Flag Institute

The Flag Institute is a UK membership organisation headquartered in Kingston upon Hull, England, concerned with researching and promoting the use and design of flags. It documents flags in the UK and internationally, maintains a UK Flag Registry, and offers advice and guidance about flags and their usage. It is often consulted on matters relating to flag design and usage, but holds no official status or authority. It is a registered charity.[1]

Flag Institute
Formation23 April 1971 (1971-04-23)
FounderWilliam Crampton
TypeCharitable incorporated organisation
Registration no.1152496
PurposeVexillology
Location
President
Malcolm Farrow
Key people
John Hall (Chairman)
Websitewww.flaginstitute.org

History and role
Graham Bartram. Chief Vexillologist and Trustee of the Flag Institute

The institute was formed out of the Flag Section of The Heraldry Society on St George's Day, 23 April 1971, by William Crampton, later president of FIAV, with E.M.C. Barraclough as its chairman.[2][3] It is a membership-based vexillological organisation with over 500 members from all parts of the world, and provides advice and assistance to individuals and organisations including UK Government departments, the BBC, ITN, and many publishers, museums and libraries.[4]

County flags in Parliament Square in 2019

The institute maintains the William Crampton Library, based in Kingston upon Hull, England and named in honour of its co-founder. It publishes a bi-annual journal, Flagmaster, and a virtual magazine called eFlags. Since 2006 it has sponsored an annual public lecture on a flag-related topic, known as the 'Perrin Lecture'. It holds twice yearly meetings for its members in various locations around the United Kingdom. The Institute itself is governed by a Board of five elected Trustees who are advised by an appointed Council of members.

Until early 2010 the national flag of the United Kingdom was only flown from the Houses of Parliament when Parliament was sitting, and when the Houses rose it was taken down and the flagpole left bare.[5] The Flag Institute with the Flags and Heraldry Committee campaigned to see the flag flown permanently. In early 2010 Black Rod agreed that this should be so and since then the flag has flown all the time. The Flag Institute was congratulated by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, on its first 40 years of service to the United Kingdom.

Following a postal ballot of members, the Institute became a charity at its annual general meeting in Worcester on Saturday 17 November 2012.

UK Flag Registry

The Institute keeps a registry of flags for the countries, regions and counties of the UK. Flag designs with which its officers have been involved include those for the badge and ensign of the UK Border Agency[6] and the flag of the UK Supreme Court.[7]

All Scottish flags must, by law, be authorised by Lord Lyon and recorded in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. The Earl Marshal and the College of Arms are legally responsible for flags in the rest of the UK.[8] Both the College of Arms and the Court of Lord Lyon maintain their respective country's official register of flags. Flags and symbols relating to the UK Armed Forces are regulated by the Crown through the Ministry of Defence, which also governs flags flown at sea by British-registered vessels.[9]

Publications

In 2010 the Flag Institute, with the Parliamentary Flags and Heraldry Committee,[10] published a guide to Britain's flag protocol, Flying Flags in the United Kingdom (ISBN 978-0-9513286-1-3).[11]

References
  1. "The Flag Institute, registered charity no. 1152496". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  2. Flag Institute, eFlags, no.8, 2008, p.10
  3. Flag Institute at Flags of the World
  4. Flag Institute home page
  5. "9 Year Campaign to have Union Jack Fly Permanently from Houses of Parliament Succeeds". 25 March 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  6. "Freedom of Information Request: UK Border Agency Flag". 9 June 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  7. "Freedom of Information Request: Supreme Court Flag". 1 June 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  8. "College of Arms - College of Arms". www.college-of-arms.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. "Ministry of Defence - Regulations covering the Flying of Flags in the United Kingdom" (PDF). What Do They Know.
  10. "Written Answers: Supreme Court Flags". Hansard. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  11. Flying Flags in the United Kingdom (PDF). p. 3. ISBN 978-0-9513286-1-3. Retrieved 27 March 2011. First published in the United Kingdom in 2010 by the Flag Institute in association with the Flags and Heraldry Committee of the UK Parliament and with support from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
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