List of English flags

This is a list of English flags, including symbolic national and sub-national flags, standards and banners used exclusively in England.
The College of Arms is the authority on the flying of flags in England and maintains the only official register of flags. It was established in 1484 and as part of the Royal Household operates under the authority of The Crown. A separate private body called the Flag Institute, financed by its own membership, also maintains a registry of United Kingdom flags that it styles 'the UK Flag Registry', though this has no official status under English law.
Certain classes of flag enjoy a special status within English planning law and can be flown without needing planning permission as advertisements. These include any country's national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign; the flag of the Commonwealth, the United Nations or any other international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member; a flag of any island, county, district, borough, burgh, parish, city, town or village within the United Kingdom; the flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire or any historic county within the United Kingdom; the flag of St David; the flag of St Patrick; the flag of any administrative area within any country outside the United Kingdom; any flag of His Majesty's Armed Forces; the Armed Forces Day flag; and the flags of the National Health Service. The flag of the European Union previously held this special status but this was revoked and instead granted to the flags of the NHS on 24 March 2021, owing to heightened advocacy for the latter institution brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union on 31 January 2020. The flag of the Council of Europe, identical to the flag of the European Union, is allowed to be flown however.

Regional flags

Flags of the former heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms are registered as provincial flags:

Flag	Date	Represents	Description
	1900s		The arms ascribed to the Wuffingas dynasty. Three crowns on a blue shield, superimposed on a St George's Cross, 3:5.
	Ancient		The flag of Essex is ancient in origin and features three Saxon seax on a red field.
	1605		The flag of Kent has a red field with a white horse in the centre, 3:5.
	13th century		The Flag of Mercia, gold saltire on a blue field, still flown on Tamworth Castle and a lighter version in St Albans.
	Ancient		Eight alternating stripes of gold and burgundy
	Ancient	Kingdom of Sussex	Six gold martlets on a blue field. Officially adopted on 20 May 2011, 3:5.
	1974		A gold wyvern on a red field. Registered 20 May 2011. Designed in 1974 by William Crampton.

Historic counties

All 39 of the historic counties have flags registered with the Flag Institute, with Leicestershire being the last county to declare its flag, as of 16 July 2021. Some flags are traditional, meaning their designs have long been associated with the county, while other flags are based on the County Council arms or are winners of recent design competitions. The dates indicate the flag's date of first appearance, description, or in more recent examples, its registration with the Flag Institute.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Traditional; 12 April 1951	Flag of Bedfordshire	Traditional county flag. The red and yellow colours come from the Beauchamps family coat of arms. The vertical black stripe with three shells, or escallops, comes from the arms of the Dukes of Bedford. The wavy lines represent the River Great Ouse. A slightly updated version was registered with the Flag Institute on 14 September 2014 after Bedfordshire County Council was disbanded and replaced by two unitary authorities.
	Traditional; 2 March 2017	Flag of Berkshire	Traditional badge: a stag beneath Herne the Hunter's oak.
	Traditional; 20 May 2011	Flag of Buckinghamshire	Traditional county flag. A field party per pale of black and red with a white swan, an emblem dating back to Anglo-Saxon times when Buckinghamshire was known for breeding swans for the king.
	1 February 2015	Flag of Cambridgeshire	The three gold crowns represent East Anglia, with wavy light blue lines representing the river Cam in the colours of Cambridge University on a dark blue background.
	3 May 1938	Flag of Cheshire	Three golden sheaves of wheat and a golden blade on a blue background. The design has been associated with the Earldom of Chester since the 12th century, and has been used in the coat of arms of Chester since at least 1560.
	19th century	Flag of Cornwall	St Pirran's Cross, a white cross on a black field. The first definitive reference to it is in an 1838 work entitled ‘The Parochial History of Cornwall’ by Davies Gilbert.
	19 September 1950	Flag of Cumberland	Design based on the arms of the former Cumberland County Council. The pattern symbolises the coastline and famous lakes with the blue and white wavy lines, whilst the green upper half with Grass-of-Parnassus flowers recalls the marshy up-lands and fertile plains of the county.
	22 September 2006	Flag of Derbyshire	A green cross with a white border on a sky blue field, with a gold Tudor rose in the centre, 3:5. The green symbolises Derbyshire’s lush verdant countryside. The cross indicates Derbyshire’s geography at the centre of the country. At the centre of the cross is a Tudor rose, whose usage in the county can be traced back to at least the late 16th century.
	23 July 2006	Flag of Devon, alias St Petroc's Cross	A white cross with a black border on a green field, 3:5.
	16 September 2008	Flag of Dorset – The Dorset Cross, aka St Wite's Cross	A white cross with a red border on a gold field, 3:5.
	21 November 2013	Flag of County Durham	A gold and blue horizontal bicolour with St Cuthbert's Cross countercharged upon it, 3:5.
	Ancient	Flag of Essex	A red field with three white, gold hilted seax. The three white seaxes with gold pommels on a red field were the arms ascribed to the ancient kingdom of the East Saxons, or Essex, by Richard Verstegan in his 1605 work “A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence”.
	March 2008	Flag of Gloucestershire – The Severn Cross	A mid-blue cross, outlined in cream, against an apple green background – the winning entry in a competition to commemorate the county's millennium. The green is representative of the rural county, the blue, the River Severn and the yellow, Cotswold Stone.
	12 March 2019	Flag of Hampshire	A gold Saxon crown above a Tudor rose over a field of red and gold representing the former Saxon kingdom of Wessex, used in the county for several centuries.
	2 November 2019	Flag of Herefordshire	On a dark red background, a white bull's head above three wavy lines, ordered white-blue-white. The red reflects the famed red earth of the county, while the bull’s head is from the famed Hereford breed.
	19 November 2008	Flag of Hertfordshire	Against eight blue and white wavy lines, representing the county's rivers, a gold shield bearing a resting deer or hart.
	25 June 2009	Flag of Huntingdonshire	On a green background, a gold, ribboned hunting horn – a flag displayed on the crest of the district council arms
	1605	Flag of Kent	A red field with a white horse in the centre, 3:5. As with Essex, the emblem of this early English kingdom was first recorded in print in the 1605 work “A Restitution Of Decayed Intelligence” by Richard Verstegan.
	Modern form since 20 November 2008	Flag of Lancashire	The Red Rose of Lancashire on a yellow field. The royal badge of a red rose was first used by Edmund Crouchback the first Earl of Lancaster.
	16 July 2021	Flag of Leicestershire	A red and white dancetté background, taken from the arms of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester; the Cinquefoil of the de Beaumont Earls of Leicester; and the running fox from the county's crest, used on many of the county organisations' emblems.
	24 October 2005	Flag of Lincolnshire	A red cross with yellow trimming on a blue and green field, and a yellow fleur de lys in the middle of the cross.
	1909	Flag of Middlesex	A red field with three white, gold-hilted Saxon swords or seax under a gold Saxon crown.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Norfolk	Ermine bend from top left to bottom right on a gold and black field. The design is a banner of the arms attributed to Ralph (Ranulph) de Gael, first Earl of Norfolk.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Northamptonshire	A gold cross with a black border on a maroon field with a rose in the centre. The link with the rose dates back to at least the 17th century, while the gold cross is edged in black, recalling the county’s leather boot and shoe industry.
	7th century	Flag of Northumberland	Historical flag readopted in 1951 and used officially by the county council, and later released by the council and registered as the flag of the historic county. Eight yellow rectangles on a red field; note that the canton should be gold.
	20 May 2011	Flag of Nottinghamshire	The inescutcheon represents Robin Hood, a silhouette of James Woodford’s bronze statue of Robin Hood, which stands close to Nottingham Castle.
	2017 on	Flag of Oxfordshire	The arms of the pre-1974 County Council: blue with a red ox head on a double bend wavy, between a wheatsheaf and an oak.
	17 November 2015	Flag of Rutland	A green field semée of acorns with a golden horseshoe in the centre, the traditional emblem of Rutland since at least 1784.
	March 2012	Flag of Shropshire	The leopards' faces, fondly referred to as "loggerheads" locally, are a traditional emblem for Shropshire and have historically evolved from the loggerheads on the Shrewsbury town arms. The erminois aspect differentiates the county flag from that of its county town.
	4 July 2013	Flag of Somerset	A red dragon rampant on a gold field, from a longstanding local badge; the winning entry in a competition.
	28 March 2016	Flag of Staffordshire	A red chevron on a gold field, with a gold Stafford knot, the county's longstanding symbol. All elements are taken from the de Stafford coat of arms. Designed by the Staffordshire Heritage Group and chosen by the Flag Institute over the county council's own flag after a public vote.
	9 October 2017	Flag of Suffolk	Derived from the arms attributed to Saint Edmund the Martyr.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Surrey	Chequey Or and azure; a traditional design derived from a personal coat of arms first recorded in the 11th century.
	20 May 2011	Flag of Sussex	Six gold martlets on blue are the traditional emblem of Sussex. This flag is for public use by the entire shire county of Sussex and its people.
	15 August 2016	Flag of Warwickshire	The traditional bear and ragged staff badge, shown white on red; the badge is from that of the Earls of Warwick.
	30 September 2011	Flag of Westmorland	A golden heraldic apple tree on white and red bars. The two red bars on a white background are taken from the arms of the de Lancaster family who were Barons of Kendal. On this was placed a heraldically stylised gold apple tree from the thirteenth century seal of the borough of Appleby, the county town.
	5 June 2007	Flag of Wiltshire	Alternating stripes of green and white represent the grassy downs of the county and their chalk underlay. The colours can represent hope, joy and safety and peace. In the centre, the male great bustard is depicted in gold on a solid green circle to represent the open grassland. The circle is bordered in six sections alternating green and white, representing the stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury in the county.
	8 April 2013	Flag of Worcestershire	Black pears appear in the arms of the City of Worcester, and as such have long been considered a county badge, reportedly dating back to the Battle of Agincourt. The county flag was established by a competition in 2013.
	1965 or earlier	Flag of Yorkshire	The White Rose of York on a blue field.

Ceremonial counties

The counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England and informally known as ceremonial counties, are 48 areas of England to which lords-lieutenant are appointed. Legally, the areas in England, as well as in Wales and Scotland, are defined by the Lieutenancies Act 1997 as "counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies in Great Britain", in contrast to the areas used for local government. They are also informally known as "geographic counties", to distinguish them from other types of counties of England.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Traditional; 12 April 1951	Flag of Bedfordshire	The red and yellow colours come from the Beauchamps family coat of arms. The vertical black stripe with three shells, or escallops, comes from the arms of the Dukes of Bedford. The wavy lines represent the River Great Ouse. A slightly updated version was registered with the Flag Institute on 14 September 2014 after Bedfordshire County Council was disbanded and replaced by two unitary authorities.
	Traditional; 2 March 2017	Flag of Berkshire	Traditional badge: a stag beneath Herne the Hunter's oak.
	Date registered	Flag of Bristol	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	Traditional; 20 May 2011	Flag of Buckinghamshire	A field party per pale of black and red with a white swan.
	1 February 2015	Flag of Cambridgeshire	The three gold crowns represent East Anglia, with wavy light blue lines representing the river Cam in the colours of Cambridge University on a dark blue background.
	3 May 1938	Flag of Cheshire	Three golden sheaves of wheat and a golden blade on a blue background. The design has been associated with the Earldom of Chester since the 12th century, and has been used in the coat of arms of Chester since at least 1560.
	1381	Flag of the City of London	A red cross on a white field, with a red sword in the canton. The City of London is England's smallest ceremonial county and measures approximately 1 square mile. The City of London is officially not part of Greater London or its 32 boroughs.
	Traditional	Flag of Cornwall – St Pirran's Cross	A white cross on a black field.
	5 September 2025	Flag of Cumbria	Gold and Green zig-zags at the bottom representing the mountainous landscape with a dark blue background and a crown representing the ancient kingdom of Rheged and the highest peak in England.
	22 September 2006	Flag of Derbyshire	A green cross with a white border on a sky blue field, with a gold Tudor rose in the centre, 3:5.
	23 July 2006	Flag of Devon, alias St Petroc's Cross	A white cross with a black border on a green field, 3:5.
	16 September 2008	Flag of Dorset – The Dorset Cross, aka St Wite's Cross	A white cross with a red border on a gold field, 3:5.
	21 November 2013	Flag of Durham	A gold and blue horizontal bicolour with St Cuthbert's Cross countercharged upon it, 3:5.
	18 April 2013	Flag of East Riding of Yorkshire	A Yorkshire white rose, displayed in the East Riding style with one sepal at the top, set against a bi-colour of blue at the hoist, representing the sea and the historic maritime activities of the East Riding and green in the fly symbolising the locality's rich agricultural land. Additionally, the blue hoist colour signifies the East Riding's connection to the whole of Yorkshire whilst the green is placed towards the fly to represent its position in the east of the county.
	Date registered	Flag of East Sussex	No registered official ceremonial county flag, although it shares a historic county flag with West Sussex.
	Ancient	Flag of Essex	A red field with three white, gold hilted seax.
	March 2008	Flag of Gloucestershire – The Severn Cross	A mid-blue cross, outlined in cream, against an apple green background – the winning entry in a competition to commemorate the county's millennium.
	Date registered	Flag of Greater London	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	Date registered	Flag of Greater Manchester	Unnofficial ceremonial county flag.
	12 March 2019	Flag of Hampshire	A gold Saxon crown above a Tudor rose over a field of red and gold representing the former Saxon kingdom of Wessex.
	2 November 2019	Flag of Herefordshire	On a dark red background, a white bull's head above three wavy lines, ordered white-blue-white.
	19 November 2008	Flag of Hertfordshire	Against eight blue and white wavy lines, representing the county's rivers, a gold shield bearing a resting deer or hart.
	January 2009	Flag of the Isle of Wight	A white lozenge with an upper indent or "pile" on a light blue background, over six wavy stripes of blue and white. The Isle of Wight became administered by its own county council in 1890, but was formally part of Hampshire up until the local government reforms of 1974 when it became a full ceremonial county with its own Lord Lieutenant.
	1605	Flag of Kent	A red field with a white horse in the centre, 3:5.
	Modern form since 20 November 2008	Flag of Lancashire	The Red Rose of Lancashire on a yellow field.
	16 July 2021	Flag of Leicestershire	A red and white dancetté background, taken from the arms of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester; the Cinquefoil of the de Beaumont Earls of Leicester; and the running fox from the county's crest, used on many of the county organisations' emblems.
	24 October 2005	Flag of Lincolnshire	A red cross with yellow trimming on a blue and green field, and a yellow fleur de lys in the middle of the cross.
	Date registered	Flag of Merseyside	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Norfolk	Ermine bend from top left to bottom right on a gold and black field.
	Date registered	Flag of North Yorkshire	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Northamptonshire	A gold cross with a black border on a maroon field with a rose in the centre.
	7th century	Flag of Northumberland	Historical flag readopted in 1951 and used officially by the county council, and later released by the council and registered as the flag of the historic county. Eight yellow rectangles on a red field; note that the canton should be gold.
	20 May 2011	Flag of Nottinghamshire	The inescutcheon represents Robin Hood.
	2017 on	Flag of Oxfordshire	The arms of the pre-1974 County Council: blue with a red ox head on a double bend wavy, between a wheatsheaf and an oak.
	17 November 2015	Flag of Rutland	A green field semée of acorns with a golden horseshoe in the centre
	March 2012	Flag of Shropshire	The leopards' faces, fondly referred to as "loggerheads" locally, are a traditional emblem for Shropshire and have historically evolved from the loggerheads on the Shrewsbury town arms. The erminois aspect differentiates the county flag from that of its county town.
	4 July 2013	Flag of Somerset	A red dragon rampant on a gold field, from a longstanding local badge; the winning entry in a competition.
	Date registered	Flag of South Yorkshire	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	28 March 2016	Flag of Staffordshire	A red chevron on a gold field, with a gold Stafford knot, the county's longstanding symbol. All elements are taken from the de Stafford coat of arms. Designed by the Staffordshire Heritage Group and chosen by the Flag Institute over the county council's own flag after a public vote.
	9 October 2017	Flag of Suffolk	Derived from the arms attributed to Saint Edmund the Martyr.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Surrey	Chequey Or and azure; a traditional design derived from a personal coat of arms first recorded in the 11th century.
	Date registered	Flag of Tyne and Wear	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	15 August 2016	Flag of Warwickshire	The traditional bear and ragged staff badge, shown white on red; the badge is from that of the Earls of Warwick.
	Date registered	Flag of West Midlands	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	Date registered	Flag of West Sussex	No registered official ceremonial county flag, although it shares a historic county flag with East Sussex.
	Date registered	Flag of West Yorkshire	No registered official ceremonial county flag.
	5 June 2007	Flag of Wiltshire	Alternating stripes of green and white represent the grassy downs of the county and their chalk underlay. The colours can represent hope, joy and safety and peace. In the centre, the male great bustard is depicted in gold on a solid green circle to represent the open grassland. The circle is bordered in six sections alternating green and white, representing the stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury in the county. The six portions also represent the six surrounding counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset.
	8 April 2013	Flag of Worcestershire	Black pears appear in the arms of the City of Worcester, and as such have long been considered a county badge, reportedly dating back to the Battle of Agincourt. The county flag was established by a competition in 2013.

Local government areas

Heraldic bearings are granted to individuals and corporations by the Lord Lyon in Scotland or by the College of Arms in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on behalf of the sovereign as the fount of all honours. Local authority flags come within this category when based on the arms granted to that authority, and such a flag is the authority's personal property, representing that authority rather than its area.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Former Bedfordshire Council banner	Red and gold quarters split horizontally by blue and white waves and vertically with a black band containing three white shells. The red and gold quarters are from the arms of the Beauchamps, the leading family in the county after the Norman Conquest. The waves signify the River Great Ouse, and the shells are from the arms of the Russell Family, commemorating their services to the state and to the county.
		Berkshire's banner of arms	Two lions passant and a Saxon Crown on a white background.
		Flag of Cambridgeshire Council	Local authority flag. Gold with a red bordure based on the Scottish tressure. The blue wavy pallets represent the many rivers of the county, while the straight pallets are for the drains and dykes that run through the Fenlands.
		Flag of the former Cheshire Council	Local authority flag. A trio of golden wheatsheaves on blue which have been associated with the Earldom of Chester since the late 12th century.
		Flag of the former Cleveland County Council	Local authority flag.
		Flag of Cumbria Council	On the green border are Parnassus flowers interspersed with white roses superimposed with red roses. The centre of the shield is made up of segments of blue, white, yellow and green divided by wavy vertical lines and zig-zag horizontal lines. This depicts the new County and from left to right the vertical lines of segments show: blue and white for the sea, blue and yellow for the lakes and agriculture, green and white for mountains and lakes and green and yellow for mountains and agriculture.
		Flag of Dorset Council	Three red lions passant and a fleur-de-lys on a white background. Banner of the Dorset Council Arms.
		Flag of Durham County Council	Local authority flag. A yellow cross on a blue field with lions rampant in each quarter, the centre of the cross is broken with a white rose of York and black diamonds on each arm. Flag modified from the arms of the Bishopric of Durham
		Flag of East Riding of Yorkshire Council	Local authority flag based on the coat of arms.
	1975	Flag of East Sussex Council	The banner of arms was granted to East Sussex County Council by the College of Arms in 1975.
	1965-1986	Former Flag of Greater London Council	The former flag of the Greater London Council, a local government body which merged Middlesex with parts of Surrey, Kent, Essex and Hertfordshire to form Greater London. The GLC replaced the earlier London County Council.
	2025-present	Flag of Greater London Authority	Banner of the arms of the former Greater London Council, granted to the Greater London Authority in 2025.
		Former Greater Manchester Council flag	Local authority flag. "Gules, ten Towers three two three two, all within a Bordure embattled Or".
		Flag of Hampshire Council	Hampshire County Council local authority flag. This is a corporate flag, not the ceremonial county flag of Hampshire.
		Flag of Herefordshire Council	Local authority flag. The red field represents the county's red earth. Across this runs a white and blue wave for the River Wye. In chief is a gold lion from the arms of the City of Hereford, and in base is a Herefordshire Bull's head.
	November 2008	Flag of Hertfordshire	Against eight blue and white wavy lines, representing the county's rivers, a gold shield bearing a resting deer or hart.
	1938	Flag of Isle of Wight Council	County council flag. Features a representation of Carisbrooke Castle against a surrounding blue field and three gold anchors represent the island's status and maritime history.
		Flag of Lancashire County Council	A banner of the council's coat of arms.
		Flag of Leicestershire Council	The flag is divided into four quarters. The first quarter is a cinquefol, or five within a red circle, the second quarter is charged a white lion with two tails on a red ground, the third quarter shows an ermine plume on a red ground and the fourth shows a black maunch.
	1 April 1974 to 31 March 1986	Former Merseyside Council flag	The waves represent the River Mersey; the six golden mural crowns represent the six County Boroughs—Birkenhead, Bootle, Liverpool, Southport, St Helens, and Wallasey—that Merseyside was created from..
		Flag of Norfolk Council	The top part of the flag shows a lion from the Royal arms of England together with ostrich plumes and coronet referring to the Prince of Wales. This is a very special honour for the County Council, the King, in the Royal Licence, specifically instructs on the design of the arms to be granted "in commemoration of our long residence in Norfolk". This of course refers to Sandringham. The lower part of the flag comprises the arms attributed to Ralph de Gael or Guader, first Earl of Norfolk circa 1069. The ermine may well refer to Brittany as Ralph was Lord of Gael in that Duchy.
	7th century	Flag of Northumberland	Historical flag readopted in 1951 and used officially by the county council, and later released by the council and registered as the flag of the historic county. Eight yellow rectangles on a red field, note that the canton should be gold.
		Flag of Nottinghamshire Council	Local authority flag. The wave is for River Trent and the oak tree for Sherwood Forest.
		Flag of Rutland Council	Local authority flag. A green background strewn with golden acorns, surrounding a central golden horseshoe.
		Flag of Somerset Council	Local authority flag. A red dragon on a yellow field, bearing a blue mace – a banner of the county arms.
		Former South Yorkshire Council	Flag based on the council's arms.
		Flag of Staffordshire Council	Local authority flag. All the devices on the flag come from arms of various Earls of Stafford. The red chevron on gold was the arms of the de Staffords. It is charged with the family's famous Stafford knot badge. The lion represents the authority of the council.
		Flag of Suffolk Council	Local authority flag. Coat of arms of Suffolk on a gold background. The main charge in the arms is the sun rising over the sea. Suffolk is the most easterly county in England and thus the first to see the sun rise. The open crowns and crossed arrows refer to Bury St Edmunds and have been widely used in the arms of Suffolk towns and districts.
		Flag of Surrey Council	Local authority flag. Divided into halves, blue and black, with two gold keys representing the Chertsey Abbey, a woolpack on blue and a sprig of oak on black..
		Former West Midlands Council flag	Local authority flag. The flag has two dancetty barrulets interlaced to form a W and M representing the initials of "West Midlands".
	1889-1974	Former West Sussex Council flag	Blue and gold flag with six golden martlets. Old 1889-1974 West Sussex County Council flag.
	2008–Present	West Sussex Council flag	A blue banner with 7 light blue wavy lines with the crowned coat of arms in the centre in white.
		Flag of Wiltshire Council	A banner of the council's coat of arms.

Cities

This is a list of officially recognised flags for various cities in England. Where listed as 'official', they have been registered by the Flag Institute charity or another official source. This list may be incomplete, please add official flags with sources showing the official flag design.