The flag of the Hudson's Bay Company is used to represent the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
. The flag varied over time. From July 21, 1682, to 1965, the flag consists of the
Red Ensign with the letters "HBC" in the lower field.
In 1970 the company used the flag that display the company's coat of arms. Currently the company flag is the banner form of the company logo.
History
Following the incorporation of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1670, the company was granted permission on July 21, 1682, by the first governor of the company,
Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...
, to use a modified version of the Red Ensign on its forts and ships entering
Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait (french: Détroit d'Hudson) links the Atlantic Ocean and Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and ...
. The canton have been changed twice. Between 1682 and 1707, the
Flag of St. George was located in the canton before being replaced by the
Flag of Great Britain
The flag of Great Britain, commonly known as King's Colours, the first Union Flag, the Union Jack, or the British flag, was used at sea from 1606 and more generally from 1707 to 1801. It was the first flag of Great Britain. It is the precursor ...
. In 1801 this was replaced by the
Flag of the United Kingdom
The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag.
The design of the Union Jack dates back to the Act of Union 1801 which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in pe ...
following the
1801 Act of Union.
The flag shared the same design as the
Flag of Ontario
The flag of Ontario is the provincial flag of Ontario, Canada. It is a defaced Red Ensign, with the Royal Union Flag in the canton and the Ontario shield of arms in the fly. The flag of Ontario was derived from the Canadian Red Ensign, which ...
and the
Flag of Manitoba
The flag of Manitoba consists of a Red Ensign defaced with the shield of the provincial coat of arms. Adopted in 1965 shortly after the new national flag was inaugurated, it has been the flag of the province since May 12 of the followi ...
in using the Red Ensign. The use of Red Ensign by the company was stopped in 1965 after the
Maple Leaf Flag
The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...
was introduced.
Prior to 1869 the flag was used as both the flag of
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land (french: Terre de Rupert), or Prince Rupert's Land (french: Terre du Prince Rupert, link=no), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin; this was further extended from Rupert's Land t ...
and the Hudson's Bay Company. After Rupert's Land was purchased by the government of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the flag continued as the flag of the HBC.
[The Flags of Canada - The Yukon and the Northwest Territories](_blank)
/ref> In 1970, the company flag was based on the Governor's standard bearing the company's coat of arms (in gold on white field), which adopted in 1779.
In the fall of 2012, the Hudson's Bay Company launched a re-design of both its corporate and retail logos, since then, the company flag is the same design as the company logo, which is the dark blue field and the letters "HBC" in the centre.
See also
* Flag of the Northwest Territories
The flag of the Northwest Territories, is the subnational flag of the Northwest Territories of Canada. It was adopted in 1969 by the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.
Hudson's Bay Company flag
The NWT had no flag of its own duri ...
* Flag of the British East India Company
The flag of the East India Company was used to represent the East India Company, which was chartered in England in 1600. The flag was altered as the nation changed from England to Great Britain to the United Kingdom. It was initially a red and whi ...
* Flag of the British South Africa Company
The flag of the British South Africa Company was the flag used by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and Rhodesia under company rule. It was adopted in 1892 and was used until 1923 when the south of Rhodesia voted to become Southern Rhodesi ...
References
External links
The Flags of Canada, by Alistair B. Fraser
Hudson's Bay Company Heritage FAQ
Flags of Canada
Red Ensigns
Hudson's Bay Company
Flags displaying animals
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