Editing Union Jack (section)

===1606–1801===
{{main|Flag of Great Britain}}
[[File:Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg|thumb|right|The first Union Flag from 1606|alt=Red cross with white border over a white saltire and dark blue background.]]
On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent the regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England (a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross), and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background, known as the saltire or St Andrew's Cross), would be joined together,<ref name="flaginst"/> forming the flag of Great Britain and first union flag:
{{blockquote|text=By the King: Whereas, some differences hath arisen between Our subjects of South and North Britaine travelling by Seas, about the bearing of their Flagges: For the avoiding of all contentions hereafter. We have, with the advice of our Council, ordered: That from henceforth all our Subjects of this Isle and Kingdome of Great Britaine, and all our members thereof, shall beare in their main-toppe the Red Crosse, commonly called St George's Crosse, and the White Crosse, commonly called St Andrew's Crosse, joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds, and sent by Us to our Admerall to be published to our Subjects: and in their fore-toppe our Subjects of South Britaine shall weare the Red Crosse onely as they were wont, and our Subjects of North Britaine in their fore-toppe the White Crosse onely as they were accustomed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fox-Davies |first=Arthur Charles |author-link=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies |title=The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopædia of Armory |title-link=The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopædia of Armory|publisher=Bloomsbury Books |location=London |orig-date=1904 |year=1986 |page=399 |isbn=978-0-906223-34-5}}</ref>}}
This royal flag was, at first, to be used only at sea on civil and military ships of both England and Scotland, whereas land forces continued to use their respective national banners.<ref name=KnowBritain>{{cite web |url=http://www.know-britain.com/general/union_jack.html |title=The History and Meaning of the Union Jack or Union Flag |website=Know Britain |access-date=10 June 2008 |archive-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122093009/http://www.know-britain.com/general/union_jack.html }}</ref> Flying the national flag at the mainmast had signified the [[Admiral of the Narrow Seas]] (the [[English Channel]]) and confusion arose. In 1634, [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] restricted its use to [[Royal Navy]] ships.<ref name="Blomfield 1895" /><ref name="Perrin 59" /> After the [[Acts of Union 1707]], the flag gained a regularised status as "the ensign armorial of the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]", the newly created state. It was then adopted by land forces as well, although the blue field used on land-based versions more closely resembled that of the blue of the flag of Scotland.

Various shades of blue have been used in the saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep "[[navy blue|navy]]" blue ([[Pantone]] 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the [[Blue Ensign]] of the [[Royal Navy]]'s historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on [[maritime flags]] on the basis of durability.) In 2003 a committee of the [[Scottish Parliament]] recommended that the flag of Scotland use a lighter "[[royal blue|royal]]" blue (Pantone 300) (the Office of the [[Lord Lyon]] does not detail specific shades of colour for use in heraldry).

A thin white stripe, or [[fimbriation]], separates the red cross from the blue field, in accordance with heraldry's [[rule of tincture]] where colours (such as red and blue) must be separated from each other by metals (such as white, i.e. ''[[argent]]'' or silver). The [[blazon]] for the old union flag, to be compared with the current flag, is ''azure, the cross saltire of St Andrew argent surmounted by the Cross of St George gules, fimbriated of the second.''

[[File:Flag of the Commonwealth (1658-1660).svg|thumb|alt=Red cross with a white border over a white saltire and dark blue background. At the centre is a gold harp in dark blue shield, which is the same size as the intersection of vertical and horizontal white bars.|The [[Protectorate Jack]], flag used by [[The Protectorate]] from 1658 to 1660]]
The [[Kingdom of Ireland]], which had existed as a personal union with England since 1541, was unrepresented in the original versions of the Union Jack.<ref name=KnowBritain/> However, the flag of [[the Protectorate]] from 1658 to 1660 was [[escutcheon (heraldry)|inescutcheoned]] with the [[arms of Ireland]]. These were removed at [[English Restoration|the Restoration]], because [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] found them offensive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1660/05/13/ |title=Sunday 13 May 1660 |work=The Diary of Samuel Pepys |date=13 May 1660 |publisher=Phil Gyford |access-date=12 January 2017}}</ref>

The original flag appears in the canton of the Commissioners' Ensign of the [[Northern Lighthouse Board]]. This is the only contemporary official representation of the pre-1801 Union Jack in the United Kingdom<ref>{{FOTW|id=gb-lthse|anchor=cnlc|title=Northern Lighthouse Commissioner's Flag}}</ref> and can be seen flying from their [[George Street, Edinburgh|George Street]] headquarters in [[Edinburgh]].

It is this version of the Union Jack that formed the [[canton (flag)|canton]] of the [[Continental Union Flag]], the "[[de facto]]" first [[Flag of the United States|national flag of the United States]] from July 1776 to June 1777.
[[File:Command flag, Admiral of the Fleet, RN (before 1801) RMG L4480.tiff|thumb|The Union Jack flown on {{HMS|Queen Charlotte|1790|6}}, the Royal Navy flagship during the [[Glorious First of June]] in 1794. As is common for the period, the flag is an approximation of the Union Jack's proper specification.]]
''[[Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June]]'', painted in 1795, shows a Union flying from {{HMS|Queen Charlotte|1790|6}} on the "[[Glorious First of June]]" 1794. The actual flag, preserved in the [[National Maritime Museum]], is a cruder approximation of the proper specifications; this was common in 18th and early 19th century flags.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/730.html |title=Command flag, Admiral of the Fleet, RN (before 1801) |id=AAA0730 |department=The Collection |website=[[National Maritime Museum]] |access-date=12 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/206394.html |id=AAA3687 |title=Post Office Blue Ensign (before 1864)|department=The Collection |website=[[National Maritime Museum]] |access-date=12 August 2013}}</ref>

The flag is also flown beside [[Customs House, Sydney|Customs House]] in Loftus Street, [[Sydney]], to mark the raising of the Union Jack by [[Arthur Phillip|Captain Phillip]] at [[Sydney Cove]], the site of the first British settlement in [[New South Wales]] and [[Australia]] in 1788. On the plaque it is referred to as the "Jack of Queen Anne".

The [[British Army]]'s flag is the Union Jack, but in 1938, a "British Army Non-Ceremonial Flag" was devised, featuring a lion on crossed blades with the [[St Edward's Crown]] on a red background. This is not the equivalent of the ensigns of the other armed services but is used at recruiting and military or sporting events, when the army needs to be identified but the reverence and ceremony due to the [[regiment]]al flags and the Union Jack would be inappropriate.

====Scottish Union Flag====
[[File:Edinburgh Castle John Slezer trimmed.jpg|thumb|alt=Engraving of a castle on top of a steep hill, above the title "The North East View of Edinburgh Castle". On the castle flies a large Union Flag with Scottish saltire part of flag most visible.|[[John Slezer|Slezer's]] [[Edinburgh Castle]] {{circa|1693}} depicting the Scottish Union flag<ref name="slezer">{{cite web |title=The North East View of Edinburgh Castle |url=http://digital.nls.uk/slezer/engraving.cfm?sl=59 |website=[[National Library of Scotland]] |department=Slezer's Scotland |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref>]]
In objecting to the design of the Union Flag adopted in 1606, whereby the cross of Saint George surmounted that of Saint Andrew, a group of Scots took up the matter with [[John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1558–1634)|John Erskine, 19th Earl of Mar]], and were encouraged by him to send a letter of complaint to James VI, via the [[Privy Council of Scotland]], which stated that the flag's design "''will breid some heit and miscontentment betwix your Majesties subjectis, and it is to be feirit that some inconvenientis sail fall oute betwix thame, for our seyfaring men cannot be inducit to resave that flage as it is set down''".<ref>{{cite book |last=Hulme |first=Edward. F. |title=The flags of the world: their history, blazonry and associations |url=https://archive.org/stream/flagsofworldthei00hulmiala/flagsofworldthei00hulmiala_djvu.txt |format=txt |year=1897 |publisher=F. Warne & co. |page=152}}</ref> Although documents accompanying this complaint which contained drafts for alternative designs have been lost, evidence exists, at least on paper, of an unofficial Scottish variant, whereby the Scottish cross was uppermost. There is reason to think that cloth flags of this design were employed during the 17th century for unofficial use on Scottish vessels at sea.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bartram |first=Graham |title=British Flags & Emblems |year=2005 |publisher=Flag Institute/Tuckwell |isbn=978-1-86232-297-4 |page=122}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Crampton |first=William |title=Flags of the World |year=1992 }}</ref><ref name="Smith 1973">{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Whitney |journal=The Flag Bulletin |title=Title unknown |year=1973 |publisher=Flag Research Center}}</ref> This flag's design is also described in the 1704 edition of ''The Present State of the Universe'' by [[John Beaumont (geologist)|John Beaumont]], which contains as an appendix ''The Ensigns, Colours or Flags of the Ships at Sea: Belonging to The several Princes and States in the World''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Beaumont |first=John |author-link=John Beaumont (geologist) |title=The Present State of the Universe ... |year=1704 |orig-date=1701 |publisher=Benj. Motte |page=164}}</ref>

On land, evidence confirming the use of this flag appears in the depiction of [[Edinburgh Castle]] by [[John Slezer]], in his series of [[engraving]]s entitled ''Theatrum Scotiae'', c. 1693. Appearing in later editions of ''Theatrum Scotiae'', the ''North East View of Edinburgh Castle'' engraving depicts the ''[[Scotch (adjective)|Scotch]]'' (to use the appropriate adjective of that period) version of the Union Flag flying from the Palace block of the Castle.<ref>{{cite book |first1=John |last1=Slezer |first2=Robert |last2=Sibbald |first3=Abel |last3=Swall |author-link=John Slezer |title=Theatrum Scotiae<!--: Containing the prospects of their Majesties castles and palaces: together with those of the most considerable towns and colleges; the ruins of many ancient abbeys, churches, monasteries and convents, within the said kingdom. All curiously engraven on copper plates. With a short ... --> |year=1693 |publisher=John Leake |page=114}}</ref> On ''[[The North Prospect of the City of Edenburgh]]'' engraving, the flag is indistinct.<ref name="north prospect">{{cite web |url=http://digital.nls.uk/slezer/engraving.cfm?sl=58 |title=The North Prospect of the City of Edenburgh |department=Slezer's Scotland |website=[[National Library of Scotland]] |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref>
[[File:BeaumontScottishUnionFlag.png|thumb|alt=White saltire clearly visible over white-bordered red cross on blue background.| Scottish Union Flag depicted in the 1704 edition of ''The Present State of the Universe.'']]
On 17 April 1707, two weeks prior to the [[Acts of Union 1707|Acts of Union]] coming into effect, and with Sir [[Henry St George, the younger]], the [[Garter King of Arms]], having presented several designs of flag to [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] and her [[Privy Council of England|Privy Council]] for consideration, the flag for the soon to be unified [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] was chosen. At the suggestion of the Scots representatives, the designs for consideration included that version of Union Jack showing the Cross of Saint Andrew uppermost; identified as being the "''Scotts union flagg as said to be used by the Scotts''".<ref name='de Burton'>{{cite news |first=Simon |last=de Burton |title=How Scots lost battle of the standard |date=9 November 1999 |publisher=Johnston Press plc |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-18715263.html |work=The Scotsman |access-date=30 June 2009}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> However, the Queen and her Council approved Sir Henry's original effort, numbered "one".<ref name="de Burton"/>

A manuscript compiled in 1785 by William Fox and in possession of the [[Flag Research Center]] includes a full plate showing "''the scoth ''{{sic}}'' union''" flag. This could imply that there was still some use of a Scottish variant before the addition of the cross of St Patrick to the Union Flag in 1801.<ref name="Smith 1973"/>