Last modified: 2020-08-15 by rob raeside
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image located by Valentin Poposki,
28 July 2020
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Before the Local Government Act 1888, the Isles of Scilly was part of the
county of Cornwall. After the Act came into full effect, the Isles of Scilly got
status as Rural District Council, but independent of Cornwall County Council,
which became fully effective in 1890. That was confirmed in 1930 when The Isles
of Scilly Order 1930 granted the Council the "powers, duties and liabilities" of
a county council. Officially the Isles of Scilly Rural District Council existed
until 1974, when it became The Council of the Isles of Scilly, which is official
name of the council today. The Council of the Isles of Scilly is the smallest
unitary authority in England by area with only 16 km2.
There are three
flags in use in the Isles of Scilly: the historic banner of the old Board of
Ordnance, the Scillonian cross and the Council flag.
Valentin Poposki,
28 July 2020
On 22 February, 2002, Scilly News reported the Council of the Isles of Scilly are in the later stages of developing their
flag for the Council and the Islands. Dudley Mumford and Philip Hygate of the Isles of Scilly
Council told me that the Council had been developing their own flag and that it may be flown at the Airport as well as the Town
Hall. Their flag is going to be used mainly for official use.
W. Madsen, 24 June 2002
The flag of the Council of the Isles of Scilly is the flag of the local
authority. It is blue with yellow and light blue oval heraldic device, similar
to the council emblem. It was adopted in August 2002.
Valentin Poposki, 28 July 2020
image located by Valentin Poposki,
28 July 2020
image
by Valentin Poposki, 28 July 2020
In late January, we at Scilly News decided to develop a design with the help of the public's votes. One month, three ballots
and 400 votes later, we declared the Scillonian 'Island' Cross the most appropriate design. When
designing the Scillonian Cross, we were keen to recognise Scilly's strong Celtic heritage. It is popular belief that Scilly continued it's Celtic
traditions until as recently as 400 years ago. Scilly's St Lide was a prominent Celtic figure. The main feature is the central cross that is
similar to the Celtic cross (right), celebrating the Islands strong Celtic heritage. The five pentacles (five-pointed stars)
represent the Islands' location and size. Pentacles are Celtic symbol of protection, which is
relevant for the Islands as they have been an important strategic position for Britain. White was chosen because it is a strong and symbolic
colour, emphasising the properties the cross and stars represent. Some believe it
also symbolises 'purity and innocence'. The orange represents a fireglow sun set for which Scilly has become famous. The blue represents the oceanic
waters that encompass the islands, which are such an important aspect of Scillonian life.
W. Madsen, 24 June 2002
If a territory has a flag which is supposed to stand for the territory
(which, although it was born out of the local newspaper, as this flag is), and a
flag of that territory's government which is different, then which is 'the' flag
of the territory - which should therefore be shown at the top of this page? I
suppose the question becomes that of 'state flag' vs 'civil flag' - but they are
usually not as different as the two flags for Scilly.
André Coutanche, 7 October 2002
In 2002, in the manner
as were registered flags of the historical counties of England, the Flag
Institute registered the so called Scillonian Cross flag:
Flag Type:
County Flag
Flag Date: February 2002
Flag Designer: Scilly News
Adoption Route: Popular Vote
UK Design Code: UNKG7411
Aspect Ratio: 3:5
PantoneŽ Colours: Orange 137, Blue 286, White
Certification: Flag Institute
Chief Vexillologist, Graham Bartram
Valentin Poposki, 28 July 2020
A possible illustration of the flag of the Isles of Scilly, based on the banner of the old
Board of Ordnance. The flag has three
black and white cannon balls arranged horizontally on a white band at the top, the lower three quarters of the flag being blue with three yellow cannon arranged vertically. It is not known to us why the Isles of Scilly uses the old Board of Ordnance flag.
Pascal Gross, 22 September 2000, and David Prothero, 28 April 1998
This flag may have been used on the Isles of Scilly by default, being left behind by the Board of Ordnance.
W. Madsen, 24 June 2002
I have an original Isles of Scilly Flag brought on the island about 1992 from
the Ships Chandlers store, Hugh Town, as a ship's courtesy flag. I have also
seen one flown in the harbour as such. It is different from the
Board of Ordnance flag in that the three cannons
face the hoist and are gold on a red background. The three cannonballs are gold
on a green background. I was told that it symbolised the protection of the fort
on St Mary's.
Stephen Bailey, 19 June 2006