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Flag of Devon
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Flag of Devon
The Flag of Devon (also known as Saint Petroc's Flag) is the flag of the ceremonial county of Devon, which consists of a white centered cross with black edging over a green field. It is notable for its creation through two web-based polls, and is an important symbol of Devon's regional identity.
It is dedicated to Saint Petroc, a local saint who ministered to the Celtic Britons of Dumnonia in the 5th and 6th centuries. Numerous churches and sites throughout Devon are dedicated to him.
Before the adoption of Saint Petroc's Flag, Devon had no standardised flag. The impetus for the flag's creation came from an article published by BBC Devon in 2002 titled "Devon's forgotten Celtic culture", which asserted that Devon possessed a Celtic heritage that had been overlooked compared to neighbouring Cornwall and that its "lost culture" should be revived. This sparked discussion on BBC Devon's message board in favour of a flag for Devon, and in response a web poll was set up to decide on a design from those submitted by members of the public.
The initial poll put forward a shortlist of 12 potential designs from those submitted to the BBC, with the flag that would eventually be selected coming first with 21.3% of the vote. However this was a close result, with the second most popular design only 0.3% behind the winner. Because of this, a second poll was held which yielded a more decisive result, with the winning design by student Ryan Sealey taking 49% of the votes cast.
Although the flag is relatively young, its colours are those traditionally identified with Devon (e.g. the colours of its Rugby Union team, Exeter University and Plymouth Argyle F.C.). In 1816, Lord Exmouth flew a dark green flag with white circles at the Bombardment of Algiers, now on view at the Teign Valley Museum. The green represents the colour of the rolling and lush Devon hills, the black represents the high and windswept moors (Dartmoor and Exmoor) and the white represents both the salt spray of Devon's two coastlines and the China Clay industry (and mining in general).
The following flags were also featured as candidates in the poll:
After its inception, the Devon flag rapidly gained popularity and saw widespread adoption by both private individuals and local organisations. It eventually gained official recognition in October 2006 when Devon County Council raised the flag outside County Hall.
In April 2004, a resident of Ottery St Mary in East Devon was threatened with legal action for flying the Devon flag in his back garden, as planning permission was required to fly non-national flags. Subsequently the then Minister for Housing, Keith Hill, said local authorities can officially "turn a blind eye" to the practice of flying the county flag from poles. Devon County Council announced its intention to defy the government's flag-flying rules, continuing to fly the flag from council buildings. The Department for Communities and Local Government repealed this restriction in 2007, and issued new guidance to allow for the flying of the flag without penalty.
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Flag of Devon
The Flag of Devon (also known as Saint Petroc's Flag) is the flag of the ceremonial county of Devon, which consists of a white centered cross with black edging over a green field. It is notable for its creation through two web-based polls, and is an important symbol of Devon's regional identity.
It is dedicated to Saint Petroc, a local saint who ministered to the Celtic Britons of Dumnonia in the 5th and 6th centuries. Numerous churches and sites throughout Devon are dedicated to him.
Before the adoption of Saint Petroc's Flag, Devon had no standardised flag. The impetus for the flag's creation came from an article published by BBC Devon in 2002 titled "Devon's forgotten Celtic culture", which asserted that Devon possessed a Celtic heritage that had been overlooked compared to neighbouring Cornwall and that its "lost culture" should be revived. This sparked discussion on BBC Devon's message board in favour of a flag for Devon, and in response a web poll was set up to decide on a design from those submitted by members of the public.
The initial poll put forward a shortlist of 12 potential designs from those submitted to the BBC, with the flag that would eventually be selected coming first with 21.3% of the vote. However this was a close result, with the second most popular design only 0.3% behind the winner. Because of this, a second poll was held which yielded a more decisive result, with the winning design by student Ryan Sealey taking 49% of the votes cast.
Although the flag is relatively young, its colours are those traditionally identified with Devon (e.g. the colours of its Rugby Union team, Exeter University and Plymouth Argyle F.C.). In 1816, Lord Exmouth flew a dark green flag with white circles at the Bombardment of Algiers, now on view at the Teign Valley Museum. The green represents the colour of the rolling and lush Devon hills, the black represents the high and windswept moors (Dartmoor and Exmoor) and the white represents both the salt spray of Devon's two coastlines and the China Clay industry (and mining in general).
The following flags were also featured as candidates in the poll:
After its inception, the Devon flag rapidly gained popularity and saw widespread adoption by both private individuals and local organisations. It eventually gained official recognition in October 2006 when Devon County Council raised the flag outside County Hall.
In April 2004, a resident of Ottery St Mary in East Devon was threatened with legal action for flying the Devon flag in his back garden, as planning permission was required to fly non-national flags. Subsequently the then Minister for Housing, Keith Hill, said local authorities can officially "turn a blind eye" to the practice of flying the county flag from poles. Devon County Council announced its intention to defy the government's flag-flying rules, continuing to fly the flag from council buildings. The Department for Communities and Local Government repealed this restriction in 2007, and issued new guidance to allow for the flying of the flag without penalty.
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