County flags – Lincolnshire

 

County flags – Lincolnshire

                                         Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The county flag of Lincolnshire was adopted on 24^th October, 2005. It was selected from a shortlist of six designs in a competition organised by Lincolnshire Life magazine in conjunction with BBC Radio Lincolnshire. It took place as the result of a campaign to raise the profile of the county. It was supported by local businesses, who thought it would be an effective way to encourage tourism and trade in the county of Lincolnshire. Thousands of local people took part in the vote.

The red cross on the flag is Saint George’s cross, for England. The fleur de lys at its centre is a recognised emblem of the City of Lincoln. The arable nature of Lincolnshire is represented by the yellow edging to the cross and also gives a nod to the nickname of people born and brought up in the county – Yellowbellies. The green on the flag signifies the lush abundance of the Fens, while the blue denotes the wide open skies and coastal waters of the county.

Lincolnshire is a rural county, on the eastern coast. It is known for the wetlands of the Fens, and the Lincolnshire Wolds, which are designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

I enjoyed living in Lincolnshire, though I didn’t enjoy college. I had far more freedom to come and go at home in Kent and was confirmed in my suspicion that communal living was not for me.

County flags – Kent

 

County flags – Kent

Invicta flag

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The first county flag I became aware of was the Kent flag. I was born and brought up in Kent, known as the Garden of England, with its fruit orchards and hop fields. I lived there until I left home for college in Lincolnshire and didn’t live there full-time after that.

The flag depicts the rearing, (rampant in heraldic language) White Horse of Kent on a red background. It is seen everywhere in the county, though not always in colour. It is also known as the Invicta flag. Invicta means ‘unconquered’ and is the motto of Kent.

The White Horse of Kent dates from the Jutish Kingdom of Kent in the 6^th to 8^th centuries. The legend holds that the horse was the symbol of Horsa, the brother of Hengest/Hengist. The Old English name Horsa means ‘horse.’ Hengest means ‘stallion.’

It is believed that Hengist and Horsa were Germanic warrior brothers, who led the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes to invade Britain in the 5^th century. At first, they supported Vortigern, King of the Britons, but turned against him. Horsa was killed in the fighting, but Hengist conquered Kent in 449 and is regarded as the first Jutish king of Kent. He is said to have been buried at Hengistbury Head, in Dorset.

However, the assertions made by the Venerable Bede in his 8^th century ‘Ecclesiastical History,’ could not be proved. The general consensus is that Hengist and Horsa were creatures of legend, probably based on real people, but we shall never know for certain.