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Kent, United Kingdom

Coat of arms
Kent regiments
Diocese of Rochester
Admiral of the Medway
Port of Dover

Coat of Arms

by James Francom, 13 October 2003

The arms were granted on 17 October 1933 and re-confirmed in 1975. The white horse of Kent is supposedly the old symbol for the Saxon kingdom of Kent, dating from the 6 - 8th century.

The crest shows a mural crown, which symbolizes the many castles in the county, as well as the independent Saxon kingdom of Kent. The sails are symbols for the strong ties of the county with the sea and stand for the navy, the mercantile marine and fisheries. The sea lions are also a symbol for the strong ties with the navy, the lion being the British lion. The sea lions also symbolize that Kent is the frontier of Britain with continental Europe. The left supporter wears the arms of the Cinque Ports, five harbour cities that had to provide support for the English navy until modern times. Four of these cities are in Kent. The arms are three lions with ship hulls as tails.The right supporter wears a shield with the arms of the Archbishopric of Canterbury, founded in 597 by St. Augustine.

James Frankcom, 13 October 2003

Kent Regiments

The badges of some British regiments had a white horse that was not derived from the arms of Hanover:

The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
20th County of London Battalion (Blackheath and Woolwich)
Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry (Hussars)
Duke of Connaught's Own East Kent Yeomanry (Mounted Rifles)

These are all regiments associated with the County of Kent, one of the Saxon kingdoms supposed to have been founded by Hengist and Horsa. He was actually one person, but known as Hengist by the Frisians and Horsa by the Anglians - both words meaning 'horse'. The badge of Kent is a prancing white horse.

David Prothero, 2 June 1999

When the elector of Hanover became king of England the white horse seems to have been given prominence in other iconography. This may have been because, as others have noted, it was already a German symbol well accepted in England. The white horse of Hanover seems to be associated with the motto Nec Aspera Terrent, and the white horse of Kent with the motto Invicta.

T.F. Mills, 3 June 1999

Diocese of Rochester

by Mike Oettle, 17 January 2002

The flag to be flown in the diocese of Rochester is the flag of St George with, in the canton, a shield of the arms: Argent on a saltire gules an escallop or.

Mike Oettle, 17 January 2002

Admiral of the Medway

In 1930 the Town Clerk of Rochester informed the Admiralty that the Mayor of Rochester was, by the terms of various Charters granted between 1189 and 1692, Admiral of the Medway, and entitled to fly the flag of an admiral when on the river between Sheerness (where the river Medway flows into the Thames Estuary) and Hawkwood (near Maidstone). He enclosed the drawing of a flag, a St George's flag defaced in the centre with the arms of Rochester, which he suggested should be approved by the Admiralty, to obviate confusion between an Admiral of the Royal Navy, and the Admiral of the Medway.

The Admiralty replied that the title Admiral of the Medway did not confer the right to the proposed flag, which would contravene the Order in Council of 9 July 1864, that abolished Royal Navy Squadron Colours, and established the design of the flags of naval admirals. The Town Clerk then asked if the Mayor could continue to fly a plain St George's flag, something he had done for many years. At that time Chatham, which is on the opposite side of the river from Rochester, was a major naval dockyard port, so, not unsurprisingly, the Admiralty refused this request. [National Archives (PRO) ADM 1/8744/138]

David Prothero, 13 June 2003

Port of Dover

At http://www.doverport.co.uk/index.asp is a logo of this port that looks like a flag - white-blue-white (1:4:2) with canton half way with three boats.
Dov Gutterman, 21 October 2003

The canton is the arms of the Cinque Ports: per pale gules and azure three lions passant guardant dimidiated and conjoined to the hulks of as many ancient ships all in pale or. Dover was one of the principal members of the Cinque Ports organisation (something similar to the German Hansa towns, although not as powerful). Dover Council does not fly a flag of its own.
Ian Sumner, 22 October 2003