JERSEY, FLAG OF

flag of a British crown possession, flown subordinate to the Union Jack, that has a white field (background) bearing a red saltire (diagonal cross) and, at top centre, a coat of arms and crown. The coat of arms is that of England, with the type of crown attributed to the house of Plantagenet, an indication of island loyalty to that dynasty. The red saltire on a field of white is the Cross of St. Patrick, which became an unofficial Irish flag by the late 15th or 16th century. A late 17th-century Dutch book labeled the design Ierse Vlag (Irish flag), but many mistook the Dutch Ierse for Jersey, and the use of that design by Jersey ships began in 1840 if not earlier. It is known that the flag of England, the red Cross of St. George on a white background, was displayed on the island of Jersey as early as 1406. The shield of England, also frequently used in Jersey, was believed by many local inhabitants to represent the islandhence it was added to the flag in 1980 along with a distinctive crown. The current flag design was established by royal warrant on December 10, 1980, and it was proclaimed in the States of Jersey (the local parliament) on April 7, 1981. Whitney Smith