a second captain in the commodore's ship, was accentuated by dividing the commodores into two distinct classes on this basis; the first class flying the red or white pendant and the second the blue only.

A plain Red Broad Pendant, or a White Broad Pendant with a Red
Cross in it, is to be worn by Commodores of the First Class; but
when more than one such Commodore shall be present, the Senior only
shall wear the Red Pendant, and the other, or others, the White
Pendant.

A Blue Pendant is to be worn by Commodores of the Second Class.

With the abolition of the squadronal colours in 1864, the red and blue broad pendants disappeared. Commodores of the first class were to wear the white broad pendant at the main and those of the second class the same pendant at the fore. In boats the latter were to have a red ball in the upper canton of their pendants. From the same cause as that which affected the admirals' flags, this form with the ball soon became the only one in use for the second class.

Originally fourteen times as long as it was wide at the head, the broad pendant became gradually shorter. By the time the red and blue forms were abandoned it had reached its present proportions, in which it is only twice as long as its greatest breadth.

In 1913 the provision that Commodores should strike their broad pendant while in the presence of a senior captain was deleted from the _King's Regulations_. Commodores take rank and command of each other according to their seniority as captains and without regard to the class to which they belong, so that a Second Class Commodore flying a Broad Pendant with a ball might be the superior officer of a First Class Commodore flying the pendant without the ball, normally the superior flag, and the relative precedence of these flags would thereby become inverted while these two Commodores were in company or in the same port.

(_b_) _The Senior Officers' Pendant_

Ten years after the institution of the Distinction Pendant to denote a Commander-in-Chief who did not hold flag rank, Lord Dartmouth, then in command of an expedition against Algiers, hit upon the idea of granting a similar pendant to the senior captain of three or more ships that might casually happen to be in company. His orders, dated 1st January, 1684[294], contain the following provisions:

1. That every younger captain, upon his meeting with an elder
Captain at sea or in port (though the rate of the ship which he is
in be superior to the other) pay all fitting respect and obedience
by taking in his Pendant....

3. That (abroad) wheresoever more than 2 ships happen to be or
meet together the eldest Captain shall put up and wear a Pendant
of distinction and the other captains shall wear the Ordinary
Pendant.

4. That the said Pendant of distinction in this Fleet shall be
red with a large Cross at the head and double the breadth of the
ordinary Pendant, two thirds the length of it, and cut with a long
and narrow swallow tayle.

It was within the competence of Dartmouth to give such an order to the squadron serving under him, but the practice seems to have been kept up after he had left the Mediterranean, for Captain Sir Roger Strickland, writing to Pepys from the Bay of Bulls in September, 1686, complained

Had I wore a Flag in this Expedition, I might then have had a sight
of Capt. Priestman's orders for his keeping the King's Ships under
his command so long here, at so extra an expence, & I am no less
surprised at his wearing a swallow-tail'd flag at his main topmast
head much broader than his ensign, having a St Andrew's Cross in
it as well as St George's, being indeed such a thing as I never
saw, seeming to turn the King's flag & Pend^t into ridicule when
at ye same time ye D. of Mortmar rides by him w^h only a small
Pend^t...[295].

From a "particular draft" of this pendant given to Pepys it appears that it was very broad and short, with a red swallow-tailed fly, and a blue saltire, surmounted by a red cross, on a white ground at the head. Captain Priestman was brought to book and had to apologise to the king for his action.

The practice of wearing a senior officers' pendant, although never officially recognised, appears to have extended and to have been put down by the following order issued in July, 1692:

Whereas we are informed that some of the Comanders of their Ma^{ts}
ships do take the liberty to wear Distinction Pendants without
any order for the same, contrary to the Rules of the Navy: We do
hereby strictly charge & require all Capt^{ns} & Comanders of
their Ma^{ts} Ships & Vessels & others hired into their service
That they do not presume upon any pretence whatsoever to wear any
other Pendants in the Ships they comand, then the Ordinary Pendants
w^h have by the constant practice of the Navy been worne in their
Ma^{ts} Ships of Warre without particular order in writing from
this Board for soe doeing[296].

After this we hear no more of this pendant until the great change of 1864, when the following provision was made in the regulations promulgated on that occasion:

When two or more of Her Majesty's Ships are present in Ports or
Roadsteads, a small Broad Pendant (White, with the St George's
Cross) is to be hoisted at the mizen-top-gallant-mast-head of the
Ship of the Senior Officer.

A slight modification was introduced in the _King's Regulations_ of 1906, which ordered that in ships with less than three masts this pendant should be hoisted at the "starboard topsail-yard-arm." This was again modified in 1913 when the senior captain at a port, if the senior naval officer there present, was instructed to hoist this pendant at the masthead while any Commodore junior to him on the list of captains was also present in that port.

FOOTNOTES:

[215] The art of Heraldry was not established until the thirteenth century, and the armorial bearings associated with the names of our kings before Richard I are the inventions of the mediaeval heralds, who, in their anxiety to give their art a foundation in the past, did not hesitate to assign arms even to the psalmist David.

[216] Or leopards. See _Ency. Brit._ s.v. "Heraldry."

[217] The claim was renounced by the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360, to be renewed again at the suggestion of Parliament in 1369: presumably the French Arms were not used between these years.

[218] E.g. seal of the Exchequer of Ireland (Commonwealth).

[219] See p. 64 and Plate VI, fig. 5.

[220] See p. 65 and Plate VI, fig. 6.

[221] Fox-Davies, _Complete Guide to Heraldry_, 1909, p. 607.

[222] Its use was discontinued on the official adoption of Howe's Signal Book in 1790.

[223] Froissart, I (_MS. de Rome_).

[224] eux.

[225] Froissart, I.

[226] _Hakl. Voy._ VII, 141.

[227] _S. P. Henry VIII_, CCV, 160. Instructions drawn up by Sir John Hawkins in the latter part of Elizabeth's reign contain the same provision. "Item the Ld. Admirall shall beare a flagg of the Armes of England upon the Top of his Mayne-mast. And a flagg of St. George one the foretopmast."

[228] _Rawlinson MS._ A 192.

[229] Buckingham flew the standard during the Ile de Ré expedition of 1627.

[230] _Cal. S. P. D._ 15th June, 1624.

[231] Penn, _Memorials of Penn_, I, 262.

[232] _S. P. D. Chas. I_, DXVIII, 120: "I desire you to provide and send downe twenty Pendents of my Colours viz. Yellowe and Tawny for the ships that accompany mee to sea. And I shall n(ee)d a newe Standard for the St George."

[233] _Clarendon S. P._ II, 468, 9.

[234] These arms and device were also used on Proclamations issued in January, 1689.

[235] This is especially seen in the case of the Earl of Lindsey, who had nevertheless been granted the extraordinary privilege of pardoning penalties inflicted by Martial Law in his fleet, a power that did not appertain even to the Lord High Admiral.

[236] I.e. the anchor flag; this is confirmed by a sketch of the flags ordered on 20th March, 1702, in _Rawlinson MS._ C 914.

[237] _Adm. Sec. Out Lrs._ 182.

[238] I.e. H.M.S. _Prince_.

[239] This is perhaps due to the fact that the English Lord Admirals adopted a ship in full sail upon the obverse of their seals. We have no specimen of the reverse or counter-seal earlier than that of Nottingham. As the anchor is found on the reverse of this seal it is possible that it was upon the reverse in the earlier seals.

[240] The author is indebted to Mr R. G. Marsden for this reference.

[241] Reproduced in Hakluyt Society's edition of _Hakluyt's Voyages_, IV, 208. The engraving may be dated circa 1600.

[242] A conventional design of an anchor and cable, in which the cable is entwined about (or, as seamen say, foul of) the stock and shank.

[243] The seal of the Royal Commissioners for the High Admiralty of England.

[244] A variation of it, in which the cable passes loosely through the ring and ends in extravagant flourishes on either side, was in use by Pepys in 1673.

[245] Plate VIII, fig. 1. On the seals the anchor was vertical, but in the flags it was usually placed horizontally. The foul anchor in the Admiralty seal since 1725 has, however, been of a design similar to that on the York Water Gate.

[246] _S. P. D. Chas II._ LXVI. 74.

[247] _Pepys MSS._ Miscellanea, IX.

[248] _Pepys MSS._ Miscellanea, IX.

[249] _Ibid._ Naval Minutes.

[250] Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the term "Admiral" was used of the ship as well as of the officer in command. The rank, moreover, until the latter part of the seventeenth century, was purely local and temporary, and simply denoted the senior officer for the time being of the ships in company.

[251] See lists in Nicolas, _History of the Royal Navy_, I, 435, and II, 524. It is a curious circumstance that in nearly all these cases the fleet was directed against Scotland. One exception to the rule occurs in 1315 when John of Argyle was appointed "Captain of our fleet of ships which we are shortly about to send to the Scottish parts." Under him were placed "William de Crey and Thomas de Hewys, Admirals of the fleet of the King's ships," who were "commanded that they be obedient and responsive to the same John."

[252] _Vide_ Nicolas, _History of the Royal Navy_, I, 178.

[253] Ensign, in the original sense of insignia; the modern "ensign" does not appear to have been used in the English navy before the latter part of Elizabeth's reign.

[254] Froissart, I, 255.

[255] _Harl. MS._ 309, fol. 4.

[256] I.e. in _both_ the main-mizen and the bonaventure (or after) mizen tops; the large ships of this period were four-masted.

[257] _S. P. Henry VIII_, CCV, 160.

[258] "Though the use of a Rear Admiral is but a late invention in comparison with the other two and is allowed but the ordinary pay of a Captain" (_Naval Tracts of Sir Wm Monson_ (N. R. S.), IV, 1).

[259] The French employ the term "contre-amiral" and the Dutch the curious locution "Schout-bij nacht," i.e. "Bailiff by night." The offices of Lord High Admiral, Admiral, and Vice-Admiral were adopted by England from the French.

[260] _Pepys MS._ and _Rawlinson MS._ C, 846.

[261] Edited by Sir Julian Corbett and published by the Navy Records Society in 1902 (_Miscellany_, vol. I) with facsimiles of the diagrams.

[262] Pipe Off. Dec. Acc. 2232.

[263] Corbett, _op. cit._ Descriptions of flags are very rarely given in the accounts; usually only the size and price appear.

[264] These flags would be about 6 yards long by 5 yards deep.

[265] _S. P. D. Chas I_, V, 31.

[266] A ship not bearing an admiral's flag was called a "private ship"; but before 1650 the term "private man-of-war" almost invariably denotes a merchant ship having letters of marque, afterwards called a "privateer."

[267] Cf. _Boteler Dialogue_, 5: "The use of them is in Fleets to distinguish the Squadrons, by hanging of them out in the Tops; as all those Ships of the Admirals Squadron hang them out in the Main-top; those of the Vice Admirals in the Fore-top; and those of the Rere Admirals in the Missen-top; and here also they are of different Colours." See also Monson, Book III.

[268] _A Relation Touching the Fleet and Army of the King's most excellent majesty King Charles, set forth in the first year of his highness's reign, and touching the order, proceedings and actions of the same fleet and army_, by Sir John Glanville, secretary to the Council of War (_Camden Soc._ N. S. vol. XXXII, p. 83).

[269] _Op. cit._ "The Rere Admirals place with the white flagg to be borne in the mayne topp was assigned ... to my Lord Denbigh."

[270] Corbett, _Fighting Instructions_, 1530-1816 (N. R. S.), p. 49.

[271] _S. P. D. Inter._ XXXII, 39.

[272] _Rawlinson MS._ A 227. Cf. also the Instructions of Goodson to Penn 21st June, 1655. "You shall wear the jack-flag upon the maintopmasthead" (_Memorials of Penn_, II, 116).

[273] Strictly speaking, the "chief" embraced the whole of the hoist. In the ensigns the cross occupied only the upper part of it, being placed in a white canton in the red and blue ensigns. See Plate IX, figs. 10, 11, and 12.

[274] _Pepys MS._ Miscellanea, IX. Pepys proposed also to restrict the number of admirals' flags flown, according to the number of ships in a fleet.

[275] _Admiralty_ 2/5.

[276] _Admiralty_ 2/11.

[277] _Admiralty_ 2/182.

[278] See p. 80.

[279] The rank of Admiral of the Red was not created until Nov. 1805. The Admiral of the Red Squadron was either the Lord High Admiral, flying the anchor flag, or the Admiral of the Fleet, flying the Union.

[280] See Plate VIII, fig. 4.

[281] _Admiralty_ 2/182.

[282] See Plate X, fig. 6.

[283] A broad green pendant was used by Doria at Lepanto (see p. 112), and Drake was noted by the Spaniards for the inordinate size of the pendant he displayed.

[284] _Catalogue of Pepysian MSS._ (N. R. S.), II, 400.

[285] _Admiralty_ 1/3546.

[286] _Admiralty_ 1/3456.

[287] _Admiralty_ 2/1.

[288] _Catalogue of Pepysian MSS._ (N. R. S.), III, 210.

[289] _Admiralty_ 2/9.

[290] In 1710 Captain Warwick was refused permission to use the "Bugee Pendant"; _Admiralty_ 2/453. Millan's Signal Book (1746) contains an illustration of the "Budgee Broad Pendant."

[291] _Admiralty_ 2/171.

[292] _Admiralty_ 2/11. Orders of 31st March and 1st May, 1693.

[293] _Admiralty_ 2/23, 15th March, 1697.

[294] _Pepys MS._ 2867.

[295] _Pepys MSS._ Miscellanea, IX.

[296] _Admiralty_ 2/9.