Since Southend was officially granted City status on 1st March, it is a good moment to remind ourselves of the Coat of Arms and the meaning it contains.

The Arms were officially granted on January 1, 1915, with the crest and supporters granted one day later. The Arms were transferred from the County Borough to the Borough council on May 21, 1974.

The blue field represents the sea. On this are placed symbols of the old parishes that made up the town in 1915. The lilies and vase, symbol of the Virgin Mary are for St Mary, Prittlewell (originally a Cluniac Priory). The anchor—the symbol of St Clement—is for Leigh. The gridiron is for St Lawrence (Eastwood), and the trefoil, symbol of the Holy Trinity, is for Southchurch. The crest is a ship's mast for the historic port of Leigh-on-Sea. The motto is: Per mare, per ecclesiam, through the sea and through the Church.

So, the Christian Faith is deeply embedded in the Arms of our City and it is good to remember that it was the Catholic Faith that informed the culture and mores of this area, as indeed of the nation. We remember to pray once again for Sir David Amess—a faithful son of the Church—and who worked tireless for this Constituency and who made the City status a reality.