The Southend Coat of Arms S
outhend was awarded County Borough status in 1914. The status of County Borough meant that the town could control aspects of local government that were normally the County’s responsibility, such as the police and education. The County Borough included not only Southend but also Southchurch, Leigh-on-Sea and part of Eastwood. The Borough boundaries were extended in 1933 to include Shoeburyness and North Shoebury, the rest of Eastwood and parts of Great Wakering and Rochford. The Coat Of Arms A coat of arms was created for the new County Borough in which the two main elements central to its history - the church and the sea - were the principal supporters. This was emphasised in the motto “Per Mare Per Ecclesiam” By the Sea and By the Church. The Arms and Crest and the Supporters were granted by Letters Patent dated 1st and 2nd January 1915
respectively by King George V. By Order dated 21st May 1974, the Arms, Crest and Supporters were transferred to the newly created Borough Council of Southend-on-Sea. Meaning The blue background indicates the sea. The lilies rising from the vase, the central feature of the anils, are the emblem of the Virgin Mary and represent both the Mother Parish of St Mary, Prittlewell and the Cluniac Priory dedicated to St Mary, founded at Prittlewell about 1110 AD. To the left of the Arms is the golden anchor which is the emblem of St Clement the patron saint of the Church of Leigh. On the other side the golden gridiron stands for St Lawrence the patron saint of Eastwood Church, being the instrument of his martyrdom, whilst the golden trefoil at the foot of the arms, being the symbol of the Holy Trinity, represents the dedication of the Parish Church of Southchurch. The supporters, the medieval fishermen (trailing a net from his right hand) and the Cluniac bearded monk (holding a red book in his right hand and a staff in his left) were chosen as representing the two influences which most affected the early life of the town. The red mural crown is a coronet made of masonary to represent the walls of a city and is an honourable distinction associated with crests of several towns and cities. The ship’s mast, flying the banner of St. George, with a crow’s nest like that of an old galley refers to Leigh’s history as a port and the town’s general connection with shipping.
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