29/08/2026
The story behind England’s flag which all began nearby, almost a 1,000 years ago.
Look at the simple red cross on white and it is easy to assume England’s flag has always been exactly the same. In fact, its story stretches back through medieval kings, crusaders, battles and the formation of Britain itself. The cross of St George was being used by English monarchs by at least the late 13th century, gradually becoming the defining emblem of England.
The story begins long before the familiar flag. Medieval England displayed a succession of royal and heraldic banners, often featuring the three golden lions of England alongside the fleurs-de-lis of France. These were not simply “flags of England” in the modern sense—they were the personal and dynastic banners of kings, reflecting claims to territory, royal ancestry and power.
Then came the symbol that would ultimately outlive the kings themselves: St George’s Cross. Associated with English soldiers and increasingly prominent during the Middle Ages, the red cross on white eventually became England’s unmistakable national emblem. By the 16th century it was particularly important at sea, while the elaborate royal standards continued to represent the monarch.
In 1603, England and Scotland acquired a shared monarch when James VI of Scotland became James I of England. Three years later, their crosses were brought together to create the first Union Flag—the forerunner of today’s Union Jack. England’s St George remained boldly visible at its centre. The union became permanent with the Act of Union in 1707, when England and Scotland became the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Finally, in 1801, Ireland was incorporated into the United Kingdom and the red saltire of St Patrick was added, creating the Union Flag we recognise today. Yet beneath all that history, England’s own flag remained wonderfully simple: a red cross on a white field. It is a remarkable reminder that sometimes the most enduring symbols are not the most complicated ones—but the ones that have accumulated centuries of stories.
And perhaps that is why, after kings, queens, empires and unions have come and gone, the Cross of St George still says just one thing, instantly and unmistakably: England.
