![\"\"](\"http:\/\/flags.abcounties.com\/files\/2012\/01\/Somerset.gif\")
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The flag depicts the traditional dragon emblem of Somerset, a\u00a0design first promoted as the county flag\u00a0by Ed Woods in 2006. The\u00a0red dragon\u00a0has been used for the last century by the local county council as their coat of arms but it is ultimately derived from the banners borne by Alfred the Great and his kinsmen during the era of the Viking Wars, which were variously described as bearing red or gold dragons or wyverns. Further research suggests a potential linkage with the county that reaches further back to Celtic\u00a0use of a dragon symbol itself ultimately derived from use of the Draco symbol by the Roman military during the Roman occupation of Britain.\u00a0\u00a0In essence therefore, the\u00a0 flag is a traditional design with a pedigree of over a thousand years. In 2013 the design was submitted to a county flag competition\u00a0which it duly won.\u00a0The flag is\u00a0promoted at http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SomersetFlag<\/a>\u00a0which features much discussion of the provenance of\u00a0this design.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The flag depicts the traditional dragon emblem of Somerset, a\u00a0design first promoted as the county flag\u00a0by Ed Woods in 2006. The\u00a0red dragon\u00a0has been used for the last century by the local county council as their coat of arms but it is ultimately derived from the … Continue reading