| Flag Type: | County Flag |
|---|---|
| Flag Date: | 16 September 2008 |
| Flag Designer: | Stephen Coombes & David White |
| Adoption Route: | Popular Vote |
| UK Design Code: | UNKG7416 |
| Aspect Ratio: | 3:5 |
| Pantone® Colours: | Yellow 116, Red 186, White |
| Certification: | Flag Institute Chief Vexillologist, Graham Bartram |
| Notes: | The Dorset Flag is a community flag proclaiming the unique identity of this historic English county. It was chosen by public vote following a design competition organised by Dorset County Council. The winning entry displays the ‘Dorset Cross‘, also known as ‘St Wite’s Cross’. The colours of red, white and gold come from the Dorset coat of arms. The red and white also evokes England. Gold symbolises Dorset’s agricultural heritage and sandy beaches, as well as recalling notable landmarks like Golden Cap, the highest point on the Jurassic Coast, and the much-photographed Gold Hill, Shaftesbury. The colours of the Dorset Flag also have historical links. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex has a traditional association with a golden dragon; the Dorset militia wore red coats with yellow facings during Monmouth’s Rebellion in 1685. The Dorset Cross is inclusive and non-denominational. However, it also represents St Wite – widely considered as Dorset’s patron saint. Her remains lie in the parish church of Whitchurch Canonicorum in one of only two English shrines to survive the Reformation intact. Through St Wite, the Dorset Flag thus symbolises all that is unchanging in the Dorset landscape. |
