After receiving support from organisations across the county, the Flag Institute has recognised the Hampshire county flag and county day.
Through its Chair, Caroline Birch, Lymington and District Historical Society fronted the campaign, while other supporters included Hampshire Hockey Association.
The Hampshire Flag, however, represents the whole community rather than specific institutions.
The flag is free to use by all individuals, groups and businesses, allowing the people of Hampshire to emulate those of other counties.
They can fly their flag with pride, use it on packaging and deploy it on car stickers, lapel pins and other merchandise.
The flag design is a modified form of the banner of arms granted to Hampshire County Council in 1992.
It comprises a bi-colour of yellow and red with a rose and crown – colours and emblems associated with the county for centuries.
Variants, however, replace the Royal Crown and the Tudor Rose.
This is to provide a clear distinction with the council banner, and to avoid royal and national symbols.
As Winchester was the capital of Wessex – one of the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England – a Saxon Crown replaces the Royal Crown.
Many types of rose have symbolised Hampshire over the centuries.
Red appears on the council banner, for example; white, on the Hampshire County Cricket Club flag.
Here a rose of three tiers – red, white and red – reflects this variety.
The rose is unique in English county vexillography and cannot be confused with that on any other county flag.
The Flag Institute also seeks to record flag flying days.
St Swithun’s Day, 15 July, is the obvious choice for a Hampshire County Day.
St Swithun is the patron saint of Winchester and of Hampshire.
Many other counties dedicate their county day to a patron saint – for example, St Piran in Cornwall.
And St Swithun’s Day is famous nationwide.
If it rains on St Swithun’s Day, goes the popular belief, it will rain for another forty days.
Hampshire County Council have committed to fly the new flag for the first time on this date.
So it is even more important than usual that the sun shines this year on 15 July!
