Last modified: 2009-05-24 by rob raeside
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![[Flag of Birmingham]](../images/g/gb-e-birm.gif)
image by Chris Hancox
The city flag of Birmingham (England) as flown from the council buildings
which I observed on a recent shopping excursion.
Chris Hancox, 24 December 2006
Birmingham City Council flies daily from the main flagpole at Council House,
Victoria Square in the centre of Birmingham, a flag representing its arms, known
as a banner of arms. There is a secondary
flagpole, lower down the main frontage, on which it tends to fly the Union Flag.
The banner of arms is blazoned by the city council as follows:
"Quarterly first and fourth Azure a Bend of five Lozenges conjoined Or second
and third per pale indented Or and Gules over all a Cross Ermine thereon a Mitre
Proper."
It is a flag divided into quarters. In the top left (first) and bottom right
(fourth) quarters is a diagonal line of five yellow diamonds on a blue
background. These symbolise the arms of the de Bermingham family, former Lords
of the Manor and are probably taken from the effigy of Sir William de Bermingham
dated 1325 and extant in the Victorian church of St Martins in the Bullring, in
Birmingham city centre. The top right (second) and bottom left (third) quarters
are divided vertically with a zig-zag (indented in the blazon) line, yellow on
the left and red on the right. These originate from the arms of another branch
of the same Bermingham family, but have been coloured differently by the city
council.
Over all is a cross of ermine. Ermine was first included in a previous
version of the city's arms, to mark the incorporation of Edgbaston into the city
and is taken from the arms of the Calthorpe family, lords of the manor of
Edgbaston. Following local government reorganisation in 1974, the Borough of
Sutton Coldfield was incorporated into Birmingham and the arms were subsequently
amended. A cross, representing Sutton Coldfield and taken from its arms, was
added to the arms, but it was depicted in ermine. Thus, the ermine cross
represents Edgbaston and Sutton Coldfield, two very well-off areas of the city.
Superimposed in the centre of the ermine cross is a mitre, the traditional head
wear of a bishop and represents John Harmanor Vesey, Bishop of Exeter in the
sixteenth century, who was born in Sutton Coldfield and is said to have procured
Sutton Coldfield's charter from Henry VIII, as well as other advantages for the
town.
The council's web site contains a depiction of the full achievement of its arms
and separate badge, together with a helpful description of heraldic terms used
here:
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/arms. For further information, including
original sources, please see the links below.
Sources:
(1) Personal observations, 1994 to date
(2) Birmingham City Council, web site,
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/arms,
stated to be last updated Friday, 9 June 2006 and consulted 27 December 2006
(3) National Library of Ireland, Office of the Chief Herald, web site,
http://www.nli.ie, consulted 29 December 2006
(4) Catalogue of Metallic Lapel Ringing Badges, St Martin's Guild for the
Diocesan [sic] of Birmingham, consulted 27 December 2006
(5) Birmingham City Council, Photo Gallery: Images of Birmingham, web site,
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk, stated
to be last updated Tuesday, 28 March 2006 and consulted 27 December 2006
(6) Birmingham City Council, The Armorial Bearings of the City of Birmingham
1889-1977 as depicted on Spring Hill Branch Library" (abridged and amended), A.
P. S. de Redman, Honorary City Armorist, as consulted web site,
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk, stated
to be last updated Wednesday, 15 November 2006 and consulted 27 December 2006
(7) Birmingham City Council, City Council - Coat of Arms Heraldry, A. P. S. de
Redman, Honorary City Armorist, as consulted web site,
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk, stated
to be last updated Monday, 15 July 2002 and consulted 27 December 2006
Colin Dobson, 31 December 2006
![[Flag of Dudley]](../images/g/gb-e-dudley.jpg)
image located by Valentin Poposki, 26 February 2009
Source: http://www.upthepole.co.uk/Services.aspx
A blue fringed flag, with the arms on a square centred white panel, and the
name DUDLEY above, and METROPOLITAN BOROUGH below.
Valentin Poposki,
26 February 2009
The town of Dudley had a different coat of arms.
Philip 'Doc' Tibbetts,
7 April 2009
![[Flag of Halesowen]](../images/g/gb-e-hlsown.gif)
image by Philip Tibbetts, 26 September 2008
The town of Halesowen (57,918 inhabitants in 2001), part of the Metropolitan
Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England, is located c. 15 km south-west of
Birmingham. Like most places in the Black Country,
Halesowen had several coal mines, but the town was mostly known for its nail
makers. The Black Country, whose exact limits are controversial, is often
considered as made of the three Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and
Walsall and of the City of Wolverhampton. It was one of the hearts of the
Industrial Revolution in the XIXth century. Halesowen Town Football Club,
founded in 1873 and aka "The Yeltz", is one of the oldest English football
clubs.
On 25 July 2008, the "Halesowen News" presented two new English
local flags, as follows:
"A former Halesowen man who has designed a unique
flag for the town has got his design in print. Engineer Philip Tibbetts has
designed a flag for Halesowen which he hopes will eventually be seen flying
proudly in his home town. The 23-year-old former Earls High pupil, who now works
in Preston, has printed a copy of the standard which combines elements of
Halesowen's two coats of arms and hopes to speak to Dudley mayor Ray Burston
about the idea of flying it on the old council house or St John's Church. Philip
has also designed a Black Country flag featuring a chain to represent heavy
industry and has spoken to the heads of Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton
Councils who have agreed to raise the idea of having a regional standard at the
Black Country Consortium - an organisation that works to spearhead regeneration
in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. [...]"
http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/3547483.Proud_flag_for_Halesowen/
A colour photograph shows the flags of Halesowen and of the
Black Country, presented by Philip Tibbetts and
Leigh Cotterill, respectively. The flag of Halesowen is blue with a white
chevron outlined in blue and yellow. There is a big yellow lion covering the top
of the chevron and three smaller, yellow fleurs-de-lis in the upper left and
right corners and vertically centered, in the bottom of the flag, respectively.
The Halesowen Borough coat of arms is shown on the "Civic Heraldry of England
and Wales" website as follows:
The village of Pelsall is located 12 miles north of Birmingham, West
Midlands, in the area traditionally known as the Black Country. The village was
founded in 994, as recalled by the Millennium Stone erected in 1994. Pictures of
the village can be seen on the "Pelsall Online" website:
http://www.crutchleyhistory.co.uk/pelsall/. The village has remained famous
for the Pelsall Hall colliery disaster of 1872, in which 22 men and boys lost
their lives. The mine was flooded on 14 November, probably after a miner
inadvertently pierced an old, forgotten gallery. It took six days to pump the
water and recover the bodies of the dead miners. The funerals took place on 25
November and attracted several sightseers to Pelsall, described as " a dull
dreary and desolate village with its bare bleak common of swags and pitfalls”.
Fifteen widows and forty-five orphans were helped by a fund set up in the
village. The record of the disaster was published by A. Thomkinson and was put
in electronic format by Alan Dean for the Cannock Chase Mining Historical
Society:
http://www.ccmhs.co.uk/pelsall_hall_1872.htm.
According to "Express and Star", 9 October 2006, a unique flag made especially
for the village of Pelsall has been torn down from its pole and stolen by
thieves. The flag was snatched from its position in High Street between 6.30
last night and 10am today. The pole itself has been damaged by fire and the
manual pulley destroyed beyond repair. The black and white flag cost £100 and
was designed by former villager David Pugh. It celebrates the surroundings of
the area and features a bridge with a canal passing beneath and greenery. The
flag was officially unveiled at Pelsall Carnival in July and has since been
flown at full mast on a permanent basis.
http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2006/10/09/yobs-snatch-soldier-tribute-flag/
So, thanks to whoever stole the flag, we know that Pelsall has a flag, or had a
flag.
Ivan Sache, 16 October 2006