Editing Flags of the English Interregnum

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{{redirect|Flag of the Commonwealth of England|flag of the British Commonwealth|Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
[[File:Commonwealth Standard RMG L4481.tiff|thumb|[[List of command flags of the Royal Navy|Command flag]] used by [[General at sea|generals at sea]], dating to 1652–54.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/800.html|title = Commonwealth Standard &#124; Royal Museums Greenwich}}</ref>]]
There were a variety of flags flown by ships of the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth]] during the [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]] of 1649–1660.

At sea, royalist ships continued to fly the [[Flag of Great Britain|Union Jack]] of 1606, while on 22 February 1649 the [[English Council of State|Council of State]] decided to send the parliamentary navy an order (signed by [[Oliver Cromwell]] on 23 February) that "the ships at sea in service of the State shall onely beare the red Crosse in a white flag" (viz., the [[flag of England]]).
On 5 March 1649 the Council further ordered "that the Flagg that is to be borne by the Admiral, Vice-Admiral, and Rere-Admiral be that now presented, viz., the Armes of England and Ireland in two severall Escotcheons in a Red Flagg, within a compartment."<ref name="FoTW – UKinter">cited after [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-inter.html Dave Martucci, 29 September 1999]</ref>
A sole surviving example of a naval flag following this description is kept by the [[National Maritime Museum]] at Greenwich, others having fallen victim to the destruction of Commonwealth symbols at the [[English Restoration|Restoration of Charles II]].<ref>[https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-inter.html United Kingdom: Flags of the Interregnum, 1649-1660 (crwflags.com)]. 3 May 2010</ref>
Scotland was formally [[The Protectorate|united with England]] in 1654. According to Perrin (1922), the saltire of Scotland did not reappear on naval flags of the Commonwealth until 1658.<ref name = "Perrin">Perrin, ''British Flags'' (1922), p. 64-65</ref>

In 1658 Cromwell's personal standard as Lord Protector became the "Standard for the General of his Highnesse fleet", while the Cross-and-Harp jack was replaced by the "Protectorate Jack", consisting of the royal Union Flag with the addition of the Irish Harp at the centre.<ref>Wilson, ''Flags at Sea'' (1986), p. 19: "In 1658 Cromwell's standard as Lord Protector, in which the cross of St. George was quartered with the cross of St. Andrew and the [[Irish Harp]], and surmounted by an escutcheon with Cromwell's personal coat of arms, became the 'Standard for the General of his Highnesse fleet' and the Cross and Harp jack was replaced by the old Union Jack with the addition of a harp in the centre."</ref>

== Flags of the Commonwealth ==
<gallery widths="220" heights="150" display="center">
File:Flag of England.svg|A flag used by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Navy and privateers beginning on 22 February 1649.<ref>The parliamentary navy was ordered by the Council of State on 22 February 1649 as follows: "that the ships at sea in service of the State shall onely beare the red Crosse in a white flag"</ref>
File:Flag of the Commonwealth (1649-1651).svg|Flag described as "the Parliament Jack", following a decision of the State Council on 23 February 1649: "And that upon the Sterne of the Shipps there shall be the Red Crosse in one Escotcheon, and the Harpe in one other, being the Armes of England and Ireland, both Escotcheons joyned according to the pattern herewith sent unto you.", replaced in 1658.<ref name="Perrin" /><ref name="hulme">Hulme, ''The Flags of The World: Their History, Blazonry and Associations'' (1897), p.49</ref>
File:Commonwealth-Flag-1651.svg|An Ordinance of 12 April 1654 ordered: "That the arms of Scotland viz: a Cross commonly called the St Andrew's Cross be received onto and borne from henceforth in the Arms of this Commonwealth ... etc".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/gb-inter.html | title=United Kingdom: Flags of the Interregnum, 1649-1660 }}</ref>
File:Standard of Oliver Cromwell (1653–1659).svg|Standard of the Lord Protector from 1653 to 1659.<ref name="Timothy Wilson 1986">Timothy Wilson, Flags at Sea (1986)</ref>
File:Flag of the Commonwealth (1658-1660).svg|The jack used by the Commonwealth after 1658, replaced the impaled St George's Cross and Irish harp.<ref name="Timothy Wilson 1986" /><ref name="Perrin"/>)
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{portal|Heraldry and Vexillology}}
*[[List of English flags]]
*[[Coat of arms of England]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}

== References ==
{{refbegin}}
*Dave Martucci, Christopher Southworth, Vincent Morley, Jarig Bakker, [https://www.fotw.info/flags/gb-inter.html United Kingdom: Flags of the Interregnum, 1649–1660]. Flags of the World (1999, 2010). Retrieved 30 March 2011.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
*http://flagspot.net/flags/gb-inter.html

{{UKFlags}}

[[Category:Flags of England|Interregnum]]
[[Category:Obsolete national flags|English Interregnum]]
[[Category:Flags with crosses|England]]
[[Category:Lists of flags of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Stuart England]]