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Buckinghamshire (England)

Last modified: 2020-08-15 by rob raeside
Keywords: buckinghamshire |
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[Flag of Buckinghamshire, England] image located by Jason Saber, 21 May 2011
Source: Flag Institute
See also:

County Flag

A red-black vertical bicolour, with a white swan wearing a chained crown on its neck.
Described as a traditional design by the Flag Institute.
Jason Saber, 21 May 2011

Buckinghamshire’s flag was registered on May 20th 2011. It is described as a “traditional flag” on the Flag Registry with references to the swan emblem dating back to Anglo-Saxon times when Buckinghamshire was known for breeding swans for the king – at this time the bird was considered a delicious meal! As a county bounded by the River Thames, water fowl are obviously endemic to the locality and swans are common, so the emblem is certainly a meaningful and representative one. The specific design of the flag however is based upon the arms used by the Buckinghamshire County Council, which in turn are evidently derived from heraldic badges variously borne by local nobility, in the post Anglo-Saxon era. Swans on arms often appear without any further adornment but one particular style includes a ducal coronet about the neck and a gold chain “reflexed” over its back, which is termed “a cygnet (i.e. a young swan) royal”. This is the form used on the Buckinghamshire flag. The collar of a ducal coronet may be a reference to the Duke of Buckingham, as the swan on the Bucks flag was certainly his badge but a swan of this type had been used as a badge previously by earlier nobility and possibly might just have been a mark of high rank.
Source: https://britishcountyflags.com/
Valentin Poposki, 27 June 2020

Flag Type: County Flag
Flag Date: C12th
Flag Designer: Traditional
Adoption Route: Traditional
UK Design Code: UNKG7423
Aspect Ratio: 3:5
Pantone® Colours: Red 186, Black, White, Yellow 116
Source: https://www.flaginstitute.org
Valentin Poposki, 27 June 2020