The Flag Institute

UK Flag Registry

The Flag Institute maintains and manages the national registry of United Kingdom flags. This is to ensure there is a definitive record of those which exist both nationally and regionally. There is of course no UK Flag Act, under the authority of which such flags might have been endorsed, and it therefore falls to the Flag Institute to maintain the formal record.

National flags for the constituent countries of the UK are well established, even if not declared in law to be national flags, whilst the range of county and regional flags continues to expand as can be seen by the dates of authorisation given for the more recent ones listed. There is no other formal national listing of these flags.

As new county or regional flags are created they will be added to the list once they have satisfied the strict criteria laid down. If a flag in common use is not listed here please contact the Chief Vexillologist. To find out more about the criteria for registration please see the section on Registry criteria.

Choose the category of flag using the popup menu. To find out more details about any flag click the flag image or the information icon.

	Cornwall St. Pirran's Cross County Flag	Early 19th Century Traditional
	Derbyshire County Flag	22nd September 2006 Popular Vote Designed by Martin Enright
	Devon St. Petroc's Cross County Flag	23rd July 2002 Popular Vote Designed by Ryan R. Sealey
	Dorset Dorset Cross / St Wite's Cross County Flag	16th September 2008 Popular Vote Designed by Stephen Coombs & Dave White
	East Anglia Regional Flag	1900's Traditional Designed by London Society of East Anglians
	Essex County Flag	Traditional
	Gloucestershire Severn Cross County Flag	March 2008 High Sherrif Designed by Jeremy Bentall
	Hertfordshire County Flag	19th November 2008 Local Council Designed by College of Arms
	Huntingdonshire County Flag	25th June 2009 County Organization Designed by Huntingdonshire Society
	Isle of Wight County Flag	9th January 2009 Popular Vote Designed by John Graney
	Isles of Scilly Scillonian Cross County Flag	February 2002 Popular Vote Designed by Scilly News
	Kent County Flag	1605 Traditional
	Lancashire Lancashire Rose County Flag	2008 County Organization Designed by Friends of Real Lancashire
	Lincolnshire County Flag	24th October 2005 Popular Vote
	Middlesex County Flag	1909 Traditional Designed by College of Arms
	Northumberland County Flag	1951 Local Council Designed by College of Arms
	Orkney St. Magnus' Cross County Flag	10th April 2007 Letters Patent (Lord Lyon) Designed by Duncan Tullock
	Pembrokeshire County Flag	1970's Popular Usage Designed by Peter Stock
	Shetland County Flag	1969 Letters Patent (Lord Lyon) Designed by Roy Grønneberg & Bill Adams
	Wiltshire County Flag	1st December 2009 Local Council Designed by Mike Prior
	Yorkshire Yorkshire Rose County Flag	1965 or earlier Traditional design, registered by County Organization Designed by Yorkshire Ridings Society

Criteria for inclusion in the Flag Registry

The Flag Institute had drawn up a list of criteria for flags to be included in the new Flag Registry:

• The design must be unique within the UK, ie. no other UK area or organisation is using the design
• The design must be in the public domain, ie. not subject to copyright
  
• In the case of county flags, the flag must normally apply to a historical county rather than a modern administrative area
• The flag must be one of the following: registered with the College of Arms; registered with the Office of the Lord Lyon; the traditional flag; selected by a public vote; or selected by an appropriate county or city organisation
• It is possible for an existing flag of a county, city or town council to be included in the Registry, but only where the council concerned has granted permission for its residents to use the flag and recorded this in its minutes
• Flags bearing a full achievement of a coat of arms would not ordinarily be recorded in the Registry, as in these cases, we would follow heraldic protocol and advise the use of a rectangular version of the shield on the arms
• Ordinarily, flags should follow the Flag Institute's Civic Flag Design Guidelines
• Inclusion in the Flag Registry is completely free of charge

Note: All Scottish flags must, by law, be authorized by Lord Lyon and recorded in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland.

Further reading

Civic Flag Design Guidelines, from the Flag Institute