Flags of Northallerton:
The Battle of the Standard
By Mike Stelzer
Some of them soon erected, in the centre of a frame which they brought, the mast of a ship, to which they gave the name of the Standard;... On the top of this pole they hung a silver pix containing the Host, and the banner of St. Peter the Apostle, and John of Beverley and Wilfrid of Ripon, confessors and bishops. In doing this, their hope was that our Lord Jesus Christ, by the efficacy of his Body, might be their leader in the contest in
which they were engaging in defence of his church and their country. By this means they also provided for their men, that, in the event of their being cut off and separated from them, they might observe some certain and conspicuous rallying-point, by which they might rejoin their comrades, and where they would receive succour -- Richard of Hexham
I once thought I had found information about the flags used at the Battle of the Standard to outfit my Warwagon for the Anglo-Norman Army I had painted. I had spent about 4 hours at that time trying to find information about them. When a question was asked about them on the Fanaticus Forum I offered to post what I had. Questions arose and I set out to find my references and prove my view; well I was wrong it seems about them. Poor references and not enough time spent, meant that the more I read the more confusing it got. After a month of research and time spent in libraries as well as the Internet I became sure I was wrong. Well, to make a long story short here is what I found out.
The mast used was 40 feet tall and had a Cross at the top (not a crucifix, never mentioned as one) and a pix (a box that contained consecrated host).
This may have been any type cross but very likely it was in the shape of a Saint Cuthbert's cross. There is no mention of a crossarm or yardarm on the mast. And no mention of how they were hung.
First important note is that none of the original banners still exist, they were destroyed in the English Reformation of Henry VIII. It seems that destroying relics and anything connected to popery was considered a way of showing your conversion if you were noble.
It also seems that most who wrote during the period before this destruction and of the battle itself felt that the reader would know what he was talking about. A common problem in first hand accounts of battles. No details given about them.
It was suggested that they would probably contain the images or symbols of the Saints named. Here was a two fold problem, at least four different Saint's flags were named in different places. Plus some sources said they were the Saint's flags and some said they were of the Church/See/Minster named after the Saint. One source mentioned that the Saints symbols used today were not what was used on the flags of Churches at that time. So
they were not in the end likely to be on the flags. Those used in England after the Reformation also include the Royal Arms in some form, so any using them were out.
The conclusion is that they were the Flags used at the Church/See/Minster named for them.
The saints named most often were Saint John of Beverley, Saint Wilfrid of Ripon, and Saint Peter of York. The other Saint named was Saint Cuthbert and one source said the mast contained King Stephen's arms. Saint Peter of York is the first break I had. I found a description of the old and new flags used at the See.
Original: gules, a pallium argent charged with four crosses formee fitche, sable edged and fringed, or
New: gules, two keys in saltire argent, in chief a mitre.
The second or new one seems to be from the period after the Saints symbols came into standard use. And I wonder if not after the Reformation as the comments were quoted as being from a source form around 1812-14.
I found one mention of Saint Cuthbert's having a cross, found the colors for Saint John's and Saint Wilfrid's but no hard descriptions.
The monument in Northallerton (and alternate name for the battle as well) was the next clue. It contained images from a 1600s book of the battle, but it shows only two of the flags and they are hard to make out. The representations on the monument itself are cleaned up versions. The image from the 1600s seems to show a ring or circle around a cross and the other an almost ying-yang like symbol that looks like water drops. And at this
point I will say what I have drawn up for all but King Stephen and Saint Peter of York are conjecture.
Saint Peter of York: gules, a pallium argent charged with four crosses formee fitche, edged and fringed or. Not sure if the charges should all be on
the lower or upper arms of the Pallium. Or if they should be angled on it if they are on the upper.
Saint Wilfrid of Ripon: At this point may be the paired water drop one on the monument, he was known as a converter and baptizer in his day. Still working on the colors. Red, yellow and blue are mentioned for him.
Saint John of Beverley: Its colors were definitely red, yellow and green with a single cross on it. From the original drawing it is probable that it is a
circled Celtic styled cross and not the same style as those on St. Peter's.
I have also found mention of two other flags maybe used at this battle. Both have been mentioned as part of the Standard and there may have been four not just three flags on the mast. It also seems that they may have all been hung together or equal distances around the top, given the area rivalries that is very possible. And no mention found of any given predominance over the others by flying higher. The two new ones are:
King Stephen: same as his arms; gule a sagittary or; a fairly simple one to draw up.
Saint Cuthbert: may or may not have been included, mixed in with in some books, in others said to have been used earlier to rally support and in some of the skirmishes leading up to the battle. It contained his personal cross on a white background, a rounded red cross with gold accents on a white background. This is the one whose description lead me to confuse it with St. Andrews and in another source Northumberland's was mislabeled as his.
Finally, Northumberland's flag is still in use and seems to be one of the earliest flags known of in England. It was also used to represent Saint Oswald(?) as it flew over his burial site.
Here is my attempt to recreate these banners:
Fanatici Feedback
Forthcoming.
| Top of Page | Tips and Guides |
Last Updated: Feb. 4, 2003
Thanks to Mike Stelzer for creating this guide to Fanaticus. Comments, suggested additions, and/or critiques are welcome. Direct them to Chris Brantley at brant@erols.com.
|