French national flag and ensign - this design was in use from 1794-1814 and after 1830. The ensign is made of wool bunting with a linen hoist and is hand sewn. A rope is attached for hoisting. The design consists of three vertical stripes - blue, white and red. Each stripe is constructed from twelve strips of fabric sewn horizontally. The bunting is woven 1 ply x 1 ply, 30 threads to the inch (warp), 26 to the inch (weft). The ensign belonged to French warship 'L'Etoile' 40 guns, captured by HMS 'Hebrus', Captain Edmund Palmer on 27 March 1814. This was the last naval ensign to be captured from the French during the Napoleonic Wars and was presented to Greenwich Hospital in 1866 by Captain Palmer's widow.