Flag of New South Wales
Encyclopedia
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in 1876.
The flag is based on the defaced
Defacement (flag)
Defacement is a term used in heraldry and vexillology to refer to the addition of a symbol or charge to another flag. For example, the Australian flag is the British Blue Ensign defaced with the Southern Cross in the fly and the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter, beneath the Union...
British Blue Ensign
Blue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....
with the state badge located in the fly. The badge is a white disc with the cross of St George. In the centre of the cross is a golden lion passant guardant and on each arm of the cross is an eight-pointed gold star.
This flag was adopted due to criticisms from the British Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
that the previous design was too similar to the design of the Victorian flag
Flag of Victoria
The flag of Victoria, symbolising the state of Victoria in Australia, is a British Blue Ensign defaced by the state badge of Victoria in the fly. The badge is the Southern Cross topped by an imperial crown, which is currently the St Edward's Crown...
.
The state badge was designed by the Colonial Architect James Barnet
James Barnet
James Johnstone Barnet was the Colonial Architect for New South Wales from 1862 - 1890.-Life and career:Barnet was born at Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland. The son of a builder, he was educated at the local high school...
and Captain Francis Hixson, a retired Royal Navy officer. Even though no meaning for the design was given, it is perhaps a simplified version of what was the semi-official arms of New South Wales at the time.
Previous flags
The first flag of New South Wales was adopted 1867. It too was a defaced British Blue Ensign with the letters "NSW" in white located in the fly. The flag was a response to the passing of the British Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 in which all colonial vessels should "wear the Blue Ensign with the seal or badge of the colony in the fly thereof".
New South Wales then adopted a second flag in 1870 and it was almost identical to that of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. This flag was also a defaced British Blue Ensign with the "Governor's Badge" located in the fly. The badge was the Southern Cross
Crux
Crux is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but is one of the most distinctive. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped asterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross.-Visibility:...
and an imperial crown situated above the Southern Cross. The difference between this flag and that of the Victorian flag
Flag of Victoria
The flag of Victoria, symbolising the state of Victoria in Australia, is a British Blue Ensign defaced by the state badge of Victoria in the fly. The badge is the Southern Cross topped by an imperial crown, which is currently the St Edward's Crown...
was that the stars were gold and ranged from five to nine points with each star having one point pointing to the bottom of the flag.