The Welsh Dragon

THE HISTORY OF THE UNION JACK

The first step taken in the creation of the flag of Great Britain was on 12th April 1606. When King James VI of Scotland became king of England (King James I) it was decided that the union of the two realms under one king should be represented symbolically by a new flag. Originally It consisted in the red cross of England superimposed on the white cross of Scotland on the blue background of the Scottish flag as in this illustration:

Thus we have the first flag of the union called, in fact, the “Union Flag”.

What was meant to be a symbol of unity actually became a symbol of international controversy. The English resented the fact that the white background of their cross had disappeared and that the new flag had the blue Scottish background. On the other hand the Scottish resented the fact that the English red cross was superimposed on the Scottish white cross!! The old adage says you cannot please everyone but this first version of the Union Flag seemed to please no-one!!

Apparently there was an unofficial “Scottish version” that attempted to rectify the sense of injustice that the Scottish felt at this innovatory flag. A distinct reference was made to this version when the King visited Dumfries in 1618. Here is what it looked like:

The controversy was destined to last!! There is conflict in the best of families!!

However, the flag was usually restricted to use at sea until the two kingdoms of Scotland and England were united in 1707. It was most probably from this use at sea that it got the name “Jack” (“Union Jack“). It was usually flown at the bow end of the ship, from the jack staff.

An attempt was made to modify the flag under Oliver Cromwell. A harp was placed in the centre, representing Ireland. However, the original design was restored along with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

The flag continued to be used in its original form until Jan. 1, 1801. At that time, with the union of Ireland and Great Britain, it became necessary to represent Ireland in the Union Flag and so the cross of St. Patrick was include thus creating the flag as we now have it. When the southern part of Ireland gained its independence in 1921 and became the Irish Free State no alteration was made to the Union Jack.

The name “Union Jack” became official when it was approved in Parliament in 1908. It was stated that “the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag”.

British Tour Guide – Fly the Flag!
HisTOURies UK Tours – See the very Best of Britain

The Story Of The Union Jack: The National Flag Of The United Kingdom

The Union Jack flying high in the sky.

The United Kingdom, or Britain, is found in Western Europe. The UK is made up of the Island of Great Britain, Ireland, and other smaller islands. UK is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II being the sitting monarch. The UK consists of four countries including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Irelands with the last three having a devolved administration. The UK has several national symbols some of which are unique to its constituent countries. Some of the common national symbols include the national flag, national personification known as Britannia, National animals (Bulldog and Lion), Royal Court of Arms of the United Kingdom, national motto, and the national anthem.

The Flag Of The United Kingdom

The national flag of the UK is famously called the Union Jack or the Union Flag. The flag has degree of status in some of the Commonwealth Countries like Canada where it is considered an official flag there by the parliamentary resolution. The flag is also used in some of the smaller UK overseas territories as the official flag. The Union Jack also appears in flags of some of the nations and territories that were under the dominion of the British. The current design of the flag dates back to 1801 during the Royal Decree after the union of the England and Ireland. The flag is created with the aspects of three older national flags; St George’s Red Cross of the kingdom of England, St Andrew’s white saltire of Scotland, and St Patrick’s red saltire of the Irelands. The origin of the flag of the Great Britain dates back to 1606 when James VI united England and Scotland.

Origin And Use Of The Term “Union Jack”

Union Jack and Union Flag are used interchangeably to refer to the flag of the UK. Both terms are historically correct in the description of the national flag of the UK. England and Scotland remained independent kingdoms in the 17th century up to the passing on of Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1603. Since she died childless and was unmarried, the crown was given to James VI who was her cousin and also the king of Scotland. In 1606, King James VI ordered for the creation of a flag which bore the crosses of both St George and St Andrew. The resultant flag was the Union Flag or Union Jack with Jack as the short form of Jacobus which is a Latin word for James. When the first flag was established, it was just referred to as the British Flag.

No unique name was given to it during the royal proclamation. The word Jack was used before the 17th century as a description for the maritime bow flag. By 1620s, a small union flag was flown in the position of the maritime bow. By 1674, the flag was being referred to as Union Jack which finally became its official name. In 1801, King George proclaimed the new flag as the Union Flag. The Royal Navy which was also powerful at the same time also informed the name Union Jack given to the flag. The Navy Ship was commonly used by the UK and its colonies with the British ship using the jack staff or the pole for the flag and was attached to the bow of the ship. Winston Churchill who served as the prime minister of UK from 1940 to 1945 also referred to the flag as the Union Jack.

History Of The Flag

When James VI took over the reign in the Kingdoms of English and Ireland in 1603 and united the crowns, he asked for the establishment of a new flag as the representation for the regal union. On April 12, 1606, a new flag was established with the flag of Kingdom of England, and that of Scotland put together to create the flag of the UK and the first ever union flag. The royal flag was meant for civil and military ship of both kingdoms on sea only while the land forces were to continue using their respective flags. In 1634, the flag was restricted to use on the royal ships only by King Charles I. However; the flag gained regular in the Kingdom of Britain after the Acts of Union in 1707. The flag was finally adopted by the armies operating on land although the shade of blue used on the field resembled that of the flag of Scotland. The current flag has a dark navy blue which traces its origin from the Royal Navy’s Blue Squadron. The thin white stripe separating the red crosses from the blue fields is in line with the requirements of the rule of tincture where some colors like red and blue must be separate from each other. Wales was not recognized in the flag because it had been part of England since 1282. The Kingdom of Ireland was also not represented in the original version of the flag with the flag of the Protectorate between 1658 and 1660 escutcheoned with the Ireland’s arms.

The Status Of Union Jack

The flag is mounted on warships and submarines commissioned by the Royal Navy and also on air force vessels. The flag is worn at the masthead of a ship as an indication of the presence of an Admiral of the Fleet. No law recognized law make the Union Jack as the kingdom’s national flag, but it was upgraded to one through precedents. The use of the Union Flag on land by the civilians has been permitted, but the use at sea has been restricted to only the military. According to Lord Lyon, the Union Jack is the right flag for the people and the corporate bodies of the UK. In Australia, the Union flag was systematically replaced by the current national flag through the Flag Act of 1953. Union Jack is incorporated by four former British colonies as a part of their national flags. These colonies include New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Tuvalu. The flag was also used by the US in its first flag. There are designated days when the Union flag needs to be flown on buildings throughout the UK. Also, there are days when the flag is flown on specific places only.

Union Jack

The Union Jack Is a Combination of the Flags of England, Scotland, and Ireland

The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack has been in existence since 1606, when England and Scotland merged, but changed to its current form in 1801 when Ireland joined the United Kingdom

Why the Three Crosses?

In 1606, when England and Scotland were both ruled by one monarch (James I), the first Union Jack flag was created by merging the English flag (the red cross of Saint George on a white background) with the Scottish flag (the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew on a blue background).

Then, in 1801, the addition of Ireland to the United Kingdom added the Irish flag (the red Saint Patrick’s cross) to the Union Jack.

Why Is It Called the Union Jack?

While no one is quite certain where the term «Union Jack» originated, there are many theories. «Union» is thought to come from the union of the three flags into one. As for «Jack,» one explanation states that for many centuries a «jack» referred to a small flag flown from a boat or ship and perhaps the Union Jack was used there first.

Others believe that «Jack» could come from the name of James I or from a soldier’s «jack-et.» There are plenty of theories, but, in truth, the answer is that no one knows for sure where «Jack» came from.

Also Called the Union Flag

The Union Jack, which is most properly called the Union Flag, is the official flag of the United Kingdom and has been in its current form since 1801.

The Union Jack on Other Flags

The UK Flag: Why is it Called the Union Jack?

Before getting into the reason why the UK’s flag is called the Union Jack, it’s rational to explain its combination first. The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Irelands. Taking this into account, we can now explain how the country’s current flag is a combination of three older national flags; St George’s Red Cross of the kingdom of England, St Andrew’s white saltire of Scotland, and St Patrick’s red saltire of the Irelands.

The origin of the flag of Great Britain dates back to 1606 when James VI united England and Scotland. The flag is referred to as Union Jack or Union Flag interchangeably as an indication of the unity of these three older nations.

In other words, if you look at the original flag of Ireland, Scotland’s flag and England’s one too and imagine them one above the other, you’ll see the UK’s current flag vivid and clear, representing their unity.

But that’s the Union, what about the Jack? Before the 17th century, the word Jack was used as a description for the maritime bowsprit flag and when warships used to mount the UK flag on the front, it was called «the Jack». In 1801 when King George called the new flag the Union Flag, the Royal Navy, which was powerful at the time, referred to it as the Union Jack, so the name stuck.

Union Jack Upside-Down

Be careful when you hang the flag, as hanging it upside-down is conveyed as an offensive gesture! So always make sure that the red line in the top-left corner is at the bottom of the white cross.

English Flag vs. British Flag

England is a part of Great Britain, while Great Britain is a part of the United Kingdom. England’s flag is called the St. George’s Cross, while Great Britain’s official flag is called Union Flag or the Union Jack as explained earlier.

Now that you know about their flag, you can learn more about their geographical territories from our The Difference Between the UK, Great Britain and England blog article.

Casita is a leading online platform to book student accommodation. Find below our unique student accommodation options:

Why is the United Kingdom flag called the Union Jack?

This article was updated by the Great British Mag team on 27 January 2021.

You may or may not know our flag has evolved as the different countries that now make up to United Kingdom came under the ruling of England. In the 16th century, the flag was known as the British flag or the flag of Britain. It included the red cross of St George (England) and the blue saltire of St Andrew (Scotland). So why is it known as the Union Jack now?

The name ‘Union’ first appeared in 1625. There are various theories as to how it got its name. The most plausible one is that when a small flag was mounted on the front of a warship (and a selected number of other ships), it was called ‘the Jack’.

Evolution of the Union Jack

Sometime around 1674 the British flag became formally known as the ‘Union Jack’ when mounted on a warship and the ship was not in harbour. At the same time the British flag was referred to as the ‘Union flag’ on land. This rule was relaxed by the early 19th century when the sailing term could be used when referring to the national flag everywhere.

The first version of the flag was created in 1606, featuring only the English and Scottish flags

The Union Jack was amended in 1801 to incorporate the cross of St. Patrick (Ireland). And if you’re wondering why the Welsh flag was never incorporated into the Union Jack, it is because it was already a principality of England by 1801.

Elements of the UK flag

Flags in Wales

In Wales you may see two flags flying, including the red dragon on a green background and the yellow St Davids Cross.

The Welsh flag St Davids Flag, Patron Saint of Wales

Careful when you place the Union Jack

Make sure you hang the flag up the right way. An upside-down Union Flag is used as a sign of distress. Even worse, it can be seen as an offensive gesture!

Tip: Always make sure that the red line in the top-left corner is at the bottom of the white cross.