In-person meetings return on Saturday 20 November, when we gather for the 2021 AGM and Winter Conference – held from 10am to 5pm at the People’s History Museum, Manchester. Everyone is welcome at this free event but booking is essential: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/flag-institute-agm-and-winter-2021-conference-tickets-172775575397 And for the first time, flag-lovers unable to travel to Manchester can be there […]
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Philip Tibbetts joins Scotland’s Lyon Court
Congratulations to our Communities Vexillologist Philip Tibbetts on his appointment as an Officer of Arms in Scotland’s Lyon Court. On 1 September Philip became March Pursuivant Extraordinary, having served as Honorary Vexillologist to the court since 2018. His new title dates back to 1515 and pertains to the Marches, i.e the modern Dumfries and Galloway […]

County flags star in Commons debate
The county flags of England, Scotland and Wales starred in the House of Commons on Thursday 22 July. To date 52 historic counties have entered a flag in the UK Flag Registry. And to celebrate Historic County Flags Day on 23 July, the flags flew together in Parliament Square, London. Among them were newcomers Herefordshire […]

John Vaughan OAM
Life member John Vaughan is celebrating today – and with good reason. In the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours List, he receives the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia ‘for service to vexillography and history preservation’. John is a renowned designer and maker of flags. He is a leading authority on flag history, meaning and […]

A New Flag for the House of Commons
Tuesday 11 May 2021 saw the first flying of a new flag for the House of Commons. Graham Bartram, Chief Vexillologist of the Flag Institute, designed it at the request of the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle. The flag consists of a gold parliamentary portcullis and coronet on a field of House of Commons green. The […]

FI 50th birthday party
A grand online FI 50th birthday party will open the Flag Institute’s Golden Jubilee Year on Friday 23 April, 7pm-9.30pm. Trustees, members and special guests will share memories and views of the FI – past, present and future. And US film-maker Patrick O’Connor will be there to discuss his new documentary, Look Away, Look Away. […]

Flag Institute 2019-20 AGM
From Melbourne to Michigan, Bergen to Bavaria, the Netherlands to New York, and from all corners of the British Isles. At 7pm on Wednesday 20 January, 75 Flag Institute members gathered by their screens for the 2019-20 AGM. Thanks to everyone who attended this inaugural Zoom meeting, which also featured illustrated annual reviews from Chief […]

Happy birthday, Flag Institute!
The Flag Institute – founded on 23 April 1971 by Dr William Crampton and his band of bold vexillological pioneers – celebrates its 49th birthday today. The Institute sends its thanks and best wishes to all members, friends and colleagues. Your support over the decades is greatly appreciated. Next year, of course, will mark the […]

Spring 2020 Conference CANCELLED
Following careful consideration of the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flag Institute has decided with regret to cancel the Spring 2020 Conference. In the current extraordinary circumstances, we feel this is the wisest and kindest course of action – and the only means of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of delegates, the Flag Institute […]

Cover drive
The Flag Institute makes the pages of the latest (5 February 2020) issue of Country Life! As well as its usual property, interior design, gardening and cookery articles, the magazine boasts a full-colour cover featuring county flags, plus a seven-page article by Eleanor Doughty. Extensively quoted are the Flag Institute’s own Communities Vexillologist, Philip Tibbetts, […]