Flags and symbols of Yorkshire

The flags and symbols of Yorkshire are emblematic, representative, or otherwise characteristic of the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, the historic county of Yorkshire, and their current and former subdivisions.

White rose

The white rose of York originated as the symbol of the House of York. It was later also used as a Jacobite symbol.

Yorkshire flag

The Yorkshire flag used to represent the historic county. It consists of a white rose of York on a blue field. How the colour blue came to be associated with the county is unclear, however it may have been influenced by the use of dark blue by the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons and the Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The Flag Institute, a charity which promotes vexillology in the United Kingdom, claims the flag was designed in 1965 or earlier, and the Yorkshire Society claims that the Yorkshire Ridings Society adopted the flag in 1975. It was registered with the Flag Institute on 29 July 2008 at the request of the Yorkshire Ridings Society. Other designs proposed for the county flag included Saint George's Cross with a white rose-en-soleil in the centre, and a red Nordic cross on a white field with a rose-en-soleil at the meeting point of the arms the cross.

Use

The flag is flown within the historic boundaries of Yorkshire, including in areas of east Lancashire which were formerly within the county, and is flown around the county on Yorkshire Day on 1 August. It was flown outside the Department for Communities and Local Government in London on Yorkshire Day in 2011 and 2013, and in Parliament Square on 23 July 2021 to mark Historic County Flag Day.
The kit of the Yorkshire Vikings limited overs cricket team for the 2017 season featured a stylised version of the flag, and a large version of the flag was carried onto the pitch at a County Championship match between Yorkshire and Worcestershire in Scarborough in 2018.

Riding flags

East Riding

The flag consists of a white rose of Yorkshire, which displayed in the East Riding style with one sepal at the top, on a green and blue bicolour. The blue is toward the hoist, representing the East Riding's connection to the rest of Yorkshire, and the green toward the fly to represent its position in the east of the historic county. The blue additionally represents the sea and the historic maritime activities of the East Riding, and the green symbolises the riding's agricultural land.
The flag was chosen in 2013 following a competition and public vote on six shortlisted finalists. The winning design was then unveiled at Beverley Minster. The flag has been flown around the East Riding. It was also flown from the building of the Department for Communities and Local Government in London in 2014.
The flag was registered by the Flag Institute, a charity which promotes vexillology in the United Kingdom, on 18 April 2013.

North Riding

The yellow edged blue cross recalls the colours of the arms attributed to the local saint, Wilfrid a major figure in the early history of the region. Set against a green field, the three colours in combination allude to the North Riding's natural features; the green representing the large tracts of the famed North York Moors National Park, while the blue and yellow reflect the North Sea coastline and such rivers as the Swale, Tees and Esk.
The flag was registered by the Flag Institute, a charity which promotes vexillology in the United Kingdom, on 4 May 2013.

West Riding

The flag features a "rose-en-soleil" device first used by Edward IV upon his accession to the throne, combining the White Rose of the House of York with the Sun emblem used by his royal predecessor, Richard II. In essence the rose-en-soleil is a more elaborate version of the white rose emblem associated with the county and had been used by the former West Riding council in its coat of arms. The rose emblem is placed against an offset red cross in Scandinavian style, reflecting the Anglo-Scandinavian history of the region during the era when the Ridings were first established. The cross may be seen therefore as a Nordic cross in English colours, a graphic encapsulation of local heritage and history.
The flag was registered with the Flag Institute, a charity which promotes vexillology in the United Kingdom, on 23 May 2013.

Riding flag competition finalists

The finalists of the competitions to decide the flags for the ridings were:

Design	East Riding	North Riding	West Riding
A
B
C
D
E
F

Source:

Council armorial

Former

Administrative county councils

Between 1889 and 1974 the three ridings were administrative counties. Each council was eventually granted arms by the officers at the College of Arms, which were used until their abolition.

Coat of arms	Use	Blazon and description
	North Riding County Council	Blazon:Argent a cross gules; on a chief azure three roses argent barbed and seeded proper. Granted 1 March 1928, but used unofficially from 1889.
	West Riding County Council	Blazon:Ermine a rose argent, barbed and seeded proper and en soleil Or; on a chief gules three roses of the second barbed and seeded proper. The arms ensigned by a mural crown Or.
	East Riding County Council	Blazon:Per chevron argent and Or, in chief two garbs proper and in base an eagle displayed azure; on a chief sable three roses argent barbed and seeded proper. Crest: on a wreath of the colours, on a garb fessewise Or an eagle displayed azure. Granted 28 February 1945.

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan county councils

The Local Government Act 1972 replaced the three administrative counties with the metropolitan counties of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire and the non-metropolitan counties of Cleveland, Humberside, and North Yorkshire. They came into being on 1 April 1974, and all five were granted arms in the next four years.
On 1 April 1986 the two metropolitan county councils were abolished under the Local Government Act 1985 and their functions transferred primarily to the metropolitan districts of each county. On 1 April 1996 the non-metropolitan counties of Cleveland and Humberside and their county councils were abolished.

Coat of arms	Use	Blazon and description
	Cleveland County Council	Blazon: Argent a Lion rampant Azure crowned Or and gorged with a Collar compony Ermine and Or breathing Flames proper on a Chief wavy Azure on a Pale Sable fimbriated between on the dexter a Cogwheel and on the sinister a voided Hexagon Argent an ancient Ship sails furled pennons flying Or. Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours on a Grassy Mount an Anchor proper between two Estoiles Or. Supporters: On the dexter side a Hart Or and on the sinister side a Cleveland Bay Horse proper both gorged with a Collar compony Ermine and Azure and resting their interior hind hooves on three Ingots of Steel proper the whole upon a Compartment per pale of a Grassy Mount and Waves of the Sea proper. The arms were granted on 10 December 1974. With the abolition of the county council in 1996 they became obsolete.
	Humberside County Council	Blazon: Per fess Sable and Gules on a Fess wavy Argent between in chief a Coronet Or between two Roses Argent barbed and seeded proper and in base two Fleurs de Lis Or a Bar wavy Azure. Crest: On a Wreath Or and Gules rising from Flames proper a demi-Eagle Azure Goutté d'Or armed also Gold holding in the beak a Sword point downwards proper hilt and pommel Or. Supporters: On the dexter a Dolphin Argent finned Or charged on the shoulder with a Terrestrial Globe Azure the land masses Or supporting an Anchor proper and on the sinister a Female Figure habited representing Ceres with Cornucopia all proper upon a Compartment per pale Water barry wavy Azure and Argent and a Grassy Field proper. The arms were granted on 28 July 1976. With the abolition of the county council in 1996 they became obsolete.
	West Yorkshire County Council	Blazon: Or two piles azure a rose argent barbed and seeded proper. Crest: on a wreath of the colours a mural crown Or standing thereon a lion rampant guardant per fess gules and tenné crowned Or bearing in its forepaws a rose argent barbed and seeded proper. Supporters: Dexter a lion rampant guardant per fess gules and sable armed and langued azure crowned and charged on the shoulder with a sun in splendour Or sinister a lion rampant guardant per fess tenné and vert armed and langued gules crowned Or charged on the shoulder with a rose argent barbed and seeded proper, the whole upon a compartment representing the Pennine Hills. The arms were granted on 22 August 1975. With the abolition of the county council in 1986 they became obsolete.
	South Yorkshire County Council	Blazon: Sable a pile throughout barry dancetty argent and gules over all a pile reversed throughout counterchanged in the sable a rose argent barbed and seeded proper between two like roses dimidiated and issuing from the flanks. Crest: Issuant from a mural crown gules a rose argent barbed and seeded proper dimidiating a bezant. Supporter: Dexter a horse guardant Or crined and unguled sable supporting with the dexter forehoof a hoe gules sinister a lion guardant sable maned Or supporting a miner's pick-axe gules. The arms were granted on 1978. With the abolition of the county council in 1986 they arms became obsolete.