Saint Piran's Flag () is the flag of

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. The earliest known description of the flag, referred to as the Standard of Cornwall, was written in 1838. It is used by all

Cornish people Cornish people or the Cornish (, ) are an ethnic group native to, or associated with Cornwall: and a recognised national minority in the United Kingdom, which (like the Welsh people, Welsh and Breton people, Bretons) can trace its roots to ...

as a symbol of their identity. The flag is attributed to Saint Piran, a 5th-century Cornish

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

. But the white cross and black background design is also the coat of arms of the Saint-Perran (or Saint-Pezran) family from Cornouaille in Brittany, recorded from the 15th century.

Origins

The earliest known evidence of this flag was recorded by Davies Gilbert in his 1838 work: ''The

Parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a ...

History of Cornwall'', in which he gives reference to

a white cross on a black ground
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
was formerly the banner of St Perran and the Standard of Cornwall; probably with some allusion to the black ore and the white metal of tin

The fact that Gilbert identifies it as being "formerly" a standard of Cornwall implies that he believed it to have been used before 1838. However, Gilbert did not leave a record of his background research, and referred only to his "recollection". One of the oldest depictions of the flag can be seen in a

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. It was unveiled in 1888, in memory of the famous Cornish inventor and engineer

Richard Trevithick Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer. The son of a mining captain, and born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. He ...

. The window depicts St Michael at the top and nine Cornish saints, Piran, Petroc, Pinnock, Germanus, Julian, Cyriacus, Constantine, Nonna and Geraint in tiers below. The head of St Piran appears to be a portrait of Trevithick himself, and the figure carries the banner of Cornwall.

Clues to its origin

Saint Piran's Flag has similarities to the old Breton flag and the flag of Saint David. The cultural links between

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and Cornwall are well recorded. Saint Piran's Flag is the negative image of the old Breton flag, a black cross on a white field. The flag of Saint David shares a black background with Saint Piran's Flag, but is surmounted by a gold, rather than a white, cross. Kroaz Du

It has also been suggested that it may have been based on the arms of the

Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall *Condor of Cornwall, ...

, or the later

Duchy of Cornwall A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

; based on the arms of other Cornish families; or be linked with the black and white livery of the

Knights of St John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

French and Breton family arms

The arms of the Saint-Peran family in Brittany, show a white

cross pattée A cross pattée or cross patty (, ), also known as a cross formée or cross formy, or even a Templar cross, is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and often flared in a curve or straight line shape to be broader at th ...

on a black field. File:Borgnearms.jpg, Arms of Geoffroy le Borgne File:Arneke2.jpg, Arms of the Arnèke family File:Rouvroy.jpg, Arms of Rouvroy de Saint-Simon File:Blason famille bzh de Saint-Péran.svg, Arms of Saint-Peran family (Brittany) Several other French and Breton families also had

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

that bear a striking resemblance to the St Piran's flag: * ''Saint Peran'' or ''Saint Pezran'' (= Piran) of

(from Glomel, in Cornouaille), is described as, ''sable à croix patée d'argent''. * Geoffroy le Borgne of

is described as . * Rossillon de Gex, coat of arms described: . * Brunet, de la Besse, coat of arms described: . * Arnèke Family coat of arms. * Rouvroy de Saint-Simon of

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

, described: .

Myths about the origins

There are a very large number of modern legends about the origins of the flag. An article in the old ''

Encyclopaedia Britannica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

'' on "Cornish Wrestling" stated that the flag was carried by the Cornish contingent at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...

(1415). However, the reference given by the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' seems to have been confused with one that comes from a 1590 poem entitled '' Poly-Olbion'' by

Michael Drayton Michael Drayton ( – ) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era, continuing to write through the reign of James I and into the reign of Charles I. Many of his works consisted of historical poetry. He was also the fir ...

. It states that the banner carried by the Cornish men at Agincourt depicted two Cornish wrestlers in a hitch.

Usage

The flag is often displayed on bumper stickers, and flying from buildings, including those of

Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...

.How far has the “Cornish Revival” affected modern Cornwall?
It is flown at most Cornish gatherings, such as the Gorsedh Kernow,

St Piran's Day Saint Piran's Day (), or the Feast of Saint Piran, is the national day of Cornwall, held on 5 March every year. The day is named after one of the patron saints of Cornwall, Saint Piran, who is also the patron saint of tin miners. Origins St ...

(5 March),

Camborne Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...

's Trevithick Day (April),

Padstow Padstow (; ) is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary, approximately northwest of Wadebridge, ...

's 'Obby 'Oss festival (May),

Helston Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: ...

's Flora Day (May), and at Cornish rugby matches. It is regularly seen around Cornwall on car stickers with the word (Cornish for Cornwall), and is used around the world as a symbol of the Cornish diaspora or overseas Cornish associations. It has been adapted for use in the logos of a number of organisations, such as the Cornwall district of the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, is used by a variety of Cornish businesses such as Ginsters, and is seen on the design of the Cornish All Blacks rugby shirts as well as the

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates () are a professional rugby union team who play in the RFU Championship, Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. The Cornish Pirates team are the 'First XV' o ...

rugby logo. At the

Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant was a parade on 3 June 2012 of 670 boats on the Tideway of the River Thames in London as part of the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The Queen, Prince Philip and other members of t ...

in June 2012, the flag was flown on the Royal Rowing Barge alongside the flags representing

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. One of the largest flags in the pageant was also St Piran's Flag, flown by the St Ives mackerel lugger ''Barnabas''. The flags of

Smith Island, Maryland Smith Island is a collection of three distinct island communities – Tylerton, Rhodes Point, and Ewell, Maryland – on the Chesapeake Bay, on the border of Maryland and Virginia territorial waters in the United States. The island is the last ...

and

Tangier, Virginia Tangier is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States, on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 436 at the 2020 census. Since 1850, the island's landmass has been reduced by 67%. Under the mid-range sea level rise s ...

incorporate St. Piran's cross in the upper-left canton in recognition of the early settlers who came to the islands from Cornwall and Devon. The flag can be seen in '' Doc Martin'', which is set in the fictional Cornwall fishing village of Portwenn and filmed in the real-life one of Port Isaac.

Gallery

File:Flag of the Duke of Cornwall.svg, The flag of the

Duke of Cornwall Duke of Cornwall () is a title in the Peerage of England, traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch, previously the English monarch. The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created i ...

File:Cornish Ensign.svg, Cornish Ensign File:Flag of Malpas, Cornwall.svg, Flag of Malpas File:Burgee of Penzance Sailing Club.svg, Burgee of Penzance Sailing Club File:Burgee of Port Navas Yacht Club.svg, Burgee of Port Navas Yacht Club File:Australian Cornish-heritage flag.svg, Cornish Australian heritage flag File:Flag of Dangar Island.svg, Flag of Dangar Island, New South Wales File:Flag of Smith Island, Maryland.svg, Flag of

File:Flag of Tangier, Virginia.svg, Flag of

References

External links

Flags of the World
– Speculations of the origins of this flag. * The Flag Institute {{Subnational flags of the United Kingdom Flags of Cornwall Politics of Cornwall Cornish nationalism

Piran Piran (; ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. A bilingual city, with population speaking both Slovene and Italian, Piran is known for its medieva ...

Flags with crosses