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Proportion | 1:2 |
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Design | A centred red cross on a white background with a red sword in the upper left quarter |
Use | Flag of Lord Mayor of the City of London |
The flag of the City of London is based on the flag of England, having a centred red St George's Cross on a white background, with the red sword in the upper hoist canton (the top left quarter). The sword is believed to represent the sword that beheaded Saint Paul, who is the patron saint of the city. The tip of the sword always points upwards; therefore, when the flag is held on its side as a banner, the sword would be printed to face hoist and would be located on the left as it is hanging down (see below).
This flag does not represent Greater London as a whole, only the historical City of London which covers approximately 1 square mile (2.6 km2). All references in this article relate to that city, not Greater London.
The flag is a banner of arms, derived from the City's coat of arms with the sword symbolising the sword that beheaded St Paul who is the patron saint of the city. St Paul has featured as a symbol of the city since about the 13th century. His full figure representation was rapidly replaced with his symbolic representation of the sword. [2]
Some believe the sword is a dagger that commemorates the dagger of Sir William Walworth, former Lord Mayor of London, which killed Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasants' Revolt, in 1381. A verse at Fishmongers' Hall may explain the relationship:
Brave Walworth, Knight, lord mayor that slew
Rebellious Tyler in his alarmes;
The king therefore did give him in lieu
The dagger to the city armes.
However this is now considered a fable, as the sword on the arms was already in use several months before the killing of Tyler (the arms were introduced in April; and Tyler was stabbed in June). [2]
The earliest mention of the City's coat of arms was on 17 April 1381 when the old seal was deemed "ill-befitting the honour of the City" and a replacement commissioned by Walworth. Both St Paul and St Thomas Becket featured in the previous design and were carried over to the new one similar to the modern design. [2]
The flag flies from various buildings in the city such as the formal buildings of Guildhall (the seat of power in the city) and Mansion House.[ citation needed ] The official residence of the Lord Mayor of London (the Lord Mayor has a variant of the flag, defaced with his coat of arms).[ citation needed ]
It can also be seen on sites outside the city that are administered by the City of London Corporation (the governing body) such as on Tower Bridge, the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow Airport and Hampstead Heath. It can also be seen on certain landmarks, such as the bridges maintained by the Bridge House Estates.[ citation needed ]
The flag is used on the one pound coin design of 2010.[ citation needed ]
The City of London, also known as the City, is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the ancient centre, and constitutes, along with Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London and one of the leading financial centres of the world. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the modern area referred to as London has since grown far beyond the City of London boundary. The City is now only a small part of the metropolis of Greater London, though it remains a notable part of central London. The City of London is not one of the London boroughs, a status reserved for the other 32 districts. It is also a separate ceremonial county, being an enclave surrounded by the ceremonial county of Greater London, and is the smallest ceremonial county in England.
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London, England, and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powers, rights, and privileges, including the title and style The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London.
The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black Death in the 1340s, the high taxes resulting from the conflict with France during the Hundred Years' War, and instability within the local leadership of London.
Cavendish is a village and civil parish in the Stour Valley in Suffolk, England.
Simon Sudbury was Bishop of London from 1361 to 1375, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 until his death, and in the last year of his life Lord Chancellor of England. He met a violent death during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
The flag of England is the national flag of England, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is derived from Saint George's Cross. The association of the red cross as an emblem of England can be traced back to the Late Middle Ages when it was gradually, increasingly, used alongside the Royal Banner. It became the only saint's flag permitted to be flown in public as part of the English Reformation and at a similar time became the pre-eminent maritime flag referred to as a white ensign. It was used as a component in the design of the Union Jack in 1606.
In heraldry, Saint George's Cross is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader.
Walter "Wat" Tyler was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the collection of a poll tax and to demand economic and social reforms. While the brief rebellion enjoyed early success, Tyler was killed by officers loyal to King Richard II during negotiations at Smithfield, London.
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's financial sector.
Each of the 26 modern cantons of Switzerland has an official flag and a coat of arms. The history of development of these designs spans the 13th to the 20th centuries.
The baselard, Schwiizerdolch in Swiss-German is a historical type of dagger or short sword of the Late Middle Ages.
Sir William Walworth was an English nobleman and politician who was twice Lord Mayor of London. He is best known for killing Wat Tyler during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
Giltspur Street is a street in Smithfield in the City of London, England, running north–south from the junction of Newgate Street, Holborn Viaduct and Old Bailey, up to West Smithfield, and it is bounded to the east by St Bartholomew's Hospital. It was formerly known as Knightsriders Street, from the knights riding at the tournaments in Smithfield.
Bricklayers Arms is the road intersection of the A2 and the London Inner Ring Road where Bermondsey meets Walworth and Elephant & Castle in south London. It is the junction of Tower Bridge Road, Old Kent Road, New Kent Road and Great Dover Street. It comprises a four-way green roundabout plus one-way flyover and one-way bypass lane.
Fishmongers' Hall is a Grade II* listed building adjacent to London Bridge. It is the headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers, one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London. The Hall is situated in Bridge ward.
Sir Nicholas Brembre was a wealthy magnate and a chief ally of King Richard II in 14th-century England. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1377, and again from 1384–5,6. Named a "worthie and puissant man of the city" by Richard Grafton, he became a citizen and grocer of London, and in 1372-3 purchased from the Malmains family the estates of Mereworth, Maplescomb, and West Peckham, in Kent. His ties to Richard ultimately resulted in his downfall, as the anti-Richard Lords Appellant effectively took control of the government and imprisoned, exiled, or executed most of Richard's court. Despite Richard's efforts, Brembre was executed in 1388 for treason at the behest of the Lords Appellant.
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms, and to the other elements of an achievement. Dexter indicates the right-hand side of the shield, as regarded by the bearer, i.e. the bearer's proper right, and to the left as seen by the viewer. Sinister indicates the left-hand side as regarded by the bearer – the bearer's proper left, and to the right as seen by the viewer. In vexillology, the equivalent terms are hoist and fly.
The Lion of Saint Mark, representing Mark the Evangelist, pictured in the form of a winged lion, is an aspect of the Tetramorph. On the pinnacle of St Mark's Cathedral he is depicted as holding a Bible, and surmounting a golden lion which is the symbol of the city of Venice and formerly of the Venetian Republic.
The coat of arms of the City of London is the official coat of arms of the City of London, England, which is one of a number of cities and boroughs in Greater London.
A statue of Queen Anne is installed in the forecourt outside the west front of St Paul's Cathedral, in London, United Kingdom. It became a Grade II listed building in 1972.