deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Buckinghamshire (/ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃər,-ʃɪər/, abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial county [A county where a lord-lieutenant is appointed by the monarch to act as the authority) in South East England and one of the home counties. (The term used for the group of counties that neighbor London). It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the east, Greater London to the south-east, Berkshireto the south, and Oxfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Milton Keynes, and the county town is Aylesbury.

“The name Buckinghamshire is Anglo-Saxon in origin and means The district (scire) of Bucca’s home. Bucca’s home refers to Buckingham in the north of the county, and is named after the Anglo-Saxon landowner, Bucca. The county has been so named since about the 12th century; however, the county has existed since it was a subdivision of the kingdom of Mercia 585-919.”

The county can be split into two sections geographically. The south leads from the River Thames up the gentle slopes of the Chiltern Hills to the more abrupt slopes on the northern side leading to the Vale of Aylesbury and the City of Milton Keynes UA, a large and relatively level expanse of land that is the southern catchment of the River Great Ouse. [Thames and Ouse are two of the longest rivers in England.]

The motif for the flag is seen beginning in the coat of arms. It features a muted white swan in chains. This dates back to the Anglo-Saxon times when swans were bred for the king’s pleasure. The chains show the swam is bound to the monarch. Above the swan is a gold band in the center is Whiteleaf Cross (representing the many ancient landmarks of the county.). The shield is surmounted by a beech tree representing the Chiltern Forest that once covered half of the county. On the one side of the shield is a buck for Buckingham and a swan for the county symbol. [The moto on the bottom in Latin translates to ‘No backward step’]

The flag features a chained swan (the Bohun Swan) on a bicolor red and black taken from the arms of Bucks. The swan emblem dates back to the Anglo-Saxon times.

The Bohun Swan is also called the Bucks Swan. It was a heraldic badge originally used the England by the mediaeval noble family of de Bohun, Earls of Hereford and Earls of Essex. Above is the Dunstable Swan Jewel, (something we saw in the British Museum) Most likely given to his supporters by Henry V.