Scotland · Geographic county

Sutherland county flag

Flag artwork supplied by the Flag Institute UK Flag Registry; reproduced as the registered public flag. Optimised to WebP without changing the design. Artwork and public-use information.

Registered county flag

County	Sutherland
Geographical grouping	Scotland
Registration recorded by British County Flags	14 December 2018
Design attribution	Not named in the Registry entry
Status checked	24 October 2026

Design and symbolism

A black saltire and Nordic cross overlap on white. An eight-pointed golden star marks their meeting point.

History and use

The two cross forms bring together Scottish and Norse associations. Black evokes dark skies and peat, while the star is linked to the sun and the county’s southern-name tradition. A public vote selected the design in 2018 after an earlier selection process was reconsidered.

Sources and acknowledgements

County geography follows the Historic Counties Standard, published by the Historic Counties Trust, as used by RealCounties. Read our source and status guidance.

Flag-profile text: Historic Counties Institute, CC BY-SA 3.0, drawing on the credited research. Artwork has its own credit above.