"The silver fesse (horizontal stripe across a field) with the wavy band of blue across the centre of the shield represents the River Darent. Also represented is a 'fool's cap' to indicate a watermark used in the paper industry of the town, while on each side are golden 'bessants' which are as near to the familiar 'tabloid' pills of Burroughs Wellcome as Heraldry permits. Each 'besant' is charged with an ear of wheat, symbolising flour milling. The anvil is emblematical of the engineering and metal-working factories in the town. Of the supporters, the Hermit represents the hermits of the ford who piloted travellers through the marshy Darent, and the Prioress on the left hand is a reminder of the Nunnery which existed here. The Motto 'Tenax et Fidelis' is translated as 'Steadfast and Faithful'.