Chapter XIX: The Union Jack of George Iii., 1801

THE PRESENT UNION JACK.

We come now to the formation of the first, and present, three-crossed Jack, the "Red, White and Blue," of story and of song, being the third Union Jack.

For forty years King George III. had reigned as King of Great Britain and Ireland. The Union Parliament, created under Queen Anne, had administered the affairs of England and of Scotland, but the Parliament of Ireland had continued meeting separately, and the two-crossed Union Jack of 1707 had been the only Union Jack authorized to be raised in the British realm. In the forty-first year of the King's reign an Act was passed in the Parliament of Ireland, whereby it became, as had the Parliaments of the two other kingdoms, incorporated in the one Union Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. As previously, so now again the Parliamentary and completed union of the kingdoms having been arrived at, the Irish Jack was directed to be joined with the Jacks of England and Scotland.

The same deliberate procedure for making an alteration in the Union flag was followed as under Queen Anne: First, an Act of Parliament creating a further union, the call of the Sovereign as the supreme head of the nations, the appointment of a Committee of the Privy Council to consider the drafts of the changes to be made, then an Order in Council, and, finally, the issue of a proclamation by the King.

The record[125] states: "On the 5th November, 1800, the King in Council was pleased to approve the report of a Committee of the Privy Council, that the Union Flag should be altered according to the draft marked 'C,' in which the cross of St. George is conjoined with the crosses of St. Andrew and St. Patrick."

[125] Memorandum of the Admiralty.

This draft "C" (48) was duly transmitted to the College of Arms, London, and an exact tracing of it as recorded in the books of the college has been made.[126]

[126] "Genealogical Magazine," 1899.

The designers of this new Union Jack of 1801 had this time to join three flags together, instead of, as in 1707, only joining two; the problem set before them being the union of the three national Jacks of the sister nations into one grand Union Jack (Pl. v., fig. 3).

The three flags now to be formed into one Union flag were the incoming Irish Jack, having a red diagonal saltire cross and white ground, to be joined with the "white crosse, commonly called St. Andrew's crosse,"[127] of Scotland, with its blue ground, and the "Jack white with a red cross, commonly called St. George's cross"[128] of England, with its white ground.

[127] Proclamation, Charles I., 1634, p. 83.

[128] Proclamation, Charles II., 1663, p. 90.

The latter two had already been joined in the Union Jack of 1707. The draft "C" (48) gives the method in which the designers proposed the three flags should be combined, and the proportions to be given to each in the new flag, which then received the approval of the King in Council.

Thereafter, on January 1st, 1801, King George III. issued his Royal proclamation from St. James' Palace, declaring His Majesty's pleasure concerning the Royal style and titles appertaining to the Imperial crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its dependencies, and also the ensigns armorial, flags and banners thereof.

The clause respecting the Royal coat-of-arms states:

"And that the arms or ensigns armorial of the said United Kingdoms shall be quarterly; first and fourth England, second Scotland, third Ireland; and it is our will and pleasure that there shall be borne therewith on an escutcheon of pretence the arms of our Dominions in Germany."

The result of this clause was that the lilies of France, which had been quartered in the Royal arms since Edward III., 1327, were altogether removed, and the whole four quarters were appropriated--two quarters to the three golden lions of England, and one quarter each to the red lion of Scotland and the golden harp of Ireland--and upon a shield on the centre was to be placed the arms and white horse of Hanover, to indicate the other countries over which the King also reigned (49).

The next clause refers to the Royal Standard or flag of the sovereign:

"... And it is our will and pleasure that the standard of the said united kingdoms shall be the same quarterings as are hereinbefore declared to be the arms or ensigns armorial of the said united kingdoms...."

Although the Royal arms contained a recognition of the King's Hanoverian kingdom, the flag to be used as the "Royal Standard" is ordered to have on it only the arms of the three united kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland.

In the clause of this proclamation the Union flag (50), which had already been designed and approved, was described as follows:

"And that the union flag shall be azure, the crosses saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick, quarterly per saltire counterchanged, argent and gules; the latter fimbriated of the second, surmounted by the cross of St. George of the third fimbriated as the saltire."

This description defines, with respect to the crosses, that the white cross of Scotland and the red cross of Ireland were joined together quarterly and "_counterchanged_" and that the red cross of St. George is to "_surmount_"--that is, to be laid upon the surface of them both. With respect to the grounds of the flag, it is described as being blue, and that the cross of St. George is "fimbriated as the saltire." Much, and almost continuous, controversy early arose upon this heraldic description of the Union flag, particularly with respect to the proportion of the crosses, and specially to the width of the white border to the St. George.

It is to be remembered that heraldry does not, except when specifically given, deal with exact dimensions, but gives the general appearance and particular colourings of the shield or banner. If, as in this case, the arrangement of the flag selected may have been in the opinion of some of the heraldically inclined, "an extraordinary amalgamation,"[129] and by others not made in accord with the heraldic "blazon" or description given of it in the proclamation, yet this division of its parts is not to be attributed to the "officers of arms" of that day, for it has been expressly put on record that "in this allotment they were not allowed the exercise of their own judgment."[130] Suggestions have constantly since been made that the forms in the flag should be changed, because, as is reiterated, "the guide to all heraldic devices is the verbal blazon of the heralds," and with this, they say, the flag does not agree, for the saltire crosses do not bear the appearance of having been "counterchanged"--that is, alternated, share and share alike; and that the "fimbriation" to the red cross of St. George is wider than an "heraldic fimbriation," which on an heraldic shield is only a very narrow edging or border for the purpose of separating one colour from another.

[129] _Gentleman's Magazine_, January. 1801.

[130] _Naval and Military Magazine_, 1827, p. 182.

These are objections arising only from the wording of the "blazon" and not from the flag itself; to the description given of it and not to the design.

We have seen that, both in 1707 and in 1801, the changes made in the "Union Jacks" proceeded by a regular and formal progression of, consideration by Sovereign, Committee of Enquiry, Order in Council and registration of the drafts of design then selected and approved, and the promulgation of the Royal proclamation for its use.

_The design of the flags preceded the blazon_, or description given of them in the proclamations. We must, therefore, refer to the flags themselves as the guide to their proportions and to the intentions of their designers.

It does not appear that any "draft" of the first flag of James I., 1606, was fyled, but a formal proclamation authorizing it was made by the King "according to the form made by our heralds."

On reference to the "Draft C, 1707," of Queen Anne, for the conjoining of the two flags, it will be noted that the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew are of _equal width_, and that the white border to the St. George is one-third of the width of either of the crosses. The red and white crosses of the two national flags are thus represented, and the whole of the "crosse-flags" by the blue ground of the Scottish flag in the angles, and the white ground of the English flag in the broad white border.

Queen Anne and her Councillors had in mind the union of the two nations, but there was no "verbal blazon" made or issued, the order being that "the flaggs be according to the 'Draft marked C,'" and as "shown on the margent" of the proclamation.

This authorized Union Jack of 1707 was the basis upon which the designers of George III. began when, in 1800, they were instructed to conjoin the cross of St. Patrick, which was to be added to the union flag.

Comparison of the "Draft marked C, 1800," shows that the broad white border of St. George is retained of the same width as in the "Draft C, 1707," being approximately _one-third_ of the width of the red cross of St. George and of the saltire cross, both of which remain of the same size as previously. The form authorized by the Order in Council of 1707 was adopted and repeated by the Order in Council of 1800.

In the bringing in of the additional red saltire cross of Ireland, the diagonal space previously allotted in "Draft C, 1707," to a saltire cross is now equally divided between the white and the red saltire crosses of the kingdoms, and to give them equal recognition and honour, the edging of white necessary to separate the red saltire of St. Patrick from the blue ground of the flag is taken from its own half of the diagonal space allotted to it instead of from the Scotland's blue, and this was duly balanced by the retention of the full broad white border space around the St. George, which in the new flag represented both the white grounds of the St. Patrick and the St. George, as the blue ground did that of St. Andrew's flag.

Thus the intentions of the designers of 1707 were followed, confirmed and extended by the designers of 1800. The drafts and orders in Council issued in pursuance of them are the authority which must be recognized in the making of the flag, and not the interpretation of a description or "blazon" given of it in the proclamation issued after the Union Jack had already been approved and adopted.

It has been said that the wording of the blazon, "the cross of St. George fimbriated as the saltire," is to be taken as indicating the "width" as well as the "colour" of the fimbriation, and that, therefore, it should be reduced to a narrow heraldic edging. Others consider that as heraldry does not deal with sizes as exact dimensions, the wording means simply, "of the same _colour_ as the saltire," and has no reference to the width, and some criticisms have described the "blazon" as being "very obscure."[131]

[131] _Naval and Military Magazine_, 1827.

In consequence of these interpretations, proposals have, at times, been made for altering the Union Jack, "so as to bring it more into accordance with the blazon and with heraldic rules," but as has been well said, "flag making is not pure heraldry; it is affected by considerations of symmetry, proportion and in no small measure of usage and prescription."[132]

[132] _Times_, September 17, 1903.

Our Union Jack, in its present form, has unquestionably been made as it was ordered to be made in 1707 and in 1800, and proclaimed in 1801, whether the description in the proclamation be correctly expressed or not.

But in addition to the general form of the design, as given in the "Draft C, 1800," there were also detailed regulations issued for the making of the flag, which are the same as the rules prescribed by the Admiralty of the present day[133] for the several proportions of the Union Jack as always and now issued.

[133] Admiralty Memorandum relative to the Union Jack, 1907.

From these regulations it is clearly evident that the recognition which the white ground of St. George's Jack had been given in the flag of 1707 was intended to be continued. While the pattern drafts of the Councils were of square form, the Admiralty adopted a longer form, as "the practice has been, in regard to the dimensions of flags generally, to make the length twice the breadth at the head." This is the usual length adopted for flags which are not square, although the flag of an admiral, which is the old English St. George, still continues to be one and a half times as long as it is broad.

The dimensions are given in full detail in the regulations.

An outline drawing (51) of the flag of the same form as the Admiralty pattern is given for convenience of reference. The proportions of the several crosses and borders are directed in the regulations to be made according to the measurement called the "width of the flag," being the measurement on the "halliard" or "hoist," which is the side next to the flagstaff, and are as follows:

REGULATIONS FOR THE SIZES OF THE PARTS OF THE UNION JACK,

Whether square or oblong, in which latter case the length
to be twice as long as the width.

Red cross of St. George 1/5 of width of flag.
White border to St. George 1/3 of red of St. George.
Red cross of St. Patrick 1/3 " " "
White border to St. Patrick 1/6 " " "
Broad white of St. Andrew 1/2 " " "

The paramount cross of St. George is to be one-fifth of the width of the flag on the flagstaff, and its width is made the factor by which the measurements of all the other parts are to be regulated in flags of varying sizes.

The crosses of the two other Jacks, which were to be joined, are each allotted a proportion of _one-third_ the width of the cross of St. George.

The divisions of the parts for the Irish Jack are stated separately, being _one-third_ for the red cross of St. Patrick, and _one-sixth_ for its white border; the two measurements, when added together, amounting to a proportion of one-half.

The proportion of one-half allotted to the "broad white of St. Andrew" comprises the due share of _one-third_ for the Scotch cross, and _one-sixth_ for its border, being an exact equality to the proportions given to the Irish cross and its border.

At first sight it would appear that the "broad white of St. Andrew" was given a larger proportion of the flag, but the measurements of the "cross" and its "border" of the Scotch Jack are stated in one figure, because their colours are the same, while those of the Irish Jack are given separately, because the colours are different, the cross being red and its border white.

The saltire space of the Union Jack of Queen Anne has been divided equally, and the national banners of St. Patrick and St. Andrew are thus given each a proportion of _one-third_ for its CROSS and _one-sixth_ for its BORDER or "fimbriation."

The description given in the "blazon" respecting the red cross of St. George, stated that it was "fimbriated as the saltire." The regulations defined this as "for the white border to the cross of St. George," and there was allotted, not simply a one-sixth proportion due a "fimbriation," but the full proportion of _one-third_, equal to that of a national cross, and in this way the white border to the cross of St. George is as wide as the cross of each of the other nations.

The width of the border cannot this time, as was said of the change of 1707, be the result of the "carelessness of a draughtsman,"[134] for it is made with premeditated carefulness, and, more than that, the measurements are set down in exact figures. Thus the reason for the broadening of the border in the flag of 1707 has been justified by the flag of 1801 and its authority confirmed.

[134] McGeorge: "Flags."

This broad white border, given to surround the red cross of St. George, is not only the formal recognition of the white ground of the English Jack, which had been placed in the flag of 1707, but it is also a recognition of the white ground of the Irish Jack, which was now for the first time entering the Union Jack, so that the broad border in the flag of 1801 represents the grounds of two national Jacks.

The practical proportions of the pattern drafts are thus fully carried out in the Admiralty pattern. Some twenty years ago the Garter King of Arms had his attention drawn to the Admiralty flag as used in the navy, and he was asked to suggest an alteration. He declined, because, he said, "the flag was made according to the drawing, and it was exhibited in the same way on the colours of the Queen's Infantry Regiments."

It is a serious thing to deface or alter the national flag of a nation, and if any changes have been made in any individual instances they are the result of error, and have not been made with such paramount authority of Sovereign, Parliament and Council, as have been the Union Jacks of Queen Anne and King George III.

In this Union Jack of 1801 we have, then, plainly displayed a complete representation of the three separate crosses, and of the white and blue grounds of the three national Jacks which were then combined together to form our Union Jack.

Since 1801 no change had been made in this Union Jack of George III., which was the first three-crossed Jack of its race, and is our present Union Jack.

From 1801 onward dates this glorious flag, in which all three nations are represented. It was born when the power of Great Britain seemed almost wrecked. Reverses had accumulated upon her. In America many of her possessions among the West Indies and on the surrounding coasts[135] had been wrested from her flag, and thirteen of her longest established and most populous colonies, becoming the United States, and aided by men, money and fleet from the French in Europe, had revolted from her sway and abandoned their allegiance. In Europe the nations of France, Spain and Holland were united in arms against her, and she was battling almost single-handed against the power of the great Napoleon; yet, undaunted by these trials, the sons of the united nation ran their new Union Jack up aloft, and started out to frame that marvellous career which it has since achieved.

[135] In 1781 England lost Tobago, St. Eustachius, Demerara, Essequibo, St. Christopher, Nevis, and Montserrat.

"For England's courage flames
The fiercest in defeat,
And in the day she stands at bay
Most dangerous to meet."[136]

[136] Kirby: "Canadian Idylls."

This third Union Jack flew at Aboukir when Abercrombie drove Napoleon out of Egypt; with it were won the triumphs of Wellington, from Assaye in India, through Badajoz and Spain, to the crowning victory at Waterloo. It was the flag which floated in the "white ensign" on all the ships at Trafalgar,[137] and on the _Victory_ when Nelson sent aloft his British watchword:

"England expects every man will do his duty."

[137] Nelson, in order to have the British ships easily recognized by one another in the action, had ordered that instead of wearing (in accordance with regulations) the flags of their respective red, white or blue squadrons, all the ships should wear the same flag (the white ensign) as himself.

The halo of that signal shone around it at Balaclava, when the heroes of the valley-charge proved it was

"Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs not to make reply;
Theirs but to do and die";

and again above the _Birkenhead_, at sea, when five hundred steadfast men went down beneath its folds, inspired by its duty-call.

(From a photograph taken at the spot.)]

In Africa, Melville and Coghill wrapped it around their bodies at Isandula, and won death to save it from the foe; for it the forty mounted riflemen of Matabeleland died in their tracks, singing "God Save the Queen," and yet again at the call of the race the sons of the Flag from all around the world hastened to help it to hold its own upon the veldt.

On the continent of America the impetuous Brock, facing enormous odds, and leading his Canadian volunteers in defence of their native land, gave up his life for it on the cedar-clad slopes of Queenston Heights, and beneath it the French Canadians of Beauharnois knelt on the battlefield, and rising, won, with the brave De Salaberry as their leader, the victory of glorious Chateauguay.[138]

[138] "Captain Langtin caused his men of the Beauharnois militia to kneel, went through a short prayer with them, and then, rising, said: '_Now that they had fulfilled their duty to their God, they would fulfil that to their King._'"--LIGHTHALL: "The Battle of Chateauguay."

It was carried far to the Arctic north by Sir John Franklin, in 1846, and in October, 1908, Shackleton planted this ancient Union Jack, with all its crosses and broad white border,[139] upon the farthest Antarctic south (52).

[139] A Union Jack given him by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra.

Such a flag with such a history should be held sacred and inviolable.