Berkshire (United Kingdom)

Last modified: 2009-05-24 by rob raeside
Keywords: berkshire | windsor and maidenhead |
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• County flag proposal
• Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

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• England
• United Kingdom

County flag proposal

image located by Jason Saber, 8 April 2009

A web page at http://www.berkshirehistory.com/odds/arms.html displays the county arms and comments on a flag proposal.
Valentin Poposki, 26 December 2006

From the website:

Berkshire has never had a flag, although the county council occasionally used a stylised monochrome version of the two lions under a crown. Organisations in the county, on the other hand, have always used the white hart beneath its oak, as supposedly used at Agincourt, and this may be seen in logos and flags of various designs and colours, such as those of:

• The Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Football Association
• The Berkshire Cricket Board
• The Berkshire Federation of Women's Institutes
• The Berkshire Lawn Tennis Association
• The Reading Rugby Football Club
• The Royal Berkshire Regiment
• The Royal County of Berkshire Bowling Association

Having been approached by a number of organisations concerning this matter, RBH offers the design [on the website] which may be freely used by interested parties. The overall design is loosely based on the Welsh National flag and the Buckinghamshire arms, which both have animals before two coloured bands (although Buckinghamshire's are vertical). The colours of blue and white are taken from the old county arms, but are also used by Reading Football Club and may be seen as representing the River Thames. The circular form of the golden deer and oak is similar to that used by both the Royal Berkshire Regiment and the Berkshire Federation of Women's Institutes. The colour of gold on blue (and white) is again mirrored from the old arms and may be seen to represent Royalty as well as the Autumn colours of the oak illuminated by a lightning strike.

The designer of the flag on the web page mentioned above appears to have taken the device from the helmet plate of the Royal Berkshire Regiment as seen here: http://www.arbeia.demon.co.uk/srs/collect/badges/hpcs/hpcs.htm and put it on a blue and white background. This explains the circular shape of the emblem.
Laurence Jones, 30 December 2006

A web site now exists to promote this flag: http://www.berkshire-flag.org.uk/comment.htm
Jason Saber, 8 April 2009

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, formed in 1974, has been since 1998 a unitary authority in the county of Berkshire. It includes towns such as Windsor, Maidenhead and Eton and is the site of the royal residence Windsor Castle. On 23 August, I observed a very dark blue flag with the coat of arms flying from the Guildhall in Windsor.

The arms are depicted and described at the International Civic Heraldry site ( http://www.ngw.nl/int/gbr/w/windsorm.htm ). The circular shield contains the arms of the former Royal Borough of New Windsor and Borough of Maidenhead impaled and dovetailed together. The Windsor arms (dexter) are white over green (the Tudor dynasty livery colours) charged with a stag's head (for the Windsor Great Forest) and an inescutcheon with the 1405-1603 royal arms (quarterly England and France) between the antlers. The Maidenhead arms (sinister) are blue with white wavy pallets charged with a bridge (the town's bridge over the Thames).

The crest features a castle (representing Windsor Castle) under the royal lion's head, between oak branches (the Windsor parks and forests). The wreath and mantling are red and gold. The supporters are a horse (dexter, suggesting the Ascot horse races and the Berkshire arms) and a swan (sinister, representing the river Thames and Buckinghamshire, parts of which were brought into the borough at its formation). Both supporters are charged with an acorn and have an ancient crown around their neck.

Jonathan Dixon, 31 August 2006