 | |
| Proportion | 3:5 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | March 2012 |
| Design | Erminois, three piles issuant two from chief and one from base each bearing a leopard's head. |
| Designed by | John Yates |
TheShropshire flag is the county flag ofShropshire. It was registered with theFlag Institute in March 2012 and officially became the county's flag on 19 April 2013.[1] The flag has anermine yellow field, with threepiles bearing the faces of leopards. It was based on the banner of arms of Shropshire County Council, itself based on the flag of Shrewsbury, which was first recorded in the 17th century.
The flag is a banner of thearms of the formerShropshire (or Salop) County Council which were awarded in 1895. The "gold"erminois aspect differentiates the county arms/flag from those of its county town.
Theleopards' faces, referred to as "loggerheads" locally, are a traditional emblem for Shropshire and several of its towns. It is believed that the loggerheads derive from theRoyal Arms of England and that the blue and yellow colours represent those ofRoger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury.[2] Loggerheads also appeared on theShrewsbury town arms, themselves first recorded in 1623, solidifying their connections to the local area. The name is thought to have originated from the practice of carving such a design on the head of the log used as a battering ram.[3] It is unclear whence the feline heads originated, though some speculate they were based on the three lions on theCoat of arms of England.
The species of the animal whose face is depicted is also debated - whether they are leopards, as it traditionally held, orlions. The idea that they're leopards originates with a late 17th century document, which describe the animals on the Shrewsbury arms as leopards, which seems to be the main source. It is not uncommon for feline representations in heraldry to be ambiguous.[4]
Although based on the town arms of Shrewsbury, the county council arms differ by moving the leopards’ faces from a shield to specifically appear on three “piles” (triangles), two pointing down and one up, forming an erminois “w” shape in thenegative space. This is known in heraldry terminology a “fess dancetty”. These arms were awarded to the county council on June 18th 1896, shortly after its foundation and, according to the Flag Institute, were designed College of Arms, although there exists no record of why they opted for this change
The flag (with the short-lived "white"ermine pattern instead of theerminois) was flown above theDepartment for Communities and Local Government in April 2011 as part of a scheme to promote traditionalEnglish counties.[5][6]
On 23 July 2019, the flag of Shropshire was flown among others inParliament Square in celebration of Historic County Flags Day.[7]
Erminois, three blue piles issuant two from chief and one from base each bearing a yellow leopard's head, all on a field of yellow. The design is classed as "Traditional" by theFlag Institute, as it is based on the banner of arms of the Shropshire county council, granted in 1895. The symbol of lions is based on the town coat of arms ofShrewsbury.
The colours of the Shropshire flag are:[2]
| Scheme | Blue | Yellow | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone (Paper) | Reflex Blue C | Yellow C | Black |
| Web colours | #001489 | #FEDD00 | #000000 |
| RGB | 0, 20, 137 | 254, 221, 0 | 0, 0, 0 |
| CMYK | 100%, 85%, 0%, 46% | 0%, 13%, 100%, 0% | 0%, 0%, 0%, 100% |
