Colchester, Essex (England)

Last modified: 2025-12-13 by rob raeside
Keywords: colchester | essex |
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• Description of the flag
• Arms

• Essex
• England

Description of the flag

This photo of Colchester Town Hall features a banner of arms. Note that, whereas the horizontal and vertical limbs of the cross in the coat of arms are the same length, the horizontal limbs of the flag in the photo are somewhat longer than the vertical limbs (presumably to match the flag’s dimensions). Wikipedia provides an illustration in which the cross's limbs are of equal length.

The arms are blazoned: "Gules, two staves raguly and couped argent, one in pale, surmounted by another in fess between two ducal coronets in chief Or the bottom part of the shaft enfiled with a ducal coronet of the last."

The arms represent the True Cross, which by tradition was discovered by St Helena – a native of Colchester and today the city’s patron saint. The red field is said to symbolise the blood of Christ. Henry V first awarded Colchester a coat of arms in 1415.

Dan, 18 November 2025

I think that the "two staves raguly and couped argent, one in pale, surmounted by another in fess" means that the horizontal stave should lie on top of the vertical one and "couped argent" would mean that the cut ends of the staves should be white. However, the blazon above differs from that for the arms (below).
Rob Raeside, 18 November 2025

Arms

image located by Peter Edwards, 1 November 2017

Borough of Colchester Arms.
Blazon: "Gules a cross raguly, couped proper, the arms joined in fylfot, between two ducal coronets in chief or the bottom part of the cross enfiled with a ducal coronet of the last, beneath each coronet a nail of the first, that in base piercing the cross."
Image and Blazon: Borough of Colchester Council - http://www.colchester.gov.uk/article/12799/The-borough-arms
Peter Edwards, 31 October 2017

image located by Dan, 19 November 2025

By 1558, Colchester's arms had been amended, and the green (proper, conjoined) true cross had been replaced by two argent staves. It seems this was the work of Protestantising heralds who were likely wary of the Catholic cult of the True Cross. The blazon I gave refers to this later shield, recorded by the College of Arms in 1558 – please see the image attached.

In 1915 the Corporation of Colchester sought the advice of 'many prominent heralds' and it was decided to revert to the 1413 arms (green cross, fylfot, etc.) (source: Fox-Davies, AC The book of public arms). This is the shield used by Colchester today, and the basis of its banner of arms.
Dan, 19 November 2025