![[Flag of Caernarvonshire, Wales]](../images/g/gb-w-cae.gif)
image by Jason Saber, February 2012
Last modified: 2012-06-30 by rob raeside
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image by Jason Saber, February 2012
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I thought you might care to receive a copy of this document on the
provenance of a flag being proposed for Caernarfonshire. As you will see from
the evidence presented the design certainly has quite a pedigree.
The
Pantone colours are Green 354 and Yellow 109. The design has been dispatched to
the Flag Institute with a request for registration and we anticipate the
development soon of a Caernarfonshire Association which will be promoting the
flag and advocating its registration.
The Association of British
Counties
The Caernarfonshire Eagles: Development of a Traditional Emblem and
County Flag
by Philip S. Tibbetts & Jason Saber
This purpose of this
essay is to prove the validity of the famous three golden eagles in fess on
green associated with the county of Caernarfonshire as the county emblem and
make the case for their registration as a traditional county flag. To achieve
the aim this report will investigate both the ancient origins of this symbol,
its association with the county of Caernarfonshire and its modern legacy. The
origins of the emblem of the three eagles arranged in fess on a green field
revolve around the ancient King of Gwynedd, Owain Gwynedd, to whom the symbol
was attributed as his coat of arms. Owain Gwynedd was born around 1100 and
became King of Gwynedd in 1137(i). However, although heraldic devices and arms
started being used in Wales from 1150 they did not start becoming common-place
for nobility until 1300(ii). Despite this there is a wealth of evidence for the
use of this device to symbolise Owain Gwynedd in the High Middle Ages. Mediæval
Welsh nobility was very keen to prove its pedigree by being able to trace their
ancestry back to the princes of the ancient Welsh kingdoms(iii). As such there
are a number of examples of the Welsh aristocracy only a few of centuries later
using these attributed arms as a way of symbolising their dynastic links to
Owain Gwynedd. The main sources for the mediæval appearance of this symbol as
the arms of Owain Gwynedd come from the heraldic manuscripts where many
aristocrats sought to formalise their pedigree. These have been compiled and
collated in the authoritative work of former Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary
Michael Powell Siddons. In his work "The Development of Welsh Heraldry" he finds
the earliest reference to the arms to be in the late fifteenth century work of
the bard Gutun Owain(iv).
The first ever depiction of these arms appears
to be a brass memorial for Maredudd ap Ieuan ap Robert, a supposed descendant of Owain
Gwynedd who died in 1525, which can be found in Dolwyddelan Church(v). The
same church also has an early seventeenth century(vi) stone monument for Wynn
of Gwydir, descendants of Maredudd from sixty years later, that also features
the eagles(vii). Whilst the earliest full description of the arms (citing
charges, colours and attribution) comes from the manuscript of Thomas ap
Llywelyn ab Ithel circa 1562 and the earliest painting must be no later than
the death in 1564 of bard and deputy herald, Gruffudd Hiraethog(viii). The
arms are also fully described or painted in the following manuscripts(ix):
Willian Cynwal, circa 1570-1580;
Willian Ilyns, circa 1534-1580;
George Owen
of Henllys, circa 1586-96;
Edward Puleston, circa 1590-1604;
Simwynt Fychan,
circa 1530-1606;
Thomas Jones of Fountain Gate (the self proclaimed
"principal herald for all Wales"), circa 1572-1608;
Lewys Dwnn (bard and
deputy herald), circa 1588-1613 (this was the era he conducted heraldic
visitations in the area).
Another notable physical appearance comes from
the Blayney Room of Gregynog Hall (in Tregynon, Montgomeryshire). In this
room are a series of carvings of arms of ancient Welsh heroes from whom the
Blayney family claimed descent - further illustrating the desire of Welsh
nobility to prove their pedigree - including the attributed arms of Owain
Gwynedd. These carvings date from 1636(x). Whilst the eagle emblem can
clearly be seen to have had widespread acceptance as the symbol for Owain
Gwynedd from the High Middle Ages onward, further investigation shows that
the origins of the emblem may stretch further back into the history of the
area.
In one theory the Eagles are often associated with the arrival of
the Romans into North Wales. The Romans built the Segontium fort, located
in modern day Caernarvon, in 77AD(xi). The fort potentially helped inspire
the name of the later town, and thus county, as 'caer' means 'fort' in Welsh,
the whole name meaning "fort opposite Môn (Anglesey)"(xii). Additionally it
had even been speculated that the name of the town may have been connected to
the title of Caesar(xiii).
Building the modern Caernarfon Castle began in
1283, it is said that during its construction the body of Roman Emperor
Magnus Maximus was reportedly found(xiv). A year later the Eagle Tower was
completed. The Eagle Tower had three turrets that historically had a stone
eagle on top as decoration(xv) - perhaps inspiring the eagles in fess
arrangement.
The second theory as to the original origin of the eagles is
drawn from the ancient Welsh folklore of the region. The ancient name for
the Snowdonia region (the Snowdon Massif), at the very heart of both the
ancient kingdom of Gwynedd and the county of Caernarfonshire, was "Eryri"
which translates as "land or nest of eagles". The eagles of this region
themselves became a national emblem and according to folklore if they circled
high victory would be forthcoming, but if they flew low and cried then defeat
for the Welsh loomed(xvi). Furthermore these eagles were directly attributed
to Owain Gwynedd himself in Bardic poetry of the time. Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr
(1155-1200) was a court poet to Owain Gwynedd and in one elegy refers to him
as "The golden dragon of Snowdonia of eagles" spears, The eagle of fervent
warriors"(xvii). Llywarch ap Llywelyn (1174-1220) claims in his poetry to
Llywelyn the Great that Merlin prophesied that a heroic, English-slaying
king would come from the "...lineage of the eagles of Snowdonia" which in the
next line he equates with "Among the grandsons of Owain"(xviii).
Finally the Princes of Gwynedd would eventually take on the title of "Lords
of Snowdonia/Eryri"(xix), which when considering the Welsh name for the area
would effectively make the princes "Lords of the land of Eagles".
It
is thus safe to conclude that the exact design of the golden eagles on green
is a complete design several centuries old and one that functions as a
long-standing clear symbol for Owain Gwynedd. However it also becomes
patently clear that the origins of the eagles both goes further back in time
and lies tied to the history and nature of the area itself. It would be
likely that the local use of the eagles in Roman symbolism and Welsh myth
played off each other and together made them a very powerful and relevant
symbol for Owain Gwynedd to be associated with.
Importantly this link
does serve to imply that the eagles were a traditional symbol of the area and
the people from very ancient times, even if the exact design of three golden
eagles on green would not become standardised until the early sixteenth
century. Over time this exact design would, in turn, become directly
representative of the county of Caernarfonshire itself.
In 1415 the
Battle of Agincourt was fought in which the Caernarfonshire units were
reputed to have fought under a banner of three golden eagles on green in
honour of Owain Gwynedd. Michael Drayton records this in his work 'The Battaile of Agincourt' in 1627(xx). By the early twentieth century the design
can clearly be seen to have remained in the public consciousness as the
county emblem when, in his 1920 work on county identities 'Story of the
Shire', Frederick Hackwood calls the three golden eagles of Caernarfonshire
as an "authentic" and "significant" badge of the county, as well as
reciting their association to the Romans of antiquity(xxi).
Caernarfonshire County Council came into being in 1888 and at some point in
its history it adopted and used the three eagles in fess on green
unofficially(xxii). This is recorded in C. W. Scott-Giles's 1933 'Civic
Heraldry of England & Wales'. However, he appears to attribute these arms to
Caernarvon town whilst describing the town arms, which can be seen on
1903-1906 cigarette card illustrations(xxiii), for the county. When
considering the proof offered by the cigarette card illustrations this seems
to be a simple mix up on the part of Scott-Giles. Nonetheless even the town
arms feature a golden eagle on green in the crest. The three eagles emblem
was used by other county institutions as well, here featuring on a 1940s
Caernarfonshire Police Constabulary helmet plate(xxiv). When Caernarfonshire
County Council achieved official arms from the College of Arms in 1949 the
three golden eagles in fess on green featured in the centre of the
shield(xxv). This shield also features in the background the arms of Owain
Gwynedd"s grandson, Llywelyn the Great, whose arms had already become used as
the arms for the entirety of modern Wales. As has been already mentioned
previously the use of an eagle as an emblem for the area seems to have been
an ancient one stretching back to ancient British folklore and Roman legacy
in the area. However the use of this specific design for the county still
goes back several centuries.
Whilst Drayton does mention several unlikely
county banners in the rest of his 'The Battaile of Agincourt" work, some
symbols do hold up owing to the pre-existence of his described device in the
county in question. Caernarfonshire is one such example where it is clear
that Drayton not only did not invent a new device but he had employed one
with a clear link to the county. Even if there is a level of doubt as to the
veracity of Drayton's account of the flag being used in the fifteenth century
it is certainly true that by the time of his writing in the early seventeenth
century this valid historical symbol had obviously gained acceptance as the
emblem for the county. The design has remained in the public mindset and been
used in passing; for example its unofficial use by the local council, until
it was formally granted to Caernarfonshire County Council by the College of
Arms.
Although Caernarfonshire County Council ended in 1974, the use of
the design or references to it, have continued to symbolise the county.
Caernarfonshire County Councils replacement, Gwynedd County Council, features
an eagle in its civic crest as a continued symbol of one of its constituent
areas(xxvi).
In more recent times the original banner of Owain Gwynedd
has become a common suggestion to serve as a county flag for Caernarfonshire.
Even before the proposal by the Association of British Counties(xxvii),
others had independently raised the idea(xxviii). Bringing the story right up
to date the Association of British Counties has been contacted by a local man
who has been keen to get this design flying in county and registered.
Furthermore the same man is forming a Caernarfonshire Association in order to
promote the flag once it is registered and has already received commitments
from a number of companies including slate producers, tourist sites and pubs
indicating a local desire to fly the design.
In summary this essay has
shown that by studying the history of the arms of Owain Gwynedd the case for
the traditional registration of the banner as county flag for Caernarfonshire
is very strong. The pedigree of the design itself dates back to at least the
fifteenth century and it has a strong relationship with the history of the
area before this. Although originally arms attributed to a person this design
has become associated with the county itself over time, much as Owain
Gwynedd's grandsons' arms became those of the whole of Wales. In this case we
can conclude that the design has been recognised as the county emblem from at
least the early seventeenth century, if not the fifteenth century.
Furthermore the design has remained an authentic and significant badge of the
county to the present day and has highly relevant roots that go back
millennia to the eagles of Welsh folklore and Roman antiquity.
This
essay concludes by calling for the design of a green field with three golden
eagles in fess to be recognised as the valid traditional flag for the
historic county of Caernarfonshire in light of the sheer weight of evidence
as to its ancient origins, long-standing association and continued relevance
to the historic county.
Appendix: Timeline
77AD - Romans built the
Segontium Fort in Caernarvon
1100AD - Owain Gwynedd likely born
1137AD -
Owain Gwynedd becomes King of Gwynedd
1170AD - Owain Gwynedd dies
1150AD -
Heraldic devices introduced to Wales
1200AD - Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, first
poet to associate the Snowdonia eagles with Owain, dies
1220AD - Llywarch
ap Llywelyn, poet who directly associated the eagles with Owain, dies
1230AD - Llywelyn the Great begins to add "Lord of Snowdon" to his styling
1283AD - Work begins on modern Caernarvon Castle, body of Roman Emperor
reportedly found
1284AD - Eagle Tower at the Caernarvon Castle completed
1415AD - Caernarfonshire units supposedly use the design as a flag at the
Battle of Agincourt
1497AD - Gutun Owain, who first alludes to the arms in
poetry, dies.
1525AD - Arms depicted for the first time as a memorial brass
in Dolwyddelan Church
1562AD - Thomas ap Llywelyn ab Ithel first describes
the arms
1564AD - Gruffudd Hiraethog has painted the arms by this time.
1627AD - Drayton records the flags use for the county at Agincourt in his "Battaile
of Agincourt"
1636AD - Arms appear as one of the series in the Blayney Room
carvings
1888AD - Caernarfonshire County Council comes into existence, uses
the arms unofficially
1920AD - Hackwood calls the design an "authentic"
and "significant" county badge
1949AD - Design featured as central element in
formal grant of arms to County Council
2011AD - ABC requests the design be
registered as a traditional county flag
i http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Gwynedd
ii Francis Jones "The Development of Welsh Heraldry" (Heraldry Society, 1958)
iii Ibid
iv Michael Powell Siddons "The Development of Welsh Heraldry: Volume
I" (National Library of Wales, 1991) p288
v John Marsters Lewis "Welsh
Monumental Brasses" (National Museum of Wales, 1974)
vi
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/parishholding/bangor/b052-en/history-en/A-brief-history-of-St-Gwyddelans-Church
vii Siddons "The Development of Welsh
Heraldry: Volume I" pIIb
viii Siddons "The Development of Welsh Heraldry:
Volume II" pp418-419
ix Ibid
x http://keithblayney.com/Blayney/Room.html
xi http://www.segontium.org.uk/
xii Anthony David Mills "Dictionary of
British Place Names" (Oxford University Press, 2003)
xiii Frederick
William Hackwood "The Story of the Shire: Being the Lore, History and
Evolution of English County Institutions" (H. Cranton, 1921) p262
xiv
Arnold Joseph Taylor "The Welsh Castles of Edward I" (Continuum International
Publishing Group, 1986) p78
xv Reginald Allen Brown "Castles from the Air"
(Cambridge University Press, 1989) p66
xvi James MacKillop "Dictionary of
Celtic Mythology" (Oxford University Press, 1998)
xvii Elin Jones "Poets
of the Princes: Volume III - Gwaith Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr I' (Gwasg Prifysgol
Cymru, 1991)
xviii Elin Jones"Poets of the Princes: Volume V - Gwaith
Llywarch ap Llywelyn 'Prydydd y Moch'" (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, 1989)
xix
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llywelyn_the_Great#Marital_problems_1230
xx
Michael Drayton "The Battaile of Agincourt" (Charles Whittingham, 1893 (first
published 1627)) p33
xxi Hackwood "The Story of the Shire: Being the Lore,
History and Evolution of English County Institutions" p262
xxii Charles
Wilfred Scott-Giles "Civic Heraldry of England and Wales" (Dent, 1933)
pp184-185
xxiii
http://www.briantimms.net/cigarettecards/imagesba/carnarvon.gif
xxiv http://www.britishpolicehelmet.co.uk/id1.html
xxv
http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/wales_pr74.html#caenarvonshire cc
xxvi
http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/wales_7496.html#gwynedd cc
xxvii Jason Saber
"Flagless Counties 2011" (Association of British Counties, 2011) pp9-13
xxviii
http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?s=5d12bdbba026c537fed7a5093c4d9bc5&p=3710147&postcount=6078
Books
Reginald Allen Brown
"Castles from the Air" (Cambridge University Press, 1989)
Michael Drayton
"The Battaile of Agincourt" (Charles Whittingham, 1893 (first published
1627))
Frederick William Hackwood "The Story of the Shire: Being the Lore,
History and Evolution of English County Institutions" (H. Cranton, 1921)
Elin Jones "Poets of the Princes: Volume III - Gwaith Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr
I' (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, 1991)
"Poets of the Princes: Volume IV - Gwaith
Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr II' (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, 1995)
"Poets of the
Princes: Volume V - Gwaith Llywarch ap Llywelyn 'Prydydd y Moch'" (Gwasg
Prifysgol Cymru, 1989)
Francis Jones "The Development of Welsh Heraldry"
(Heraldry Society, 1958)
James MacKillop "Dictionary of Celtic Mythology"
(Oxford University Press, 1998)
John Marsters Lewis "Welsh Monumental
Brasses" (National Museum of Wales, 1974)
Anthony David Mills "Dictionary of
British Place Names" (Oxford University Press, 2003)
Jason Saber "Flagless
Counties 2011" (Association of British Counties, 2011)
Charles Wilfred
Scott-Giles "Civic Heraldry of England and Wales" (Dent, 1933)
Michael Powell
Siddons "The Development of Welsh Heraldry: Volume I" (National Library of
Wales, 1991)
"The Development of Welsh Heraldry: Volume II" (National Library
of Wales, 1991)
"The Development of Welsh Heraldry: Volume III" (National
Library of Wales, 1991)
"The Development of Welsh Heraldry: Volumes IV"
(National Library of Wales, 1991)
Arnold Joseph Taylor "The Welsh Castles
of Edward I" (Continuum International Publishing Group, 1986)
Jason Saber, 4 February 2012
The flag of Caernarfonshire that I advised you of previously has now been
registered by the Flag Institute.
Jason Saber, 22 March 2012
In the "Daily Post", 4 May 2012, Hywel Trewyn reports the disappointment of
the Caernarfonshire Association, which has been told that the flag will not be
permanently flown over Caernarforn castle. The Welsh monuments body Cadw said
the flag won’t be allowed to fly there permanently, but perhaps on an
“appropriate” day. A Cadw spokesperson said: “Protocols for the flying of flags,
which cover the whole of the UK are set out by the Department of Culture, Media
and Sport “These do not allow the flying of flags other than national flags,
except for on specific days. We cannot therefore allow the three eagles flag to
be flown permanently but are happy to work with Mr Parri* to explore the
possibility of flying of the flag on an appropriate day.”
*Gwyndaf Parri
is the chairman of the Caernarfonshire Association
The newspaper article
lists the place where the flag is to be seen as follows:
"It is now flying
from Inigo Jones [photo,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caernarfonshire_flag_at_Inigo_Jones_Slate_Works.jpeg],
Groeslon as well as Gypsy Wood Park and The Golden Cod, both Bontnewydd. South
Caernarfonshire Yacht Club and the Black Boy Inn, Caernarfon want to fly it, and
it may also be flown by Llandudno Town Council as Creuddyn is in the old
Caernarfonshire."
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/need_to_read/2012/05/04/ancient-flag-cannot-be-flown-above-caernarfon-castle-55578-30897983
Ivan Sache, 19 May 2012
