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Saint-Malo (Municipality, Ille-et-Vilaine, France): Historical flags

Flags of Saint-Malo in the 16th century
Saint-Malo corsairs' flag

See also:

Flags of Saint-Malo in the 18th century

Naval flag

Naval flag of Saint-Malo, 18th century - Image by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005

In the 18th century, the naval flag of Saint-Malo was ermine plain with a red canton charged with a black cross voided throughout. The red colour was probably borrowed from the municipal arms of Saint-Malo.

Merchant flag

Merchant flags of Saint-Malo, 18th century - Images by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005

The merchant ships used two closely related flags, both quartered by a black cross voided througout and with a plain red canton. The first flag, shown on Joseph Roux' flag chart (1766), has five ermine spots placed 2-1-2 in each white quarter, whereas the second flag has only one ermine spot in each white quarter.

Another merchant flag of Saint-Malo, 18th century - Image by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005

Roux's chart shows yet another merchant flag for Saint-Malo, blue, quartered by a black cross voided througout, with a plain red canton and five yellow fleurs-de-lis placed 3-2 in each blue quarter. There seems to be a progressive change from a pure Breton design (white with a black cross) to a French design (blue with a white cross).

Municipal flag

Municipal flags of Saint-Malo, 18th century - Images by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005

At the same time, the city of Saint-Malo used a flag quartered by a white cross, with the first and fourth quarters red and the second and third quarters blue; the canton bears a white shield charged with a yellow portcullis and surmounted by a white ermine passant.
A variant of the flag shows the four quarters blue and only the ermine in the canton.

Source: Philippe Rault (Les drapeaux bretons de 1188 à nos jours [rau98]). Rault's study is mostly based on his personal research and material published by G. Pasch in the magazine Neptunia in 1961-62.

Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005

Saint-Malo corsairs' flag

Saint-Malo corsairs' flags, 18th century - Images by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005

During the French Revolution and the First Empire, the corsairs' vessels used blue flags quartered by a white cross, with a red canton charged with a white ermine.

Sometimes, the canton had a blue border.

Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005