Flag of Jersey
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| Use | Civil and state flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 3:5 |
| Adopted | April 7, 1981 |
| Design | Red saltire on a white field, surmounted by a yellow Plantagenet crown, and the badge of Jersey. |
The flag of Jersey is composed of a red saltire on a white field. In the upper quadrant the badge of Jersey surmounted by a yellow "Plantagenet crown". The flag was adopted by the States of Jersey on June 12, 1979, proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth on December 10, 1980, and first officially hoisted on April 7, 1981.
The flag of Jersey has been decreed by the Sovereign for use in the Bailiwick of Jersey as the Island's flag. The Union flag may also be flown, but precedence should be given to the flag of Jersey. The Bailiff of Jersey requests the flying of the flag of Jersey on government buildings on a list of official flag days when flags are flown from the seat of the judiciary and legislature; individuals are encouraged, but not obliged, to observe official flag days also.
The pre-1981 flag of Jersey continues to be used as part of the re-enactment ceremonies of Liberation Day on 9 May.
The current flag is the first to be adopted officially. Unofficially, a plain red saltire had been used since at least the 1830s. The official flag adds the badge and crown to this.
The origins of the association to Jersey of the red saltire are unknown.
A 1906 letter by the Bailiff of Jersey, describing the flag as "the red St Andrew's cross on white ground", states it was used to signal the neutrality of the Channel Islands during wars between England and France. A 1483 papal bull guaranteed the islands' neutrality during the Hundred Years' War. The saltire may have been a variation of the St George's Cross.
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