Chapter VII: The "additional" Union Jack of James I

A.D. 1606-1648.

The kingdoms of England and Scotland had passed through their centuries of dissension and conflict when at length, in March, 1603, upon the death of his second cousin, Elizabeth, Queen of England, James VI., King of Scotland, succeeded to her throne, and became also King James I. of England. Before entering upon the subject of the joining of the two national Jacks in one flag, it may be well to consider the changes then made in the Royal Standard in consequence of this union of the crowns. The Royal Standard is the special personal flag of the Sovereign, and wears upon it his Royal arms emblazoned with "devise" or insignia of the kingdoms over which he rules. James, upon ascending the throne of England, immediately issued a proclamation instructing a change to be made in its then existing form (14). Richard I., _C[oe]ur de Lion_, had displayed on his Royal Standard the three golden lions on a red ground, the sign of England. To these Henry V. had added three golden _fleur-de-lis_ on a blue ground, typifying his right to the throne of France. This standard was used thereafter by all his successors, the sovereigns of England, and by Elizabeth. A change was now made by James to represent his additional sovereignties. To the standard of Elizabeth he added the lion rampant of Scotland and also the harp of Ireland, which had not previously been included in the Royal Arms (15), thus placing the three lions for England and three _fleurs-de-lis_ for France in the first and fourth quarters; the lion rampant for Scotland in the second, and the harp for Ireland in the third quarter.

While he changed the English Royal Standard, no change was instructed to be made, nor was evidently considered to be necessary, in the English national flag of St. George, which continued to be used as previously on the English ships by his new subjects. Thus in the early years of the reign of James, the English and Scotch ships continued to use their respective "red crosse" and "white crosse" Jacks, exactly as they had done prior to his accession to the English throne.

The nations had now been brought into closer contact, and the movement of shipping along their shores much increased as each was relieved from any fear of attack by the other.

Each nation, no doubt, retained a predilection for its own national flag--a preference which its adherents expressed each in their own way, and most probably in terms not untinged by caustic references to controversies and contentions of previous days.

When James had ascended the throne of England, it was his great desire to be styled King of "Great Britain," as well as of "France and Ireland." He had caused himself at the outset to be so proclaimed, and afterwards used the phrase in his proclamations, but without due authority. During the first year of his reign opinions on the point were asked of the Judges of the courts, and also of the Lords and Commons of England, but the replies of all were unanimously against his right to the assumption of any such title, as being one which might seem to indicate a fusion of the two kingdoms.

The fact was, that although the two kingdoms of Scotland and England had been joined in allegiance to the same sovereign, who was equally king of each, yet as each kingdom still retained its own separate parliament, their union had not been made adequately complete. The King had particularly desired to complete this union. In a proclamation he issued, he states he had found among the "better disposed" of his subjects

"a most earnest desire that the sayd happy union should be perfected, the memory of all preterite discontentments abolished, and all the inhabitants of both the realms to be the subjects of one kingdom."

He says he will himself use every diligence to have it perfected,

"with the advice of the states and parliament of both the kingdoms, and in the meantime till the said union be established with due solemnite aforesaid, His Majesty doth repute, hold and esteem both the two realms as presently united, and as one realm and kingdome, and the subjects of both the realms as one people, brethren and members of one body."

But charm he never so wisely, the King could not get his subjects to see matters in the same light as himself, nor was he able to get their Parliaments to unite.

Thus it occurred that in 1606, in the fourth year after the joining of the two thrones, the King, finding that difficulties kept arising about their flags between the subjects of his two adjacent kingdoms, considered it advisable to issue a proclamation declaring the manner in which they were in future to display their national Jacks, and also authorizing a new flag, which was to be used by each in addition to their own national flag. This flag was the "additional" Jack of James I. (16).

It is probable that the English sailor had objected to seeing the Scottish cross raised on the mast above his English flag, and the Scotsman, on his part, too, did not like to see St. Andrew below St. George. The additional flag was designed for the purpose of meeting this difficulty, and was ordered to be raised by itself upon the mainmast. It is evident that some ships had been flying both the national flags, for, as a further precaution, particular instruction was given that each ship should fly only one national cross, and this was to be only the cross of its own nationality. All controversy as to the precedence of the respective Jacks was thus intended to be brought to an end.

This proclamation of 1606, as copied from an original issue in the British Museum, reads as follows:

"_A proclamation declaring what Flagges South and North Britaines shall beare at Sea._

"BY THE KING:

"Whereas, some difference hath arisen between our subjects of South and North Britaine travelling by Seas, about the bearing of their Flagges: For the avoiding of all such contentions hereafter wee have, with the advice of Our Councell, ordered: That from henceforth all our subjects of this Isle and Kingdome of Great Britaine, and all our members thereof, shall beare in their _maine toppe_ the Red Crosse, commonly called St. George's Crosse, and the White Crosse, commonly called St. Andrew's Crosse, _joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds_, and sent by us to our Admerell to be published to our subjects; and in their _fore-toppe_ our Subjects of South Britaine shall weare the Red Crosse onely as they were wont, and our Subjects of North Britaine in their _fore-toppe_ the White Crosse onely as they were accustomed.

"Wherefore wee will and command all our Subjects to be conformable and obedient to this our Order, and that from henceforth they do not use to beare their flagges in any other sort, as they will answere to contrary at their peril.

"Given at our Palace of Westminster, the twelfth day of April, in the fourth yere of our Reine of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, etc. God save the King."

This King's Jack, which subsequently came to be commonly known as the "Union Flagge," was, it will be noted, not intended to supersede the existing national Jacks, for it was directed to be displayed in addition to, and at the same time with, the Jack of each nation. The new flag of the King was to be raised by itself on the mainmast, and the old national flag on the foremast, so that each of these flags should be kept separate from one another.

The reason for this separate use of two flags is evident, one which is fully confirmed in the creation of the Union Jacks which succeeded one another in subsequent reigns.

The reason was that the two Parliaments of the nations had not been united in one, and, therefore, it was that each nation continued to retain its own distinctive national cross, which it flew on the flagstaff as the sign of its own particular nationality, and which was, therefore, not displaced by the King's newly created flag.

1

THE PERCYS' ENSIGN 1560

2

UNION JACK OF JAMES I-1606

3

COLONIAL UNION JACK-1701]

The position of the flag was, in 1606, regulated to be:

A.D., 1606.
ROYAL NAVY--
Maintop, King's Jack.

MERCHANTMEN--
_English Subjects_--Maintop, "additional" King's Jack.
Foretop, English Jack.

_Scottish Subjects_--Maintop, "additional" King's Jack.
Foretop, Scottish Jack.

The construction of the new flag presents some peculiarities.

In this "additional" Jack of James I. (Pl. III., fig. 2), the red cross of St. George and its white ground, being the "St. George's crosse," had been ordered by the proclamation to be united with the white cross of St. Andrew and its blue ground, being the "St. Andrewe's crosse," the two flags being "_joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds_." In this "joining" the white ground of St. George's flag was reduced almost to a nullity.

As the form was the creation of heralds, it was made according to the strict heraldic rules of their highly technical craft. In heraldry, a narrow border of white or gold, termed a "fimbriation," is always introduced where colour would otherwise touch on colour for the purpose of keeping the colours separate, the technical statement of the rule being, "metal cannot be placed upon metal, nor colour upon colour." The heralds, therefore, in conformity with their tendencies, reduced the white ground of the St. George flag until it became only a narrow margin of white, just sufficient to keep the red of the cross of St. George from touching the blue ground of St. Andrew's flag upon which it was laid, or so that the white ground became simply "_a fimbriation to the red cross of St. George_."

The union of the two flags resulted in the Scotsman getting a good share of all that was going. It is true the crosses of the two flags were given equal display, but the white ground of the St. George's English Jack had entirely disappeared, while the blue ground of the St. Andrew's had been left in occupation of all the remaining space. No wonder that an English admiral of the "narrow seas," hankering after his old St. George Jack, says, a few years afterwards, of this new flag: "Though it may be more honour to both the kingdoms to be thus linked and united together, yet, in view of the spectators, it makes not so fair a show, if it would please His Majesty."[41]

[41] Sir William Monson.

The Scotsmen also raised objection to the cross of St. George having been placed over and in front of that of St. Andrew.[42] With, what appears to us now, much quaintness of language, the Scottish Privy Council made its formal complaint to His Majesty in a letter of 7th August, 1606, saying that,

"the forme and patrone of the flagges of schippis sent down heir and commandit to be ressavit and used be the subjectis of both kingdomes is vereie prejudicial to the fredome and dignitie of this Estate, and wil gif occasion to reprotche--becaus as your Sacred Majestie may persave, the Scottis Croce, callit Sanctandrois Croce, is troyse dividit, and the English Croce, called Sanct George, drawne through the Scottis Croce, which is thereby obscurit."

[42] Hulme: "Flags of the World."

Either one or the other of the crosses had to be in front, but as the whole of their blue ground had been retained, while the Englishman had lost all the white ground of his flag, the objection was not entertained.

This two-crossed Jack of James I., 1606, continued in use in the Royal Navy for over a century, with the exception of its retirement during the changes which, as we shall hereafter note, were made under Cromwell. During its term the British kingdom, which had already under the English Jack colonized the mainland of America from Massachusetts to Virginia, became more than ever an American power; for, under this new Jack, the islands which surrounded the coast, namely, the West Indies, Barbadoes, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Antigua and Jamaica, were added to the British Crown. On the continent of Europe as well, the victorious movements of the flag did not slacken, for under it Gibraltar was pounced upon and taken by Admiral Rooke, and Blenheim, the master victory of the great Marlborough, was won. This was a record and "glory roll" on both the continents worthy of the two races, whose forces had been joined at its creation.

Its position was, however, not throughout continuous, for successive changes were introduced in the regulations regarding its use during the century within which it achieved its varied career. All these changes, its alternating disappearances and reappearances, show that this King's Jack of James I. was not a flag which denoted a completed union, although by habit it came to be called the "Union Flagge," and subsequently the "Union Jack," of the nations, but was one which was introduced for another purpose, and carried a different signification, being that of the union of the thrones in one sovereign. Usage has, however, so long attached the name to this two-crossed flag of James I., that it may be well to consider it our first Union Jack.