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# Dictionary of Vexillology: B (Black and White – Bow Pennant)

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Last modified: 2026-05-02 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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On this page:

- BLACK AND WHITE
- BLACK FLAG
- BLACK LIBERATION FLAG COLORS/COLOURS)
- BLADED WHEEL
- BLATTKRONE
- BLAZON
- BLAZONING (or BLAZONED)
- BLESSING OF A FLAG
- BLEU CELESTE
- BLOODY FLAG (or COLOURS)
- BLUE ENSIGN
- BLUE FLAG
- BLUE JACK
- BLUE PETER
- BLUE STAR BANNER
- BOAT ENSIGN
- BOAT FLAG
- BOAT-TAILED
- BOB (or BOB-FLY)
- BORDER
- BORDERED
- BORDERING
- BORDER OF THREE
- BORDER OF TRIANGLES
- BORDURE
- BOROUGH ARMS
- BOROUGH FLAG
- BOWED
- BOW FLAG
- BOW PENNANT

BLACK AND WHITE
  1) In vexillology – see monochrome 2).
  2) In heraldry – see argent, sable and hatching 1).

  Flag of Cornwall, UK; Flag of Verquigneul, France; Flag of Tal-Pietà, Malta

BLACK FLAG
  1) A plain flag implying allegiance to nothing higher, and considered symbolic of anarchism.
  2) See jolly roger 1).
  3) See mourning flag.

  Flag of the Anarchists; Flag of Edward Lowe c1719; Mourning Flag, Denmark

BLACK LIBERATION FLAG (or COLORS/COLOURS)
  See Garvey colors/colours.

  Marcus Garvey's Flag 1917

BLADED WHEEL
  See St. Catherine's Wheel.

  Flag and Arms of Lokve, Croatia

BLATTKRONE
  See leafy crown.

  Lesser Arms and State Flag of Baden-Württemberg, Germany

BLAZON
  In heraldry the description, either oral or written, of an armorial banner, set of armorial bearings or a shield from those arms, given according to heraldic conventions (see also armigerous, banner of arms, emblazon 2), shield 1).

  Arms of Omišalj, Flag of Gornja Vrba and Arms of Barilović, Croatia
  Notes
  This term and its use should apply only to heraldic symbolism, and be employed in vexillology solely in that context, so the shields illustrated above may be blazoned as follows:
  a) Gules, a tower embattled Argent issuant from a base Azure and in chief a mullet Or;
  b) Parti per pale Gules and Argent overall a willow tree eradicated of the second and first counterchanged;
  c) Gules a bend Argent between two swords in bend of the same hilted and pommelled Or.

BLAZONING (or BLAZONED)
  (v) The act of describing (or having earlier described) heraldic symbolism as defined in blazon.

  Arms of Mikleuš, Flag of Martijanec and Arms of Krapina-Zagorje, Croatia

  Notes
  The shields illustrated above may be blazoned as follows:
  a) Gules a bend between three balls and an oak twig all Or;
  b) Gules in base a mount Vert at fesse point a sword in bend Argent hilted Or surmounted by a mitre of the third garnished of the fourth;
  c) Party per pale and per bend embattled Gules and Or in chief three mullets of the second and first counterchanged.

BLESSING OF A FLAG
  See consecration.

BLEU CELESTE
  The heraldic term for the colour sky-blue – see shades of tincture.

BLOODY FLAG (or COLOURS)
  1) See flag of defiance.
  2) See red flag 2).

BLUE ENSIGN
  1) In British maritime usage, the ensign worn (undefaced) by those merchant vessels commanded by an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve – but see 2) and the note a) below (also armorial ensign, government ensign red ensign 1), undefaced, white ensign 1) and yacht ensign under ensign).
  2) In English then British RN usage, now obsolete (and largely – but not exclusively – dependent upon the seniority of the admiral in command), the junior of three alternative (undefaced) ensigns carried by a warship until 1864 – see red ensign 2), white ensign 2), yellow admiral and note b) below.
  3) Generically, any canton flag (either plain or defaced) with a blue field – particularly (but not exclusively) if flown at sea – a British-style ensign (see also canton flag 1), red ensign 3)).

  Blue ensign c1630–1707, England; Reserve Ensign, UK; Government Ensign, Mauritius

  Notes
  a) With regard to 1), the blue ensign is also used either plain or defaced as the ensign of many British yacht clubs, as a template (or archivexillum) for the flags of Government departments and – with few exceptions – of British Overseas Territories (see also armorial ensign 2), colonial flags, defaced, template flag and warrant).
  b) Regarding 2), before 1864 an Admiral’s seniority was outwardly displayed by the colour of his command flag and by the ensigns flown by any ships under his command – the junior colour being blue, the next white and the senior red – however, in 1864 this colour system was abolished, and thereafter all flag officers flew a white command flag from the appropriate masthead where applicable, and all Royal Naval ships the white ensign (see also distinction of colour and flag of command 1)).
  c) Furthermore, the ensigns worn within a fleet could be arbitrarily changed (if the tactical situation required it) by order of the Flag Officer in overall command of that fleet irrespective of the grade held by any of his subordinate admirals.

  Ensign of the Department for Transport, UK; Ensign of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, UK; Flag of Montserrat

BLUE FLAG
  In European usage a flag awarded to beaches and marinas which have met established criteria with regard to environmental protection – a beach quality flag – see clean marina flag (also award flag, beach flag and green flag).

  Beach Quality/Blue Flag, European

BLUE JACK
  see colonial jack 1), and government service jack under jack.

  Jack of the Royal Maritime Auxiliary, UK (Graham Bartram); Jack of the Northern Lighthouse Board, UK; Jack of the Board of Trade c1939, UK

BLUE PETER
  A blue flag with a white panel in the centre, flown alone whilst in harbour to signify that all persons should report on board as the vessel is ready to proceed to sea – now also Papa in the International Code of Signals, but in use (with the same or similar meaning) since the 1750’s (see also international code of signal flags, preparatory flag, signal flag).

  Signal Flag P (Papa)

BLUE STAR BANNER
  See service flag 3).

  Blue Star Banner/Service Flag, US

BOAT ENSIGN
  1) A small ensign (usually storm ensign size) used on ship's boats for identification when more than one nation's naval vessels are present in an anchorage (see also storm flag 2)).
  2) See boat flag 1) below.

  Please note with regards to 1) that the ship's boats of naval vessels would not normally wear ensigns when operating in an anchorage if no foreign ships are present.

BOAT FLAG
  1) In US naval usage, now obsolete, a small national ensign of modified design (with 13 stars rather than the number on the normal U.S. ensign) formerly flown on small boats and submarines.
  2) In US army usage, that version of a positional or rank flag intended to be flown on boats, or sometimes in front of that officer's headquarters (see also positional flag).
  3) In British RN usage, that version of a flag of command which was originally for use only in boats, but from which the current versions of those flags are derived (see also ball(s) of difference and the notes below, barge flag, flag of command, broad pennant and vessel flag).

  Late 18th century, US; Boat Flags of a Vice-Admiral and Rear Admiral of the White c1702–1864

  Notes
  a) With regard to 3) these flags came to be flown aboard major vessels from c1872 onwards because the abandonment of an auxiliary sailing rig (due to the increased efficiency of marine engines and the weight of armour plate) meant that there was only one mast available from which to display a flag of command, and the previous system of varying mastheads to denote seniority, therefore, no longer viable.
  b) The current versions of UK command flags date from regulations of 1898. These regulations reduced the width of the red cross, increased the size of the balls and changed their position on the flag of a rear-admiral (as illustrated below).

  Boat Flags then Command Flags of a Vice-Admiral and a Rear-Admiral 1864–1898, UK; Flag of a Rear-Admiral according to current regulations

BOAT-TAILED
  See ogival.

  Flag Ascribed to Ibernia, 14th century

BOB (or BOB-FLY)
  In UK usage, the alternative terms for a small flag or pennant flown from the topmast truck of a sailing barge, bearing the owner’s logo and/or colours, and used to indicate wind direction – a bob-fly or Kent vane-fly (see also colours 6), house flag 1), main, truck 1), vane 1) and vane 2)).

  Bob of the Thames Barge Sailing Trust, UK (CS)

BORDER
  The term for a (comparatively) wide band surrounding a field of a different colour, which may consist of one colour – either plain or have charges placed upon it – or may be made up of two or more colours in a variety of designs – a bordure (see also double-tressure, flammulets, inner border 1), inset border, orle 1) outer border, panel, pierced 1), plain 2), tressure and wolfteeth).

  National Flag of Maldives; Flag of Densbüren, Switzerland; Prime Minister's Flag, Portugal

  Please note – not to be confused with a fimbriation which is invariably plain and whose sole purpose is to divide one colour from another (see also charge, fimbriation rule of tincture).

BORDERED
  (adj) The act of having placed a border around a flag.

  Flag of King João II, Portugal 1485–1495

BORDERING
  (v) A practice, now largely obsolete, of edging a flag in a different colour than the field, either for decorative purposes or to prevent fraying.

BORDER OF THREE
  The term used to describe a flag whose border does not run along the hoist – but see outer edges (also inset border).

  Flag of Prince Edward Island, Canada; Flag of Ameliasburgh, Canada

BORDER OF TRIANGLES
  See wolfteeth 1).

  Presidential Standard of Hungary; War Ensign of Hungary

BORDURE
  The heraldic term for a border – a border which sources suggest should occupy one-fifth of the field – see cadency, mark of and its following note.

  Flag of La Palma, Spain; Flag of Oprisavci, Croatia; Former Flag of Horta, Portugal

BOROUGH ARMS
  See civic arms.

  Arms of Westminster 1601 and 1964, UK

BOROUGH FLAG
  See civic flag.

  Flag of Horn-Bad Meinberg, Germany; Flag of Southend-on-Sea, UK

BOWED
  An alternative heraldic term to embowed.

  Flag and Arms of Kyjov, Czechia (fotw and Wikimedia)

BOW FLAG
  See jack (also bow pennant below).

  Naval Jack of Argentina

BOW PENNANT
  A small, usually triangular flag flown at the bow of pleasure craft, often facetious, but sometimes a personal flag (see also personal flag 3)).

  (americanflag.com)

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