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Civic Heraldry of the United Kingdom
England
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WANSTEAD AND WOODFORD
Incorporated into : 1965 Redbridge
Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on October 6, 1937.
The martlets and leopard's faces are derived from the arms attributed to Edward the Confessor and King Harold, who gave the manors of Wanstead and Woodford the abbeys of Westminster and Waltham respectively. The cross flory alludes further to the monastic overlordship of the manors by these two powerful abbeys.
The hurst of trees represents Epping Forest and the woods which once flourished to a greater extent hereabouts, and from which Woodford takes its name. The heraldic fountains refer to the springs and streams of the district.
The herons, which once abounded in these marshy districts of Essex, are derived from the device used by the former Wanstead Urban District Council. The Saxon Crown refers to the fact that Wanstead and Woodford were both Royal manors in Saxon times.
Literature : Information and image from Scott-Giles, 1953 and here.
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