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Governor of Tasmania (Australia)

image by Clay Moss, 3 Oct 2007

Governor's flag
1875 Governor's flag
1876-1977 Governor's flag

See also:

State Governor

The Tasmanian State Governor's flag was changed to a slight variation of the State Flag, with the addition of the St. Edward's Crown above the fly badge in February 1977, after the South Australian governor made a similar change.
Ralph Bartlett, 4 August 2004

I did not draw the lion on my image above. Instead, Bruce Berry photographed the lion on his Tasmanian state flag, and I in turn Photoshopped it onto a disk and then my image. This gave me the exact lion used on virtually all current Tasmanian flags.

As was with the Governor's flags of New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia, I was able to get accurate up to date information and imaging to make an accurate illustration of the entire Tasmanian Governor's defacement including crown size in relationship to the disk, and distance between crown and disk.

So, this is what it looks like today.
Clay Moss, 27 July 2007

1875 Governor's flag

When Sir Frederick Weld became Governor of Tasmania in 1875 he found that nothing had been done to implement the Colonial Office Circular of December 1865, which introduced colonial Blue Ensigns, nor the Circular of September 1869, which introduced defaced Union Jacks for Colonial Governors. On 14 October he [sent the selected flags] to the Earl of Carnarvon.

The flags were also announced in The Hobart Town Gazette Extraordinary of 9 November 1875. The badge to be charged on the Governor's Flag was a golden lion 'in the passant position' on a gold and white wreath (torse) and placed on a white circular shield surrounded by a garland. (In the drawing the lion is facing to the right).

Sources: National Archives (PRO) CO 283/58, CO 323/298, CO 323/318, CO 323/321, CO 323/326 and notes compiled by Ralph Kelly from the same documents on microfilms PRO No.2402 and PRO No.2405 in the Mitchell Library of the State Library of New South Wales
David Prothero, 27 November 2008

1876-1977 Governor's flag

image by Martin Grieve, 27 Nov 2008

In the middle of November 1875 the Governor received a Colonial Office Circular which had been sent to all Governors on 23 August. Among other things it noted that the badge which should 'be adopted in all cases' was the 'distinctive device on the Seal of the Colony, exclusive of the Royal Arms'. As a consequence of this Circular the announcement concerning flags in the Gazette of 9 November was revoked in the Gazette of 23 November, and the Colonial Secretary in Tasmania wrote to the Colonial Office on 29 November amending the Despatch of 14 October. The device on the Public Seal, three female figures, was deemed entirely unsuited as a badge, and the same lion badge was resubmitted, though it was now red, with no torse, and facing the other way.

The Admiralty had already approved the gold lion badge but, in a letter sent to the Colonial Office on 27 March 1876, raised no objection to the revised lion. A letter from the Colonial Office to Governor Weld approving 'the Device to be borne on the Flag to be flown by the Governor of Tasmania and on the fly of the Blue Ensign' was sent on 19 April 1876, and announced in the Hobart Gazette on 25 September. The badge for the Governor's Flag consisted of a red lion passant, fimbriated in black, on a white roundel surrounded by a green garland.