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Staffordshire (United Kingdom)

Adrian Thomas, 16 March 2003

Description of the County Flag
Biddulph
Kidsgrove
Sedgley
Stoke-on-Trent

See also:

Description of the County Flag

On a green field, the coat of arms of the county (an enlarged version can be seen below): on the chevron gules a Staffordshire Knot of the first on a chief azure a lion passant guardant of the field and for the crest issuant out of a mural crown proper a Stafford knot or as same are in the margin hereof more plainly depicted. And by the authority afore said I the said garter do these presents grant and assign the supporters following that is to say on the dexter side a lion reguardant gules crowned with a ducal coronet or and on the sinister side a Gryphon reguardant or as the same are also in the margin hereof more plainly depicted the whole to be borne and used for hereafter by the Stafford county.

Adrian Thomas, 16 March 2003

located by Adrian Thomas

Biddulph

image by Adrian Thomas, flag designer

The flag is green with two horizontal black stripes, the upper one containing a Stafford knot. The shield of the town bears a round seal, divided per fess, above a colliery scene, below divided per pale on the left a sheaf and sickle on blue, on the right a brown shuttle on green. Behind the seal is a grey pentagon, and over all is a ribbon stating BIDDULPH. Above the shield is a St. George's cross flag.

A flag for the town of Biddulph, Staffordshire, can be seen on the webpage at http://www.nigelmachin.co.uk/biddulph/ten.htm. I designed it for the town council. The black stripes represent the coal mining industry, and the green field the green of Biddulph Moor. The St. George's cross flag on the Biddulph flag is because the town is in England.
Adrian Thomas, 24 December 2005

One line (and only one line) in a report of a Town Council meeting on the web site of the Biddulph Chronicle states as follows: "The design for the Biddulph flag was chosen from the examples submitted." This report is dated 18th February, but no year is provided.
Colin Dobson, 26 December 2005

Note: no official or independent confirmation from the local authority which the flag represents has been realised.
Colin Dobson, 17 April 2006

Kidsgrove

image by Adrian Thomas, flag designer, 9 January 2003

The flag was adopted in October 2002 by the Kidsgrove Council after many designs were considered. The flag consists of two horizontal bands. The top band is blue which represents the Trent and Mersey canal that runs through the town bringing business and commerce. Blue is also representative of the sky. The green represents the GROVE as on the name of part the town. The crest has the Staffordshire knot for the county of Staffordshire. It also has the Second World War spitfire fighter plane which was designed by Reginald Mitchell, a Kidsgrove Native and legend. The lower part of the crest has goats (kids) in a grove hence the name Kidsgrove. The year of 1895 was the year numerous small villages became unified into one town. Located in the top left canton is the Union Flag because we are a town in Britain. The dimensions of the official flag is 6' x 3'6" but can also be 5' x 3'. The flag will be flown at the Town Hall on special events. The flag will also be flown at local business', football club, scout facilities and town residence. I brought the idea to the Kidsgrove Council after noticing that many European towns and cities have flags of their own. The council agreed to the idea and asked that I summit some designs. After some deliberation, they chose the enclosed design. Kidsgrove is situated on the border of Cheshire and the most northern part of Staffordshire. Because of this, I felt a flag of our own would provide us with our own identity. We are now twinned with a French town, St. Paul du Bois. Delegates from that town will be coming to Kidsgrove at the end of February and will be presented with an official flag at the welcoming reception.

Adrian Thomas, 9 January 2003

Sedgley

image by Philip 'Doc' Tibbetts, 7 January 2009

Based on: http://www.sedgleymanor.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=2
For more details: http://www.sedgleylocalhistory.org.uk/na/dec2005a.html

Sedgley is located at 52'-32" North, 02'-07" West, on the western edge of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, in the geographical area known as the Black Country, which stretches over a number of local government areas.

In pre-Norman times, the manor of Sedgley formed part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia in the Hundred of Seisdon. It later became part of the County of Staffordshire. In 1844, the Sedgley manor consisted of nine hamlets: Sedgley, Coseley, Upper & Lower Gornal, Gospel End, Woodsetton, Cotwall End, Ettingshall and Brierley (now called Bradley). Today, it is a semi-urban sprawl, with a number of large housing estates and shopping centred on the old village centres.

Sedgley Business & Community Association organised the production of a flag for Sedgley, which was raised on the morning of Saturday 10th December 2005 by the 1st Sedgley Scout group, outside a supermarket in Dudley Street, the centre of the local shopping area.

The flag is made from forty square feet of material and is white. On the centre of the flag is a logo identical to that of the former Sedgley Urban District Council, save that it now says "SEDGLEY" in block capitals at the top of the badge. The badge is circular and contains as its central element a local landmark, rebuilt for astronomical purposes in 1846, The Beacon Tower. (This device also appears on the crest of the arms of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, of which Sedgley is a part.) This is surrounded by a blue annulus edged with rope and a lock barrel, as used in safe making. At the base are two pen nibs and the Stafford Knot, more commonly known as the Staffordshire Knot. The pen nibs represent the village's claim to the invention of steel nib, a prominent local industry around 1800. The flag is double-sided, that is the badge appears the correct way around on both the reverse and the obverse of the flag. It is to be flown every day, except on "special occasions", when the Union Flag will be raised instead.

Sources:
(1) Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council web site, http://www.dudley.gov.uk, consulted 20 August 2006
(2) Ordnance Survey web site, http://www.ordnancesurvey.gov.uk, consulted 20 August 2006
(3) The Ancient Manor of Sedgley web site, http://www.sedgleymanor.com, consulted 20 August 2006
(4) Oxford English Dictionary
(5) Sedgley Local History Society, web site, http://www.sedgleylocalhistory.org.uk/, consulted 21 August 2006
(6) British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Black country web site, http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/articles/2005/06/13/sedgley_beacon_tower_feature.shtml, dated 17 August 2006, consulted 20 August 2006
(7) Personal observations, 1995 to date

Colin Dobson, 20 August 2006

Stoke-on-Trent

"A flag featuring the coat of arms of the City of Stoke-on-Trent will fly for the first time over the Civic Centre on Monday 26 March 2007. Lord Mayor Councillor Jean Edwards will officially inaugurate the new flag which will then fly every day. The Lord Mayor said: "I'm proud to fly the flag for the City. Many people have suggested that we should have a flag on the Civic Centre and now we have made it happen."
Deputy Elected Mayor Councillor Paul Shotton said: "I have wanted the council to fly a civic flag for some time and I'm delighted that it has happened."

The flag has a white background and features the coat-of-arms of the City and the words "City of Stoke-on-Trent". It measures 10 foot by 5 foot."

From the city's website: http://www.stoke.gov.uk

Valentin Poposki, 25 May 2008

Stoke-on-Trent is in the county of Staffordshire in the English Midlands, about equidistant between Birmingham and Manchester. It has a population of around 250,000 (greater urban area 450,000). It is noted for its ceramics, and was a major centre during the industrial revolution of the early 19th century. Pottery is still a major industry in the area.
James Dignan, 25 May 2008