List of Welsh flags explained

This is a list of flags that are used exclusively in Wales. Other flags used in Wales, as well as the rest of the United Kingdom can be found at list of British flags.

National flags

Date	Use	Description
Since 1959 (official)(variants first appeared c.1485)	Flag of Wales, also known as Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon)	Per fess Argent and Vert, a dragon passant Gules
Since 1959 (official)(variants first appeared c.1485)	Flag of Wales, also known as Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon)	A vertical per fess Argent and Vert, a dragon passant Gules
Since 1921		Sable a cross Or

Royal standards of the United Kingdom

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Since 1837		A banner of the King's Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, blazoned Quarterly, I and IV Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or; II Or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules; III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent
		Standard of the Prince of Wales, used only in Wales	A banner based on the arms of the last native Prince of Wales, Llywelyn the Great, with the Prince of Wales's coronet in the centre, blazoned Quarterly Or and Gules four lions passant guardant counterchanged armed and langued Azure, over all an inescutcheon Vert charged with the coronet of the Heir Apparent

Government flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Since 2017	The ensign used aboard ships of the Welsh Government, such as the patrol boats of the Marine and Fisheries Division.^[1]	A British blue ensign defaced with a yellow dragon
		Flag of the Senedd Cymru.^[2]	White with the logo of the Senedd Cymru in red

Religious

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Since 1921		Sable a cross Or
	Since 1954		Argent a cross Azure a celtic cross proper
	1920 – 1954		A reversed Saint David's cross

Dioceses of the Church in Wales

Flag	Date	Use	Description
			A banner of the Diocese's coat of arms.
			A banner of the Diocese's coat of arms.
			A banner of the Diocese's coat of arms.
			A banner of the Diocese's coat of arms.

Historical

Welsh flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1807 – 1953	Used from 1807 until 1953.
	1953 – 1959	Used from 1953 until 1959, depicting the Royal Badge of Wales after its augmentation of honour.

Welsh royal standards

Date	Use	Description
1195 – 1378	Banner adopted by Owain Glyndŵr and thought to be derived from the counter-charged arms of the princely Houses of Mathrafal and Dinefwr. It is currently in use by the National Eisteddfod for Wales, Cymdeithas yr Iaith and widely amongst pro-independence groups	Quarterly Or and Gules, four Lions rampant counter-charged
1100 – 1378	Banner of the princely House of Aberffraw and the Kingdom of Gwynedd famously used by Llywelyn the Great, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Owain Lawgoch. The Prince of Wales uses a version of this flag today emblazoned with a Crown on a green shield	Quarterly Or and Gules, four Lions passant guardant counter-charged langued and armed Azure
c.987 – c.1034	Banner of the princely House of Mathrafal used during the early Middle Ages by the rulers of Powys, Powys Wenwynwyn and later by their heirs the de la Pole (Powysian) dynasty. Modern use is rare	Or a Lion rampant Gules langued and armed Azure
c.1034 – c.1195	Banner of the princely House of Dinefwr and the Kingdom of Deheubarth, a realm which covered much of south Wales. The banner would have been used during the early Middle Ages and later by the Talbot dynasty who inherited the arms. Modern use is rare	Gules a Lion rampant Or, a border engrailed of the last
c.1267 - 1282		Argent three Lions passant Gules
c.567 – c.897		Argent a Lion rampant Sable langued and armed Gules. Often referred to as the Black Lion of Powys.

Battle flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	c.1400 – c.1416		Argent a dragon rampant Or
	13th century	Banner known as Y Groes Nawdd or "The Cross of Neith" said to have been the battle flag of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (d. 1282)	Purpure a celtic cross Or

Religious flags

Date	Use	Description
pre – 1954	Unofficial flag of the Diocese of Bangor	An inverted Saint David's Cross with the arms of the Diocese in the canton.
pre – 1954		An inverted Saint David's Cross with the arms of the Diocese in the canton.
pre – 1954		An inverted Saint David's Cross with the arms of the Diocese in the canton.
pre – 1954	Unofficial flag of the Diocese of St Asaph	An inverted Saint David's Cross with the arms of the Diocese in the canton.
pre – 1954	Unofficial flag of the Diocese of St Davids	An inverted Saint David's Cross with the arms of the Diocese in the canton.
pre – 1954	Unofficial flag of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon	An inverted Saint David's Cross with the arms of the Diocese in the canton.

Other flags

Regions, counties and cities

Traditional counties

Of the 13 historic counties, seven have flags registered with the Flag Institute, with Brecknockshire, Cardiganshire (now Ceredigion), Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire outstanding.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	March 2014^[4]		Gules a chevron Or between three lions rampant Or.
	Not yet registered
	Since 2012^[5]		Vert, three eagles displayed in fess Or.
	Not yet registered		Sable, a lion regardant Or.
	Since 2015^[6]		Argent a Cross fleury engrailed Sable between four Cornish Choughs proper
	Since 2013^[7]		Gules, three Chevronels Argent
	Since 2015^[8]		Azure, three goats rampant Argent, armed and unguled Or; from the dexter base the sun in his splendour issuant Or.
	Since 2011^[9]		Per pale Azure and Sable three Fleurs-de-lis Or.
	Since 1988^[10]		Azure a cross Or on an inescutcheon of five Vert a Tudor Rose quarterly counter-changed Argent and Gules.

Cities, towns and villages

Date	Use	Description
1906^[11]	Flag of Cardiff	Argent on a Mount Vert a Dragon rampant Gules supporting in front of a Leek issuing from the Mount a Flag Staff erect proper flying therefrom to the sinister a Banner of the third charged with three Chevronels of the first.
2013^[12]	Flag of Craig-y-Dorth	Two golden wyverns couchant facing each other as in battle; one on a blue background and the other on a red background.
2022^[13]	Flag of Llandovery
2015^[14]	Flag of Monmouth
2013^[15]	Flag of Tywyn

University flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Bangor University^[16]
			A banner of the University's coat of arms.
			A banner of the University's coat of arms.

House flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		House flag of Cory Brothers	A horizontal bicolour of white and green, defaced in the centre with a pink Welsh dragon holding two overlapping black diamonds (representing lumps of coal) with a smaller white diamond (inscribed with the name "CORY BROTHERS") in the middle.^[17]
	1882–1981

Nationalist flags

Date	Use	Description
1960s	Welsh Republican Tricolour	A vertical tricolour of green, red and white with a black star representing those who have fallen for their country.
1950s–1960s		A vertical tricolour of green, red and white.
1960s	Welsh: Yr Eryr Wen – the White Eagle, used by radical nationalists such as the Free Wales Army. The eagle or Welsh: Eryr is thought to refer to Welsh: [[Owain Gwynedd]]\|italic=no who used an eagle for his coat of arms, and also Snowdonia (called Welsh: Eryri in Welsh).^[18]	A stylised white eagle on a black background.
1970s	Flag of the Welsh Patriotic Front^[19]	A horizontal tricolour of white, red and green, with a black band in the hoist containing a gold Welsh: Y Nod Cyfrin.
1970s	Welsh: Y Ddraig Ddu or "The Black Dragon" used by the Welsh: Cymru 1400 republican movement	The Red Dragon of Wales on a black field.
1960s	Banner of the now defunct Welsh: [[Meibion Glyndŵr]] militant pro-independence organisation	Banner of Welsh: Owain Glyndŵr\|italic=no indented with the border of an eldest son.
	Cofiwch Dryweryn flag	The slogan "Cofiwch Dryweryn" ("Remember Tryweryn") in white on a field of red.

Notes and References

Flag Institute Flagmaster Issue 160
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/senedd-turns-blue-red-white-10445166
Web site: Phillips . Elen . Captain Scott’s Welsh Flag . Amgueddfa Cymru.
Web site: Anglesey Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Caernarfonshire Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Flintshire Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Glamorgan Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Merioneth Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Monmouthshire Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Pembrokeshire Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Cardiff Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Craig-y-Dorth Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: 2022-02-03 . Carmarthenshire town unfurls new flag as part of effort to promote its history . 2022-06-04 . Nation.Cymru . en-GB.
Web site: Monmouth Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Tywyn Flag Free official image and info UK Flag Registry . 2022-06-04 . The Flag Institute . en-GB.
Web site: Bangor University (Wales, United Kingdom) . Jonathan Dixon . 19 September 2010 . Flags of the World . 27 October 2022.
Web site: House flag, Cory Brothers . Royal Museums Greenwich . 18 April 2024.
Web site: White Eagle of Wales flag . Flags of the World . 6 October 2022.
Web site: Welsh separatist and independentist flags: Patriotic Front flag . David B. Lawrence . 19 February 2007 . Flags of the World . 6 October 2022.