History of the Union Jack and Flags of the Empire

Frederick Barlow CumberlandProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0
Word count
445K words
Chapters
45

Tags

English Originals History and Culture ConnoisseurshipFlag HistoryHeraldic AlbumSymbolic PoliticsNatural History LoreIllustrated ExplanationBritish HeritageImperial SymbolsFolk OriginsVictorian Era

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.History of the Union Jack and Flags of the Empire by Barlow CumberlandAuthor: Cumberland, Barlow, 1846-1913,Language: English, Class: CR: History: Heraldry, Release Date: Apr 26, 2014

Editor's review

This book examines the Union Jack and the flag system of the British Empire, falling within the fields of heraldry and flag history. Author Barlow Cumberland traces the composition, evolution, and symbolism of flags through a historical narrative, linking heraldic rules and the political context of royal union to changes in flag design. It serves as an introductory read for understanding the genealogy of British flags and imperial symbolism. Its value lies in translating abstract political union into visible design elements, allowing readers to see how constituent units such as England, Scotland, and Ireland left their traces in visual symbols. Readers should consult maps and flag plates alongside the text and note that the book was written in an imperial context, so its narrative carries the perspective of its era; its statements on imperial expansion should be read critically. Suitable for readers interested in vexillology, heraldry, British history, and public symbols, whether for reference or thematic reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Start with the table of contents and flag plates to build an overall framework before reading the text chapter by chapter
  2. Read alongside a chronology of British history to connect flag changes with political events
  3. Look up heraldic terms as needed and make your own terminology cards
  4. Read critically, distinguishing historical description from the author's era-specific evaluations

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English? Is it difficult to read? This is the original English edition, a public-domain e-book. It involves terminology from heraldry and flag history, so readers with average English proficiency will need a dictionary and background materials. The threshold is moderate to high, suited to readers accustomed to looking things up.
Does the book cover the flags of other countries? The title points to the Union Jack and imperial flags, and the main content focuses on flags within Britain and its empire. Readers who want to learn about other countries' flags will need specialized sources; this book is not a comprehensive survey of world flags.
Is this book suitable as a design reference? It can serve as background reference on flag composition and heraldic elements, but it is not a plate-based design manual; design details require other illustrated sources. Use it as an explanatory work on history and symbolism.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Frederick Barlow Cumberland Author · Canadian · 1846–1913

Frederick Barlow Cumberland (1846–1913) was a Canadian businessman, shipping administrator and writer of local history. Born in England, he moved to Canada as a child and for many years served as vice-president of the Niagara Navigation Company, a post that gave him firsthand knowledge of shipping on the Great Lakes. He drew on this experience to write A Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River, which traces the development of sail and steam vessels on that stretch of water. He also wrote on the history of the Union Jack and the flags of the Empire, and a short account of how "The Diamond Anthem" was sung around the world. His works, grounded in personal observation and documentary sources, remain useful references for the shipping history of Canada and the study of flags.