Government and Politics of Jersey

National Flag

Flag Symbolism

white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow

Flag History

For about 200 years the flag of Jersey was white witha red saltire. The arms, added in 1980, are those granted about 1290 by Edward I, King of England, to the Baliff of Jersey. The shield is ensigned with an ancient crown, similar to that attributed to the House of Plantagenet.

Date of Adoption

7 April 1981

National Anthem

Anthem Lyrics

Ma Normandie Quand tout renait a l'espérance, Et que l'hiver fuit loin de nous, Sous le beau ciel de notre France, Quand le soleil revient plus doux, Quand la nature est reverdie, Quand l'hirondelle est de retour, J'aime à revoir ma Normandie, C'est le pays qui m'a donné le jour. J'ai vu les champs de l'Helvétie, Et ses chalets et ses glaciers, J'ai vu le ciel de l'Italie, Et Venise et ses gondeliers. En saluant chaque patrie, Je me disais aucun séjour N'est plus beau que ma Normandie, C'est le pays qui m'a donné le jour. Il est un âge dans la vie, Ou chaque rêve doit finir, Un âge ou l'âme recueillie A besoin de se souvenir. Lorsque ma muse refroidie Vers le passé fera retour, J'irai revoir ma Normandie, C'est le pays qui m'a donné le jour.

Anthem Lyrics (English)

When everything is reborn in hope And winter flees far from us, Under the beautiful sky of our France, When the the sun returns gentler, When nature has turned green again, When the swallow has returned, I like to see once more my Normandy, It’s the country where I saw the light of day. I’ve seen the fields of Helvetia, And its chalets and its glaciers, I’ve seen the sky of Italy, And Venice and its gondoliers. Greeting each homeland, I told myself that no stay Is finer than my Normandy, It’s the country where I saw the light of day. There comes a time of life, When every dream must finish, A time when the restful spirit Needs to remember. When my chilled muse Makes its way back to the past, I’ll go see once more my Normandy, It’s the country where I saw the light of day.

Anthem History

Ma Normandie is the anthem of the Bailiwick of Jersey, a British Crown dependency in the Channel Islands, and was written and composed by Frédéric Bérat. Jersey is historically part of the Duchy of Normandy, and French has been for centuries an official administrative language of Jersey, whose inhabitants have traditionally spoken a variety of Norman language.