In 1816, Lord Exmouth flew a dark green flag with white circles at the Bombardment of Algiers,[4][5] now on view at the Teign Valley Museum.

Subsequently the then Minister for Housing, Keith Hill, said local authorities can officially "turn a blind eye" to the practice of flying the county flag from poles.

[12] The creation of the flag drew criticism from Cornish nationalists, who accused it online of being an attempt to "hijack" their culture.

He also suggested that the new-found sense of Devonian identity was a backlash against incoming "city-dwellers settling in the South West".

[13] The decision to dedicate the flag to St Petroc was not without controversy as the saint is equally popular in neighbouring Cornwall.