![[Huntingdonshire County Flag]](flag3.gif)
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Does Huntingdonshire have a county flag? Thanks to the College of Arms, it does, for when they granted arms to the former County Council they included a flag. The flag appears in the crest; a red lion holds aloft a flag-staff and that flag is a banner representing Huntingdonshire. The flag is heraldically described as "Vert charged with a hunting horn stringed or", or in plain English green with a gold, ribboned hunting horn.
The Huntingdonshire Flag is not just for Huntingdonshire Day; our county flag is a fine way to celebrate our love for our great little county throughout the year.
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![[Hunts CC arms]](h-arms.jpg) |
The full achievement of arms consists of the Shield, the Helm and the Crest above that, together with a motto, and mantling. The shield has a lozenge for the shape of the county, and representations of agriculture. The crest has a lion bearing a flagstaff. The Huntingdonshire flag is taken from that flag. |
![[Crest from Hunts CC arms]](crest.jpg) |
| Sheild: Barry wavy Argent and Azure on a Lozenge throughout Vert between in chief three Garbs one and two and in base a Cornucopia a Fess embattled all Or. | Crest: On a Wreath of Argent and Azure a Lion rampant Gules gorged with a Collar flory counter-flory Or and supporting a Staff proper flying therefrom a Banner Vert charged with a Hunting Horn stringed Or. |
The red lion of the crest is intended to represent the Scottish Kings who held the earldom of Huntingdon. We may never know if they used a special flag for their southerly earldom, but the heralds' imagination has supplied one.
The arms are now owned by Huntingdonshire District Council. They are the Council's private property (as all heraldic arms are privatedly owned; there has never been a concept of the arms of a county as such.) The flag is unofficial, as all county flags are, but as it appears on an official grant of arms, the Huntingdonshire county flag comes as close to "official" status as any can do, we believe.
The Hunts Post has taken our suggestion up and proposed a competition in case someone can produce a better design. If you would like to propose a design for the Huntingdonshire Flag, do e-mail us (mail@huntingdonshire.org.uk) and the Hunts Post on editor@huntspost.co.uk
Other counties have looked to adopt flags too. The oldest perhaps, and the most widely recognised, is the Cornish "St Piran Flag". No county flag is strictly speaking official, but through widespread acceptance they can become recognised flags. Below are some links to web pages about other British counties' flags or aspirant flags.
Cornwall: Wikipedia article
Derbyshire - BBC site
Lancashire (Friends of Real Lancashire)
Lincolnshire Flag site and the BBC Article.
Shetland (Wikipedia)
Yorkshire (Yorkshire Ridings Society: Flying the Flag)
Back to main Huntingdonshire Page
Huntingdonshire Day: 25 April
