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Civic Heraldry of the United Kingdom
England
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WALTHAMSTOW
Incorporated into : 1965 Waltham Forest
Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on December 6, 1929.
The anchors and seamew are from the arms of the Monoux (or Monox) family. Sir George Monoux, a City merchant and Lord Mayor of London, was Lord of the Manor in 1514. He was a great benefactor and founded the Monoux School. There seems to be some confusion as to the nature of the bird in the chief, Burke describes it as a dove and in the arms of the Monnox (or Monnoux) family of Bedford and London it is described as a martlet. The origin of the seamew is therefore a mystery. The Monnoux chief was blue and has been changed to represent the Maynard family, who have been connected with Walthamstow since the seventeenth century. The red sleeve or maunch is from the arms of the Toni family. Ralph de Toni, Walthamstow's first Norman Lord, inherited the Manor through his wife Alice, descendent of Waltheof, who held Walthamstow at the time of Edward the Confessor. The Tonis held the manor called Walthamstow-Toni until 1309. The manor passed to the Earls of Warwick, until it was forfeited in 1471 by the death of Richard, Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. The mural crown alludes to civic government and the dove with a sprig of oak is from the crest of the Monoux family, again with an unexplained change of tincture. The stag and talbot are a further reference to the Maynards, being derived from their supporters. The supporters with their wreaths of oak can also be seen to allude to the sporting joys of the great Forest of Essex, now known as Epping Forest, part of which lies within the Borough.
The motto is from William Morris's Dream of John Bull. William Morris lived in Walthamstow and had his home for a time at Water House or Winns, in what is now Lloyd Park.
Literature : Information and image from Scott-Giles, 1953, David Hale and here.
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