The Flag Institute is a research and documentation centre for flags and flag information, founded on St George's Day

St George's Day

St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in AD 303...

, 23 April 1971 by William Crampton

William Crampton

William George Crampton, PhD, MEd was a British vexillologist. His chief legacy the Flag Institute has hundreds of members in the UK and overseas. He was recognised as Britain's foremost authority on flags by government agencies, the flag trade, the media, publishers, librarians and...

 (later President of FIAV

Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques

The Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques is an international federation of 55 regional, national, and multinational associations and institutions across the globe that study vexillology, which FIAV defines in its constitution as "the creation and development of a body of...

) and Captain EMC Barraclough CBE RN. Although not an official body, it is the principal advisor and designer of flags to the government of the United Kingdom

Government of the United Kingdom

Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...

. It keeps a registry of flags for the counties of the United Kingdom. Flag designs with which its officers have been involved include those for the British Antarctic Territory

Flag of the British Antarctic Territory

The Flag of the British Antarctic Territory was granted in 1963, a year after the British Antarctic Territory was created. Previously the Territory was a part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies and used the same flag....

, Tristan da Cunha

Flag of Tristan da Cunha

The flag of Tristan da Cunha was adopted on October 20, 2002, in a proclamation made by the Governor of Saint Helena under a Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth II...

, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the southeast coast of England...

, the Special Boat Service

Special Boat Service

The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...

, the Queen's Colour of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

, the badge and ensign of the UK Border Agency

UK Border Agency

The UK Border Agency is the border control body of the United Kingdom government and part of the Home Office. It was formed on 1 April 2008 by a merger of the Border and Immigration Agency , UKvisas and the Detection functions of HM Revenue and Customs...

 and the flag of the UK Supreme Court. The Flag Institute is a membership-based vexillological organization with over 500 members from all five continents.

The institute maintains the William Crampton Library

William Crampton Library

The William Crampton Library, so named in honour of Dr William Crampton, founder of the Flag Institute, is the United Kingdom's largest single library devoted to the subject of vexillology....

, named in honour of its co-founder, based in Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

, England. Comprising over 40,000 flag related volumes it is thought to be one of the largest vexillology

Vexillology

Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum, meaning 'flag', and the Greek suffix -logy, meaning 'study'. The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era; its name is a diminutive form of the word velum...

-based libraries in the world.

The Institute publishes a quarterly 24 page full colour journal, Flagmaster

Flagmaster

Flagmaster is a vexillology magazine published by the Flag Institute and edited by Michael Faul. Since November 2005, the magazine has been printed entirely in colour; it is the second periodical principally about flags to have been so printed .Flagmaster was mentioned prominently in a 30 September...

, and a virtual magazine called eFlags. Since 2006 it has sponsored an annual public lecture on a flag-related topic, known as the ‘Perrin

William Gordon Perrin

Lieutenant Colonel William Gordon Perrin, OBE was an R.A.F. and Navy officer, and the Admiralty librarian from 1908 to 1931. He is most well known for his works on flags; particularly British Flags: Their Early History, and Their Development at Sea which has been described as the standard by which...

 Lecture’. It holds twice yearly meetings for its members in various locations around the United Kingdom. The Institute itself is governed by a Council of ten members elected annually by members. Its headquarters are at 38 Hill Street, Mayfair, London W1J 5NS.

Council members

The current council members of the Flag Institute Council are:

• Capt Malcolm Farrow OBE FCMI FFI RN (President)
• Geoff Parsons (Chairman)
• Revd Canon John Hall FFIAV FFI (Treasurer)
• Charles Ashburner (General Secretary)
• Graham Bartram FFI
  Graham Bartram
  Graham Bartram is a British vexillologist who is currently Secretary-General for Congresses of the Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques, the Chief Vexillologist of the Flag Institute and a consultant to the British government on flag design and usage.Graham Bartram was born...
  
  (Chief Vexillologist)
• Michael Faul FFIAV FFI (Editor, Flagmaster)
• Ian Sumner FFI (Librarian)
• James Joyce (Webmaster)
• John Ford (Council Secretary)
• Nick Weekes
• Philip Tibbetts (Asst to the Chief Vexillologist)