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New England flags (U.S.)

Historical

New England flags
New England Ensign 1775
Commercial New England flag

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New England flags

In 1636 a famous sermon was preached in Salem, Massachusetts by Roger Williams (who was later banished and became the founder of Rhode Island) which stated the cross was a symbol of popery and was therefore the symbol of the antichrist. The Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Endicott, fearful for his soul, subsequently ordered the cross removed from the flags used in Massachusetts. He was stopped, however, by the Great and General Court (the local legislature) who examined the circumstances of the incident and decided Endicott had "exceeded the limits of his calling" and stripped him of office and forbade him from holding any public office for one full year. Thereupon the Court stated the standard bearers of the colony could adopt any flag they should choose and, without exception, they removed the cross from their flags, leaving the de facto Massachusetts flag red with a white canton. There are a number of references to this flag over the next 50 years.
by Dave Martucci, 27 April 1998

In 1686, Lt. Graydon painted a picture of the New England Flag in his manuscript, now in the British Museum. It shows a white flag with a red cross and a green tree.
by Dave Martucci, 27 April 1998

It has been assumed this is the jack version of the flag because other contemporary sources show a red flag with a white canton bearing the red cross and green tree.
by Dave Martucci, 27 April 1998

A similar flag with a blue field is shown in a french source of the period but is described as "The Red Flag of New England" a mistake that is still repeated to this day.

After the St. Andrews Cross was added to the St. George's Cross to make the Union Flag, New England Flags sometimes showed the British Red Ensign with the tree in the first quarter.
by Dave Martucci, 27 April 1998

After 19 April 1775 and the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the cross seemed pointless to the more radical colonists and was dropped.
by Dave Martucci, 27 April 1998

This is the flag pictured in Trumbell's painting "The Battle of Bunker Hill" and it is documented in numerous contemporary sources. The Massachusetts Navy adopted the jack form of this flag with a motto "Appeal To Heaven" as their ensign in December 1775. It was changed in 1971 when the motto was dropped.