The flag of the Hudson's Bay Company is used to represent the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

. The flag varied over time. From July 21, 1682, to 1965, the flag consists of the Red Ensign with the letters "HBC" in the lower field. In 1970 the company used the flag that display the company's coat of arms. Currently the company flag is the banner form of the company logo.

History

Following the incorporation of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1670, the company was granted permission on July 21, 1682, by the first governor of the company,

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist caval ...

, to use a modified version of the Red Ensign on its forts and ships entering

Hudson Strait Hudson Strait (french: Détroit d'Hudson) links the Atlantic Ocean and Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and ...

. The canton have been changed twice. Between 1682 and 1707, the

Flag of St. George The flag of England is the national flag of England, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is derived from Saint George's Cross (heraldic blazon: ''Argent, a cross gules''). The association of the red cross as an emblem of Englan ...

was located in the canton before being replaced by the

Flag of Great Britain The flag of Great Britain, commonly known as King's Colours, the first Union Flag, the Union Jack, or the British flag, was used at sea from 1606 and more generally from 1707 to 1801. It was the first flag of Great Britain. It is the precursor ...

. In 1801 this was replaced by the

Flag of the United Kingdom The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag. The design of the Union Jack dates back to the Act of Union 1801 which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in per ...

following the

1801 Act of Union The Acts of Union 1800 (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a single 'Act of Union 1801') were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Irela ...

. The flag shared the same design as the

Flag of Ontario The flag of Ontario is the provincial flag of Ontario, Canada. It is a defaced Red Ensign, with the Royal Union Flag in the canton and the Ontario shield of arms in the fly. The flag of Ontario was derived from the Canadian Red Ensign, whi ...

and the

Flag of Manitoba The flag of Manitoba consists of a Red Ensign defaced with the shield of the provincial coat of arms. Adopted in 1965 shortly after the new national flag was inaugurated, it has been the flag of the province since May 12 of the followi ...

in using the Red Ensign. The use of Red Ensign by the company was stopped in 1965 after the Maple Leaf Flag was introduced. Prior to 1869 the flag was used as both the flag of Rupert's Land and the Hudson's Bay Company. After Rupert's Land was purchased by the government of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, the flag continued as the flag of the HBC.The Flags of Canada - The Yukon and the Northwest Territories
/ref> In 1970, the company flag was based on the Governor's standard bearing the company's coat of arms (in gold on white field), which adopted in 1779. In the fall of 2012, the Hudson's Bay Company launched a re-design of both its corporate and retail logos, since then, the company flag is the same design as the company logo, which is the dark blue field and the letters "HBC" in the centre.

References

External links

The Flags of Canada, by Alistair B. FraserHudson's Bay Company Heritage FAQ
Flags of Canada Red Ensigns Hudson's Bay Company Flags displaying animals {{Canada-flag-stub

History

See also

References

External links