jmrobson@watdaisy.UUCP (Mike Robson) (04/15/84)
????? The flag was created to mark the union of the two kingdoms of Scotland and England. Hence the design with the superimposition of the crosses of St George and St Andrew and the "union" in the name. Jack is a word for a flag, used more formerly than the modern meaning which according to my dictionary is "flagstaff at bow of ship; flag flown from this".
mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) (04/15/84)
=================
Does anyone out there know how the name of the British flag, the 'Union
Jack' came about? I know about the design (amalgamation of the crosses of
St. George, Scotland and Wales), but what about the name?
=================
Without reference to books, my memory of what we were taught is that the
"Jack" refers to the jackstaff on a ship, where the "Jack" flag was flown.
"Union" refers to the union of England and Scotland, whose crosses were
combined (with Welsh and Irish?) to make the full flag.
Check this before taking it as gospel.
--
Martin Taylor
{allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmtdxp@pyuxhh.UUCP (D Peak) (04/17/84)
The "English" flag(jack is a national flag that is flown from the jack staff
of a ship) was (and still is ) a white flag with a red cross(running vertically
and horizontally).When England and Scotland unified under King James (VI of
Scotland,I of England) Scotlands flag (Blue with white diagonal cross) and
Englands flag where combined to produce a "union jack".ie to identify the
nation of "England & Scotland" .This is the flag that you will see the
British using in movies etc. (if they know anything of history ) for periods
1600-1800 .
The "unification"(Irish seperatists may question this one) with Ireland in
1800 incorporated the Irish flag (White flag with red diagonal cross) into
the Union Jack to reflect the addition of Ireland into the nation of "England,
Scotland and Ireland".
King James ascended the English throne in the early 1600's but the act of
union(an Act of Parliament ie a law) until 1707.The act of union with Ireland
was in 1800 but the new "union jack" was not created until 1806 (I believe)
As you can see in this last paragraph the flag was not a "cut & dried" affair
but was in a state of flux that was open to several viewpoints,most specifically
Irish and Scottish nationalists that did not(and still do not) want unification
with England.
The term Union Jack is recognized in Britain as being synonomous with being
the British flag but the term could equally be applied to any national flag
that incorporates several countries national flags into one.
Dave Peak(pyuxhh!dxp)
x
The terms -
United Kingdom - reflects the union of England & Scotland under one king
Britain - is the island consisting of England,Scotland & Wales
Great Britain - Britain + Northern Ireland(before 1921 all of Ireland
was included in this definition)
British Isles - Britain + the island of Ireland + Isle of Man and all
associated offshore islands
BTW - The national flag of Wales is not reflected in the Union Jack,probably
due to the fact that Wales was "conquered" hundreds of years before
James (VI & I) in portions and not as a complete nation.
Welsh flag is white top rectangle with green bottom triangle(symbols
of white sky / green land ) with a red dragon in the centre of the
flag.
dxp@pyuxhh.UUCP (D Peak) (04/17/84)
My apologies regarding my description of the Welsh flag in my haste I
mentioned a "green triangle " when it should have read "green rectangle"
No offense intended to all those of Welsh descent (including myself)
Dave peak(pyuxhh!dxp)
"I don't believe in dining on an empty stomach"
- W.C.Fieldsken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow) (04/20/84)
-- >> Does anyone out there know how the name of the British flag, the 'Union >> Jack' came about? I know about the design (amalgamation of the crosses of >> St. George, Scotland and Wales), but what about the name? And for us Yanks, what about the history? Whose cross (the red "X") was superimposed in the early 19th century, and why? -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 13 Apr 84 [24 Germinal An CXCII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7261 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken *** ***
gurr@west44.UUCP (04/20/84)
<>
Does anyone out there know how the name of the British flag, the 'Union
Jack' came about? I know about the design (amalgamation of the crosses of
St. George, Scotland and Wales), but what about the name?
cbosgd
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qusavx mcvax
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decvax ukc!root44!west44!gurr
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vax135 hou3b
Dave Gurr, Westfield College, Univ. of London, England.