Prior to
its disestablishment in 1920, the
Anglican Church in Wales was a part of the
Church of England. The flag used to represent the church was the
Saint George's Cross, the same as the Church of England. Following the
Welsh Church Act 1914, the Church in Wales was disestablished and separated from the Church of England. In the 1930s, the Church of England started to fly
flags of England with the coat of arms of the respective
diocese in the upper left of the flag. This practice became popular and was adopted by the Church in Wales unofficially using a
flag of Saint David with the colours reversed in place of the Saint George's Cross. In 1954 the Church in Wales' governing body passed a motion for an official flag to represent the church. Following negotiations with the
College of Arms, it was decided that the new flag would consist of a blue cross with a white background with a gold celtic cross in the centre. The flag gained official status on 9 December 1954. == Official heraldry ==