Cult of Saint George

The World Cup is over and the flags are coming down. As a stateless zone the Island flies no flags, but we did observe that the flag of our nearest neighbour, the cross of Saint George, has been prominent in the vicinity. In a survey carried out in the evening of June 30th, a car flying this flag passed the Island's northern shore every 1.75 minutes.

We will leave for now discussions of contemporary forms of nationalism and simply note that the Island witnessed an earlier manifestation of the Cult of Saint George in May 1416. On the 1 May Sigismund, Emperor of Germany, landed at Dover, and travelled up to London via the Old Kent Road, passing therefore the site of the Island. On the 7th he was met at St Thomas a Watering (now the corner of Old Kent Road and Albany Road) by the King, Henry V. Sigismund was said to have brought with him as a gift the heart of St George, which was placed in St George's Chapel, Windsor (source: Boger, E., Bygone Southwark, London, 1895).