Introduction
The flag of Jersey is a red saltire on white, with the badge of Jersey in the upper triangle beneath a yellow Plantagenet crown.
The plain red saltire had been used for centuries; the crown and badge were added when the flag was formally adopted in 1979 to distinguish it from other saltires.
Meaning & Symbolism
The saltire is the old mark of the island, and the additions say who Jersey belongs to. The badge carries the three leopards of the Duchy of Normandy, and the crown is a Plantagenet crown, marking the island as a possession of the English Crown rather than part of the United Kingdom.
History of the Jersey Flag
Jersey spent a long time with a flag nobody had authorised. The red saltire on white is recorded from the eighteenth century, and its origin is disputed: one account has it as a misread of an old flag chart, another as a genuine Norman device.
The current design was adopted by the States of Jersey on 12 June 1979, proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II on 10 December 1980 and first officially hoisted on 7 April 1981. Where the Union Flag is also flown, protocol gives precedence to the flag of Jersey.
Curiosities
- One theory holds the plain red saltire began as a printing error on an eighteenth century flag chart.
- Protocol gives the Jersey flag precedence over the Union Flag on the island.
- The crown is specifically a Plantagenet crown, not a modern royal crown.
- Adoption took three steps and nearly two years: the States in 1979, the Queen in 1980, the first hoisting in 1981.
- The badge carries the three leopards of Normandy, the same beasts as in the arms of England.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Jersey in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.