PENNONS, BANNERS, AND STANDARDS

Pennons, banners, and standards are so closely associated with heraldry that we must not leave them altogether unnoticed.

In the Middle Ages three distinct classes of heraldic flags appear to have been in use in England.

The first was the pennon; this was an armorial lance flag, narrow and tapering, and was the mark of knightly rank. Sometimes it was triangular in form, but it was oftener forked or swallow-tailed at the fly. It was borne on a lance, and served as the personal ensign of the bearer, being charged with his badge or some other part of his armorial bearings.

The banner was a square flag, very often representing the whole coat of arms of the bearer, in exactly the same way as a shield was blazoned. A banner was carried by all above the rank of a knight, kings included.

An emperor's banner was 6 feet square, a king's 5, a nobleman's only 3.

The standard was the third variety of early heraldic flags. It was chiefly in use in the fifteenth century, though some standards were certainly in use some fifty years sooner.

In old days the term "standard" was loosely applied to any large flag on which a badge and motto were represented; in fact, there is no doubt that the standard was originally designed for the special purpose of displaying armorial bearings. Nevertheless, a standard proper was a tapering flag, richly embroidered, and slit slightly at the narrow end. The standard of an emperor or king was 11 yards long when it was planted before his pavilion, but when it was carried into battle it was reduced to 9 yards in length. It is, therefore, quite incorrect to speak of the square banner on which our royal arms are blazoned as a standard, for it is most distinctly a banner. It displays, as you all know, the armorial bearings of the sovereign fully blazoned, just as they are marshalled in the royal shield. This banner should only be hoisted over a palace when the king or some member of the royal family is actually in residence.

In the Navy, the Royal Standard—falsely so-called—is considered the supreme flag of Great Britain, and is only flown on a ship when the monarch, or someone belonging to the royal family, is on board.

The Union Jack is the national banner of Great Britain and Ireland.

It represents the three united crosses of St. George for England, the saltire of St. Andrew for Scotland, and the cross of St. Patrick for Ireland. St. George's Cross is red on white; St. Andrew's is white on blue; St. Patrick's (saltire-shaped like St. Andrew's) is red on white.

Some writers have derived the word jack from Jacques for James I., because he was the monarch who united the flags of England and Scotland; but this is held to be incorrect. The old heraldic name for a surcoat was "jacque," hence obviously our word "jacket," which recalls the German jacke for coat, and therefore undoubtedly "jaque" survives in the "Union Jack," which is intended to represent the national arms, and thus certainly fulfils the purposes of a coat of arms.

The Union Jack first came into use after James I.'s accession, when England and Scotland became united. Till then, the English flag bore St. George's Cross, a rectangular red cross on a white field, whilst the Scotch flag showed the white diagonal cross of St. Andrew on a blue ground.

The union of the two flags was effected by retaining the blue field of St. Andrew's Cross, whilst the red field of the English flag was represented by adding a narrow border of that colour to the limbs of St. George's Cross. The heraldic term for this addition is "fimbrication"—literally bordering. This combined flag remained in use till 1801, when, Ireland having joined the Union, it became necessary to incorporate the cross of St. Patrick into the national banner. But, lest it should be thought that either of the diagonal crosses took precedence of the other, care was taken that the white and red borders of each should be alternately uppermost.

The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland flies the Union Jack with the harp of Ireland on an escutcheon charged upon it. So also does the Governor of India, but in this case the Union Jack bears the Star of India in the centre, charged with a rose, and surmounted by an imperial crown.

We have three flags constantly in use nowadays, which are always spoken of as ensigns. These are:

First, the Red Ensign, a plain red flag, bearing a Union Jack in a canton on the dexter side. This is know as the "Ensign of England," and when displayed at sea distinguishes all vessels not belonging to the Royal Navy.

Second, the White or St. George's Ensign; the original banner of St. George with a "jack" cantoned in the first quarter. This is the ensign of the Royal Navy.

Third, the Blue Ensign, a plain blue field with the Union Jack cantoned in the dexter side. This is the ensign of the Naval Reserve.

The Admiralty flag, displaying a yellow anchor and cable set fesswise on a red field, may be grouped with the three ensigns.

As regards military flags, the cavalry standards—banners properly—are the true survivals of the knightly banners of the Middle Ages. The colour of the field repeats that of the regimental facings, and each standard bears the number, motto, and specific title of its own regiment, as well as its own heraldic badge. Upon these standards are also blazoned the regimental "honours," such as "Waterloo," "Alma," "Lucknow," thus commemorating the services rendered by that corps to their country.

Infantry regiments have their "colours," or, properly, pair of colours. One of these is the sovereign's colour, always crimson, displaying a Union Jack, charged with the regimental device; the other is the regimental colour, repeating the tincture of the facings. Upon this the "honours" and "devices" of the regiment are charged, whilst a small "jack" is cantoned on the dexter side of the flag.

The regimental "colours" of the Guards is the Union Jack.

The Royal Artillery have neither colours nor standards.

It would be curious to note the various forms of banners which have been in use since the days when the old Roman general hoisted a small truss of hay as his ensign, but surely one of the queerest flags that ever found its way into history was that displayed by our own Henry V., when, in 1420, he made his entry into Paris, riding between Charles VI. and Philippe, Duke of Burgundy. For then, we are told, that, amongst other banners, the English monarch bore a lance with a fox-tail attached to it, for being "a great hunter of foxes," this was his own personal badge.

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Here we must close our "Peeps at Heraldry," but please, dear eyes, that have been peeping with me up to this point, do not close too.

Otherwise the object with which this little book has been written—namely, to open your eyes to the rudiments of heraldry, so that, having begun with a peep, you may go on to take an exhaustive view of the art and its developments—will be sadly defeated.

For this small volume pretends to be nothing more than a simple introduction, a path-finder, to that fascinating language, in which the golden deeds of chivalry and patriotism, of science and philanthropy, are kept alive from age to age in all quarters of the civilized world.