A Day For England!

St George's Day celebrates everything about being English and our great English Heritage.

The day is celebrated each year on the 23rd April. It is celebrated on this date as this is supposedly when St George died in 303 AD.

The exact details about St George and his life remain a mystery, but most of us conjure up a picture of a heroic knight slaying a fierce fire-breathing dragon.

Who was St George?

He is England's patron saint and his story is as iconic as his white and red flag which is the National flag of England known as St George's cross - derived from the St George's cross. The red cross can be traced back to the middle ages.

We think of St George as being a knight but he was a Roman soldier of Greek origin and an officer in the Roman army. He was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He was then a Christian martyr.

The legend goes that St George saved a princess from a dragon and he protected himself by the sign of the cross. He killed the dragon and the blood turned into a red rose which he gave to the princess.

England shares St George with Venice, Genoa, Portugal and Catalonia among others as their patron saint and many of these places have their own celebrations and ceremonies in his honour.

The Tudor Rose

The Tudor Rose (sometimes called the Union rose) is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which is a combination of the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York.

It was first introduced by Henry VII. The Tudor Rose badge is used by every English and British monarch since Henry VII. It is actually depicted on the 20 pence piece of 1982.


Shakespeare Day

The 23rd April each year is also known as Shakespeare Day, as William Shakespeare, one of England's greatest poets and dramatists died on the 23rd April 1616.

No one is sure of the exact date of his birth but he was born in Statford-upon-Avon and was baptised on the 26th April 1564. William Shakespeare is also known as 'The Bard of Avon'.