Coat of arms is a heraldic device that was developed in northern Europe in the mid-twelfth century and was used by the monarch, knights and aristocracy for identification purposes. A coat of arms consists of a shield (which bears the iconography) topped by the crest (the three-dimensional device borne on top of a helmet resting on a two-toned wreath) and a motto displayed either below the shield or above the crest.
The Arms of Lowestoft were granted to the Borough Council in 1913. The blazon (description) reads as follows:
“Argent on a Chevron Sable between in chief an Antique Crown between two Roses Gules each Rose charged with another Rose Argent all barbed and seeded proper and in base a Sun issuant Or three Lowestoft China Plates all proper” and “On a Wreath of the Colours a demi figure representing St. Margaret holding in the hand a Pearl all proper”. With the motto “Point du jour”.
The demi figure featured on the coat of arms is St Margaret, the patron saint of childbirth and pregnant women, to whom the parish church of Lowestoft is dedicated. The plates represent the Lowestoft Porcelain Factory, which was established in Bell Lane (crown Street) in 1757 and operated until 1802.
The rising sun at the base refers to Lowestoft’s location, as the most easterly town of the country it is the first place to see the sunrise. “Point du jour” translates to “daybreak”.
When the Borough Council was abolished in 1974 the Coat of Arms fell into disuse.
In 2023, Lowestoft Town Council made the decision to appeal to the College of Arms for the Coat of Arms to be transferred over from the Borough Council. This transfer was finalised in 2024.
