 | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,state ensign |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | 25 January 1999 |
| Design | A British blue ensign with thecoat of arms in the fly side |
Theflag of Montserrat consists of aBlue Ensign withthe British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1960 to supplement theUnion Jack after the dissolution of theBritish Leeward Islands the year before, it has been the flag ofMontserrat since the territory was granted self-government that year. The design of the present flag entailed enlarging the coat of arms and outlining it with a white trim. Montserrat's flag is similar to the flags of eight otherBritish Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.
Montserrat was first spotted byChristopher Columbus in November 1493 during hissecond voyage to theWest Indies, and was named after theSanta Maria de Montserrat Abbey in Spain. It was later colonised by theKingdom of England in 1632, whenThomas Warner – the firstgovernor of Saint Christopher – sentIrish Catholics from his island to Montserrat. Other Irish settlers from theColony of Virginia consequently relocated to the territory. Sovereignty over the island changed hands between the British and the French for the duration of the 17th and 18th centuries. This continued until 1783, when thePeace of Paris sawFrance permanently relinquish Montserrat toGreat Britain.[1][2]
Montserrat became part of theBritish Leeward Islands federation in 1871.[1][2] The island was granted its ownshield on 10 April 1909. It was consequently utilised on theBlue Ensign after the federation was dissolved on 1 July 1956.[1][3] This was adopted as a proxy national flag in 1960, after authorisation was granted by theAdmiralty.[4] Montserratians ratified the territory's constitution that same year,[5] and the island became a distinctcrown colony in 1962.[6] The flag was later redesigned in 1999, with the size of the shield increased, and the white disc removed and replaced with a white outline.[7] To coincide with theDiamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012, theForeign and Commonwealth Office started flying the flags ofoverseas territories over its Main Building inWhitehall to commemorate a "significant day in each of their respective histories".[8][9] The date chosen for Montserrat was 17 March,[10] a public holiday on the island honouring bothSaint Patrick's Day and an unsuccessful slave uprising there on that day in 1768.[11] The territory's flag was also hoisted atNew Palace Yard in thePalace of Westminster on 17 March 2021, as part of an effort byLindsay Hoyle – theSpeaker of the House of Commons at the time – to observe the ceremonial days of overseas territories.[12]
The colours and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The woman donning a green dress portraysErin, thenational personification ofIreland.[13][11] TheCeltic harp she is grasping is another representation of that nation.[14] Both these symbols pay tribute to the Irish settlers who moved to Montserrat from 1632 onwards.[1][15] The inaugural census conducted in theBritish Leeward Islands in 1678 found that 70% of the island's inhabitants who were Caucasian claimed Irish ancestry, representing the highest concentration of Irish residents in the federation.[11] Thecross alludes to the Christian heritage of the island,[15][A] while the woman's hold of it signifies the Montserratians' love ofChrist.[17]
The Blue Ensign is also employed on the flags of eight of the thirteen otherBritish Overseas Territories, with their coats of arms in thefly being the only distinguishing feature between them. These are, specifically, the flags ofAnguilla, theBritish Virgin Islands, theCayman Islands, theFalkland Islands, thePitcairn Islands,Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha,South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and theTurks and Caicos Islands.[18]
The standard of theterritory's governor features the Union Jackdefaced with the territorial coat of arms at the centre.[7]
| Variant flag | Date | Usage |
|---|---|---|
.svg) | 1909–1960 | Flag and government ensign of Montserrat |
.svg) | 1960–1999 | Flag and government ensign of Montserrat |
 | –1999 | Standard of thegovernor of Montserrat |
 | 1999– | Standard of the governor of Montserrat |
Specific
The shield dates back to at least 1909 but was only brought into use on the Blue Ensign when the Windward Islands colony was dissolved in 1960.
Bibliography
| British Overseas Territories |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Crown Dependencies | ||
