Flagge von Cornwall

2011-06-28T21:33:12Z

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{{Redirect|Flag of Cornwall|the flag of the Canadian city of Cornwall, Ontario|flag of Cornwall, Ontario}}

[[File:Flag of Cornwall.svg|thumb|right|Saint Piran's Flag]]
[[File:Pamiatka z Kornwalii.jpg|thumb|right|Souvenir flags outside a café]]
[[File:Stpiraninpenwith.JPG|thumb|right|Saint Piran's Day celebrations in [[Penzance]]]]
[[File:Cornish flag.jpg|thumb|right|The flag flying high]]
[[File:High ripples from Loe ground.jpg|thumb|right|Flying the flag in [[Portloe]]]]

'''Saint Piran's Flag''' ({{lang-kw|Baner Peran}}) is the flag of [[Cornwall]], in the [[United Kingdom]]. The earliest known description of the flag as the [[Heraldic standard|Standard]] of Cornwall was written in 1838.<ref name=gilbert>[http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=oYYvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA332&dq=formerly+the+banner+of+St.+Perran 'The Parochial History of Cornwall', by Davies Gilbert. (1838) Vol III, p. 332]</ref> It is used by [[Cornish people]] as a symbol of identity.<ref name=rendle>[http://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/Phil%20Rendle.pdf Phil Rendle, Cornwall - The Mysteries of St Piran, The Flag Institute]</ref>

The banner attributed to [[Saint Piran]] is a white cross on a black background. Saint Piran is supposed to have adopted these two colours from seeing the [[molten]] [[tin]] spilling out of the black [[ore]] in his fire.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} This occurred during his supposed discovery of tin in the 6th century,{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} thus becoming the [[patron saint]] of tin miners.

==Origins==
There are claims that the design dates from prior to 1188 when the flag was used in the [[Crusades]],{{Verify credibility|date=June 2010}}<ref>[http://www.celticleague.org/flags.html Celtic League flags]</ref> and an article in [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] tells that the flag was carried by the [[Cornish people|Cornish]] contingent at the [[Battle of Agincourt]] (1415).{{Verify credibility|date=June 2010}}<ref>[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-corn.html Cornish flag]</ref> However, the reference given by Encyclopædia Britannica seems to have been confused with one that comes from a 1590 poem entitled ''"[[Poly-Olbion]]"'' by [[Michael Drayton]]. It states that the banner carried by the Cornish men at Agincourt depicted two [[Cornish Wrestling|Cornish Wrestlers]] in a hitch.<ref>''Poly-Olbion'' by Michael Drayton</ref>

The earliest known evidence of this flag was recorded by [[Davies Gilbert]] in his 1838 work: 'The [[Wikt:parochial|Parochial]] History of Cornwall', where he gives reference to..<blockquote>''"a white cross on a black ground [that] was formerly the banner of St Perran and the Standard of Cornwall; probably with some allusion to the black ore and the white metal of tin"''<ref name=gilbert/><ref name=rendle/></blockquote>

The fact that Gilbert identifies it as being 'formerly' a Standard of Cornwall implies that he believed it to have been used before 1838.<ref name=gilbert/> However, Gilbert did not leave a record of his background research, and referred only to his "recollection".<ref name=rendle/>

One of the oldest depictions of the flag can be seen in a stained glass window at [[Westminster Abbey]]. It was unveiled in 1888 in memory of the famous Cornish inventor and engineer [[Richard Trevithick]]. The window depicts [[Michael (archangel)|St Michael]] at the top and nine Cornish saints, Piran, [[Saint Petroc|Petroc]], Pinnock,[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5453] Germanus, Julian, Cyriacus, [[Constantine (British saint)|Constantine]], [[Saint Non|Nonna]] and [[Geraint of Dumnonia|Geraint]] in tiers below. The head of St Piran appears to be a portrait of Trevithick himself and the figure carries the banner of Cornwall.<ref>[http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/richard-trevithick Westminster Abbey]</ref>

==Clues to its origin==
{{Ref improve section|date=June 2010}}
<gallery>
File:Kroaz Du.svg|The Standard of the Army of the Breton Duchy.
File:Flag of Saint David.svg|The Welsh [[Flag of Saint David]]
</gallery>
Saint Piran's flag has similarities to the old [[The Kroaz Du (Black Cross)|Breton flag]] and the [[Flag of Saint David]]. The cultural links between [[Brittany]], [[Wales]] and [[Cornwall]] are well recorded. Saint Piran's Flag is the negative image of the old Breton Flag, a black cross on a white field. The Flag of Saint David shares a black background with Saint Piran's Flag, but is surmounted by a gold, rather than a white, cross.

It has also been suggested that it may have been based on the arms of the [[Earl of Cornwall]], or the later [[Duchy of Cornwall]]; based on the arms of other Cornish families; or be linked with the black and white livery of the [[Knights of St John]].<ref name=rendle/>

The flag is commonly understood to represent the white tin metal against the black tin ore; symbolically, however, the flag is said to represent the light of truth shining through the blackness/darkness of evil.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} Another theory of the black and white colours is that the white cross represents the igneous/metamorphic rocks of colour such as [[granite]] and [[schist]]s mainly found in the southwest of Cornwall, while the black background represents the weathered [[Devonian]] [[slate]] and [[Carboniferous]] [[sandstone]], both of which are mainly black-greyish in appearance, of the northern part of Cornwall.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

==French and Breton Family Arms==
{{Ref improve section|date=June 2010}}
The arms of the Saint-Peran family in Brittany, shows a white cross pattee on a black field.
<gallery>
File:Borgnearms.jpg|<center>Arms of Geoffroy le Borgne
File:Arneke2.jpg|<center> Arms of the Arnèke family
File:Rouvroy.jpg|<center>Arms of Rouvroy de Saint-Simon
File:Blason de la famille de saint-pezran.svg|<center>Blason de la famille de Saint-Pezran<ref>''Guide des drapeaux bretons et celtes'' (English: Guide of Breton and Celtic flags) by Divi Kervella and Mikael Bodlore-Penlaez, published by Yoran Embanner (in French), (2008) ISBN 978-2-916579-12-2</ref>
</gallery>

Several other French and Breton families also had [[Coat of arms|coats of arms]] that bear a striking resemblance to the St Piran's flag:

*''Saint Peran'' or ''Saint Pezran'' (= Piran) of [[Brittany]] (from [[Glomel]], in [[Cornouaille]]), is described as "sable a cross patée argent".

*[[Geoffroy le Borgne]] of [[Brittany]] is described as ''"de sable à croix d'argent".''<ref>http://www.briantimms.com/vermandois/bretons.htm</ref>

*Rossillon de Gex, Coat of Arms described: De sable à la croix d'argent.

*Brunet, de la Besse, Coat of Arms described: D'azur, à la croix d'argent.<ref>[http://armorial.free.fr/p%E9rigord/armes_descrip/b_perigord/brunet.html visu_armes_p]</ref>

*Arnèke Family Coat of Arms.<ref>[http://membres.lycos.fr/paleographie/heraldique/hazebrouck/details/arneke.html La page du généalogiste fou ... L'héraldique]</ref>

*Rouvroy de Saint-Simon of [[Picardy]], described: De sable à la croix d'argent chargée de cinq coquilles.<ref>[http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.ouvrard/armor/fami/r/rouvroy.htm rouvroy]</ref>

==Usage==
{{Ref improve section|date=July 2009}}
The flag is now widely displayed on cars and from buildings including those of [[Cornwall Council]].<ref name=suzylou>[http://www.cornishstudies.com/index.php?q=node/10 How far has the “Cornish Revival” affected modern Cornwall?]</ref> It is flown at most Cornish gatherings such as the [[Gorseth Kernow]], [[St Piran's Day]] (5 March), [[Camborne]]'s Trevithick Day (April), [[Padstow]]'s [['Obby 'Oss festival]] (May), [[Helston]]'s [[Furry Dance|Flora Day]] (May), and at [[Rugby union in Cornwall|Cornish rugby]] matches. It is regularly seen around Cornwall on car stickers with the word '[[Kernow]]' (Cornish for Cornwall), and is used around the world as a symbol of the [[Cornish diaspora]] or overseas Cornish associations. It has been adapted for use in the logos of a number of organisations, such as the Cornwall district of the [[Methodist Church]], is used by a variety of Cornish businesses such as [[Ginsters]], and is seen on the design of the [[Cornish All Blacks]] rugby shirt as well as [[Cornish Pirates]] rugby logo.<ref name=suzylou/>
==Gallery==
<gallery>

File:cpf.jpg|[[Cornish Pirates]] RFC logo showing the Saint Piran's Flag
File:GinstersLogo.png|[[Ginsters]] current company logo showing the Saint Piran's Flag
File:Cornish Ensign.svg|The unofficial 'Cornish [[British ensigns|ensign]]' is another flag that is sometimes used to represent the regional identity of Cornwall.<ref>[http://www.fotw.net/flags/gb-corn.html#ens Flags of the World]</ref>

</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of Cornish flags]]
* [[The Flag of the Duchy of Brittany]]
*[[List of topics related to Cornwall]]
*[[St Piran's Day]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://atlasgeo.span.ch/fotw/flags/gb-corn.html Flags of the World] - Speculations of the origins of this flag.
*[{{Flag Institute|Cornwall}} The Flag Institute]

{{Culture of Cornwall}}
{{Celtic nations}}
{{County flags of the United Kingdom|Cornwall}}

[[Category:Flags of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Flags of England|C]]
[[Category:Politics of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Cornish nationalism]]
[[Category:Flags of saints]]

[[br:Banniel Sant Piran]]
[[eo:Flago de Sankta Piran]]
[[kw:Baner Peran]]
[[nl:Vlag van Cornwall]]
[[pl:Flaga Kornwalii]]
[[sco:Saunt Piran's Banner]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Flagge von Cornwall