Prior to the Reformation in the sixteenth century, a number of different English saints were regarded as national patrons, though the royal family had adopted St George, a soldier’s saint brought back from the Third Crusade. When the veneration of the saints was suppressed by the Protestants, royal patronage left St George as the sole candidate for England’s patron.

Shortly after Scotsman became James I of England in 1603, he proclaimed his dual heritage with a new flag combining the Scottish saltire with the cross of St George, a flag that evolved into the Union Jack in 1801. St George became England’s national patron, and thanks to his military background may be found on war memorials across the country.

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