Flag of Northumberland

The flag of Northumberland, the northernmost county of England, is red and yellow stripes crossed by a crenellated line. According to its council, it may be the flag with the longest history in England.

How it came about

In the 7th century northern England was the kingdom of Northumbria. The monk Bede told that above the tomb of its king, Saint Oswald, hung a standard of gold and purple. Centuries later the medieval heralds turned that phrase into a coat of arms of stripes, which they attributed to the ancient kingdom of Bernicia.

In 1951 the County Council received that coat of arms officially. In November 1995 it invited all residents to fly it as a flag.

How it has changed

It has not changed since the council opened it to the public in 1995.

What it means

• Red and yellow

  the gold and purple standard of Saint Oswald described by Bede.

• Crenellated line

  on the council’s coat of arms, each red stripe is drawn as fitted stones recalling Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman wall that crosses the county. The flag does not usually carry that detail.

Fun facts

1. An ancestor of Churchill published it in 1675

   Sir Winston Churchill, ancestor of the British prime minister, included the stripes as the emblem of the kingdom of Northumberland in his book Divi Britannici.

2. It welcomes those arriving from Scotland

   It flies at two border crossings with Scotland: Carter Bar and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

3. Out for a walk in London

   In 2011 it flew at the headquarters of the Ministry of Communities in London, alongside the flags of the other English counties.

Location

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