The Flag of St David

The Flag of St David is normally a gold cross on a black field, although it appears in many forms including a black cross on a gold field, or with an engrailed cross. It has, in some circles, been used as a flag representing Wales (as an alternative to the new Welsh flag Red Dragon flag), in the same sense that the crosses of St George and St Andrew are used to represent England and Scotland (of which they are, respectively, patron saints). It is similar to, and no doubt related to, the arms of the Diocese of St Davids. Image File history File links Flag_of_Saint_David. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Saint_David. ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The Welsh Dragon on the tailfin of an Air Wales ATR 42 aircraft. ... St Georges cross The St Georges Cross is a red cross on a white background. ... The Saltire (or St Andrews Cross) is the national flag of Scotland. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Motto: , traditionally rendered in Scots as Wha daur meddle wi me?[1] and in English as No one provokes me with impunity. ... In several forms of the church of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... The Diocese of St Davids covers the traditional counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and a small part of western Glamorganshire. ...

It is not to be confused with the Cornish flag, which is a white cross on a black field. Saint Pirans Flag is regarded as the national flag of Cornwall and an emblem of the Cornish people. ...

It must be stressed however that this flag is the 'official' flag of Wales, and represented on the Union Flag as the mis-aligned red diagonal cross along with the cross of Saint Patrick.

Use of the Flag

The flag can clearly be seen in Cardiff City F.C.'s logo

The flag can be seen throughout Wales, though not as frequently as the nation's un-official flag the dragon. On St David's Day it often plays a central role in the celebrations, and can be seen flying throughout the nation. {Logo}} This is the current crest of the association football club Cardiff City, disseminated into the public domain. ... {Logo}} This is the current crest of the association football club Cardiff City, disseminated into the public domain. ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The Welsh Dragon on the tailfin of an Air Wales ATR 42 aircraft. ... Saint Davids Day (Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant - Day of the Festival of Saint David) is the day that the patron saint of Wales, Saint David, is celebrated. ...

The history of the flag is somewhat ambiguous, though it seems to have emerged, or re-emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. This is another variant of the original flag of Saint David, which was a red diagonal cross on a black background (still- although not widely known- represented on the Union Flag (the flag of the United Kingdom)). One theory is that it was developed to fly atop Anglican churches in Wales, in the same way that the St George's Cross was flown outside churches in England, though since 1954 churches are more likely to fly a flag bearing the armorial bearings of the Church in Wales, granted that year. Others claim that the flag is much older than this; the accepted year amongst folk-historians is 675AD. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... St Georges cross The St Georges Cross is a red cross on a white background. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag of the Church in Wales The Church in Wales (Welsh: Yr Eglwys Yng Nghymru) is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six dioceses in Wales. ...

In any case, the colours of the flag - black and gold - (and originally black and red) have certainly long been associated with the Welsh saint, even if not always in the form of a symmetrical cross. St David's University College, Lampeter (now the University of Wales, Lampeter), founded in 1822, adopted these colours as the 'college colours' in 1888^[1], and the flag of St David continues to be associated with the college, although it is rarely flown today. Lampeter (Welsh: Llanbedr Pont Steffan, or more informally, Llambed) is a town in Ceredigion, Wales, United Kingdom, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the River Dulas. ... University of Wales, Lampeter Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan   University of Wales, Lampeter (Welsh: Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan) is a university in Lampeter, Wales, the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales, and the third oldest in England and Wales after Oxford and Cambridge. ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The flag has also had military significance, representing the 38th Welsh Division in the Second World War. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

In 2002 Cardiff City F.C. incorporated the flag into their new logo. Their supporters have been known to decorate commercially produced flags of Saint David's cross with a bluebird, symbol of the club, to match the logo. The club chairman, Sam Hammam, has been accused of turning the flag into a marketing symbol^{[citation needed]}. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Cardiff City Football Club are a football team based in Cardiff, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... Sam Hammam is a Lebanese businessman, most notable for his high profile ownership of British football clubs. ...

Celtic Crusaders RLC, who start playing rugby league in Bridgend in 2006, also have the flag on their logo. The Celtic Crusaders are a rugby league club based in Bridgend, Wales. ... Rugby league is a team sport played by two teams of 17 players, with 13 on the field at any one time and 4 on the bench (reserves). ... Bridgend (Welsh: Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a town in the traditional county of Glamorgan and the main town in the county borough of Bridgend in south Wales. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. ^ Price, D T W. A History of Saint David's University College, Lampeter. Volume One. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0606-3.

The University of Wales Press was founded in 1922 as a central service of the University of Wales. ...

See also

• Saint David

The Flag of Saint David. ...

External links

• Saint David's Day Parade