# East Essex (UK Parliament constituency)

East Essex, formally known as the East Division of Essex was a parliamentary constituency in the English county of Essex. From 1868 to 1885, it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, using the bloc vote system of election.

## History and boundaries

East Essex was created by the Reform Act 1867 for the 1868 general election as one of three two-member divisions of Essex (East, South and West), replacing the two divisions which had been created by the Reform Act 1832 (Northern and Southern). Initially named as the North East Division, it was renamed the East Division under the Boundaries Act 1868. The seat was created from parts of both South Essex and North Essex.
The place for "holding of courts for election of members" from 1867 became Braintree under the 1867 Act.
The boundaries were defined as:
* The Hundreds of Hinckford, Lexden, Tendring, Winstree, Witham, Thurstable, and Dengie.
See map on Vision of Britain website.
The Dengie hundred was transferred from the Southern Division, with the remainder being previously part of the abolished Northern division.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the three two-member divisions of Essex were abolished and replaced by eight single-member divisions. East Essex was replaced by the Harwich and Maldon Divisions and parts of the Saffron Walden and South Eastern Divisions.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | 1st Member | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Member | 2nd Party |
| 1868 | | James Round | Conservative | | Samuel Ruggles-Brise | Conservative |
| 1883 by-election | | James Round | Conservative | | Charles Hedley Strutt | Conservative |
| 1885 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results

General election 1868: East Essex :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Round | 2,861 | 28.5 | |
| | Conservative | Samuel Ruggles-Brise | 2,816 | 28.1 | |
| | Liberal | Thomas Western | 2,224 | 22.2 | |
| | Liberal | Thomas Abdy | 2,134 | 21.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 592 | 5.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,018 (est) | 76.4 (est) | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,564 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1874: East Essex :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Round | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Samuel Ruggles-Brise | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,453 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1880: East Essex :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Round | 2,691 | 35.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Samuel Ruggles-Brise | 2,561 | 33.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Charles Page Wood | 2,369 | 31.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 192 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,060 (est) | 79.3 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,380 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
Brise's resignation caused a by-election.
By-election, 25 Aug 1883: East Essex :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Hedley Strutt | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |