Editing East India Company (section)

== Symbols ==
=== Flags ===
{{main|Flag of the East India Company}}
<div style="float:right;"><gallery mode="packed" heights="75px" class="center" caption="Historical depictions">
File:British East India Company Flag from Downman.jpg|Downman (1685)
File:British East India Company Flag from Lens.jpg|Lens (1700)
File:NatGeog1917EastIndiaCompanyFlag.jpg|''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' (1917)
File:British East India Company Flag from Rees.jpg|Rees (1820)
File:British East India Company Flag from Laurie.jpg|Laurie (1842)
</gallery>
<gallery mode="nolines" heights="70px" class="center" caption="Modern depictions">
File:British East India Company flag.svg| 1600–1707
File:Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg| 1707–1801
File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg| 1801–1874
</gallery></div>
The English East India Company flag changed over time, with a [[canton (flag)|canton]] based on the flag of the contemporary Kingdom, and a field of 9-to-13&nbsp;alternating red and white stripes.

From 1600, the canton consisted of a [[St George's Cross]] representing the [[Kingdom of England]]. With the [[Acts of Union 1707]], the canton was changed to the new [[Evolution of UK Flag|Union Flag]]—consisting of an English St George's Cross combined with a Scottish [[Flag of Scotland|St Andrew's cross]]—representing the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]. After the [[Acts of Union 1800]] that joined Ireland with Great Britain to form the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]], the canton of the East India Company flag was altered accordingly to include a [[Saint Patrick's Saltire]].

There has been much debate about the number and order of stripes in the field of the flag. Historical documents and paintings show variations from 9-to-13&nbsp;stripes, with some images showing the top stripe red and others showing it white.

At the time of the American Revolution the East India Company flag was nearly identical to the [[Continental Union Flag]]. Historian [[Charles Fawcett (historian)|Charles Fawcett]] argued that the East India Company Flag inspired the [[Flag of the United States|Stars and Stripes of America]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-eic2.html |title=The Striped Flag of the East India Company, and its Connexion with the American "Stars and Stripes" |first=Charles |last=Fawcett |author-link=Charles Fawcett (historian) |editor=Rob Raeside |date=30 July 2013 |access-date=26 September 2003 |archive-date=18 June 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030618121222/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-eic2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Coat of arms ===
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 | caption1 = The original coat of arms of the East India Company (1600)
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 | caption2 = The later coat of arms of the East India Company (1698)
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The East India Company's original [[coat of arms]] was granted in 1600. The blazon of the arms is as follows: "Azure, three ships with three masts, rigged and under full sail, the sails, pennants and ensigns Argent, each charged with a cross Gules; on a chief of the second a pale quarterly Azure and Gules, on the 1st and 4th a fleur-de-lis or, on the 2nd and 3rd a leopard or, between two roses Gules seeded Or barbed Vert." The shield had as a [[Crest (heraldry)|crest]]: "A sphere without a frame, bounded with the Zodiac in bend Or, between two pennants flottant Argent, each charged with a cross Gules, over the sphere the words "{{lang|la|Deus indicat}}" ([[Latin]]: God Indicates). The [[Supporter (heraldry)|supporters]] were two sea lions (lions with fishes' tails) and the motto was {{lang|la|Deo ducente nil nocet}} (Latin: Where God Leads, Nothing Harms).<ref name="heraldry">{{cite web |title=East India Company |url=http://www.hubert-herald.nl/BhaHEIC.htm |website=Hubert Herald |access-date=10 February 2014 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031727/http://www.hubert-herald.nl/BhaHEIC.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The East India Company's later arms, granted in 1698, were: "Argent a cross Gules; in the dexter chief quarter an escutcheon of the [[Coat of arms of France|arms of France]] and [[Coat of arms of England|England]] quarterly, the shield ornamentally and regally crowned Or." The crest was: "A lion rampant guardant Or holding between the forepaws a regal crown proper." The supporters were: "Two lions rampant guardant Or, each supporting a banner erect Argent, charged with a cross Gules." The motto was {{lang|la|Auspicio regis et senatus angliæ}} (Latin: Under the auspices of the King and the Parliament of England).<ref name="heraldry" />

=== Merchant mark ===
<div style="float:right;"><gallery>
File:Symbols on a Blue Scinde Dawk.jpg|HEIC [[Merchant's mark]] on a Blue [[Scinde Dawk]] postage stamp (1852)
File:1 Pice copper coin of the Bombay Presidency.jpg|1 Pice ({{frac|1|64}} Rupee) copper coin of the [[Bombay Presidency]] with bale mark (1821)
</gallery></div>
When the East India Company was chartered in 1600, it was still customary for individual merchants or members of companies such as the [[Company of Merchant Adventurers of London|Company of Merchant Adventurers]] to have a distinguishing [[merchant's mark]] which often included the mystical [[Merchant's mark#The East India Company's Merchant's Mark|"Sign of Four"]] and served as a trademark. The East India Company's merchant mark consisted of a "Sign of Four" atop a heart within which was a [[saltire]] between the lower arms of which were the initials "EIC". This mark was a central motif of the East India Company's coinage<ref>East India Company coin 1791, half pice, as illustrated.</ref> and forms the central emblem displayed on the [[Scinde Dawk]] postage stamps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/mjshah.geo/scinde/scinde.html|title=Scinde District Dawks|date=27 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027143019/http://www.geocities.com/mjshah.geo/scinde/scinde.html|archive-date=27 October 2009}}</ref>