Symbols of Sussex
Symbols of Sussex are the objects, images or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative or otherwise characteristic of Sussex or Sussex culture. As a rule, these symbols are cultural icons that have emerged from Sussex folklore and tradition, meaning few have any official status. However, most if not all maintain recognition at a county or national level, and some, such as the emblem of Sussex, have been codified in heraldry, and are established, official and recognised symbols of Sussex.
Flags
Symbol | Image | Description |
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Flag of Sussex |
The flag of Sussex, sometimes known as St. Richard's Flag, has been Sussex's county flag since it was registered with the Flag Institute on 20 May 2011.[1] A banner of arms, the flag is based on the traditional emblem of Sussex. | |
Cross of Saint Richard of Chichester |
The flag of St. Richard of Chichester, the patron saint of Sussex, is sometimes used as an alternative to the Sussex flag, and is flown on Sussex Day
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Heraldry
Symbol | Image | Description |
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Emblem of Sussex |
The Knight of the Shire, Sir John de Radynden.[3] Sussex’s six martlets are today held to symbolise the traditional six sub-divisions of the county known as rapes.[4]
The emblem of Sussex continues to represent Sussex and forms the basis of the coats of arms of Sussex County Football League and Sussex Police .
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Flora
Symbol | Image | Description |
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Round-headed Rampion
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Known locally as the 'Pride of Sussex', the round-headed rampion (Phyteuma orbiculare) is the county flower of Sussex. The plant is more common on the South Downs than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.[5]
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Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) | Also known as Sussex weed,[6] the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) is strongly associated with Sussex. Sussex oak was thought to be the best timber for shipbuilding,[7] being unmatched in durability and strength – qualities drawn from the ferruginous soil on which it grew.[8] |
Other symbols
Symbol | Image | Description |
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Sussex by the Sea | - | " Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club.[9]
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We wunt be druv | - | We wunt be druv is the unofficial motto of Sussex.[10] It is also used by some of the Sussex Bonfire Societies.[11][12] |
Saint Richard of Chichester
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Saint Richard of Chichester is the patron saint of Sussex.[13][14] Since 2007, the translated feast day of St Richard, 16 June, has been celebrated as Sussex Day.[15]
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Arms of St Richard | The insignia and shield of a male figure holding a sword across his mouth has represented the diocese of Chichester since the 13th century.[16] The imagery is parallel to that seen in an early 14th-century manuscript of the Apocalypse of St John.[16] This illustrates several passages with a figure who variously has a sword across his mouth, holds an open book, and is seated on a throne.[16] | |
Stoolball | The sport of stoolball is strongly associated with Sussex; it has been referred to as Sussex's 'national' sport[17] and a Sussex game[18] or pastime.[19] The sport's modern rules were codified at Glynde in 1881.[20] Modern stoolball is centred on Sussex where the game was revived in the early 20th century by Major William Grantham.[21][22] | |
Sussex Pond Pudding
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Sussex Pond Pudding is a traditional pudding believed to have originated in Sussex and first recorded in the 17th century.
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Sussex trug | The |
See also
- Cornish symbols
- Symbols of England
- Symbols of the United Kingdom
References
- ^ "Sussex". UK Flag Registry. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ Jamieson 1998, pp. 14–15
- ^ "The Sussex County Flag". The Sussex County Flag. December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Sussex Martlets". The Sussex County Flag. December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Round-headed rampion". Plant Life. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ Mabey 1996, p. 84
- ^ The Periodical, Volumes 40-41. Oxford University Press. 1975. p. 70.
- ^ Brandon 2006
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906022-10-5.
- ^ Lowerson 1980, p. 7.
- ^ "Newick Bonfire Society". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "Cliffe Bonfire Society". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "St. Richard". Catholic Online. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ Ramsey, Steve (June 2012). "Sussex Day". Sussex Living Magazine. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "Sussex Day". West Sussex County Council. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "Insignia and shield of the Diocese". Diocese of Chichester. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ Coates 2010, p. 79
- ^ Gomme 1894, p. 219
- ^ Locke 2011, p. 203
- ^ Collins 2005, p. 251
- ^ Locke 2011, p. 203
- ^ Nauright 2012, p. 194
- ^ Henley, Jon (3 October 2009). "How to make a trug". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ Locke 2011, p. 221
Bibliography
- Brandon, Peter (2006). Sussex. London: Phillimore. ISBN 978-0-7090-6998-0.
- Coates, Richard (2010). The Traditional Dialect of Sussex. Pomegranate Press. ISBN 978-1-907242-09-0.
- Collins, Tony, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Traditional British Rural Sports. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415352246.
- Gomme, Alice Bertha (1894). The traditional games of England, Scotland and Ireland : with tunes, singing rhymes and methods of playing according to the variants extant and recorded in different parts of the kingdom. London: David Nutt.
- Jamieson, Andrew Stewart (1998). Coats of Arms. Pitkin. ISBN 978-0-85372-870-2.
- Locke, Tim (2011). Slow Sussex and the South Downs. Buckinghamshire: Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 9781841623436.
- Lowerson, John (1980). A Short History of Sussex. Folkestone: Dawson Publishing. ISBN 0-7129-0948-6.
- Mabey, Richard (1996). Flora Britannica: The Definitive New Guide to Wild Flowers, Plants and Trees. London: Chatto & Windus / Sinclair Stevenson. ISBN 1856193772.
- Nauright, John (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1598843002.
- Weeks, Marcus (2008). Sussex Music. Alfriston: Snake River Press. ISBN 978-1-906022-10-5.