# Essex (UK Parliament constituency)

Essex was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290 to 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It elected two MPs, traditionally referred to as Knights of the Shire, to the House of Commons. Under the Great Reform Act 1832, it was divided into two two-member constituencies (Essex North and Essex South).

## Area covered (current authorities)

East of England
* Essex (ceremonial county)
** Essex (administrative county)
** Southend-on-Sea
** Thurrock
Greater London
* Barking and Dagenham
* Havering
* Newham
* Redbridge
* Waltham Forest

## Members of Parliament
### 1290-1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1290 | John le Breton | John Fillol Henry Grapinel John de Beauchamp of Fifield |
| 1295 | John Fillol | Ralph de Arderne |
| 1297 | John Fillol | Henry Grapinel |
| 1298 | Hugh le Blount | Jollan de Duresem |
| 1300 | John Fillol | Hugh le Blount |
| 1301 | John Fillol | Hugh le Blount |
| 1302 | Ralph de Arderne | Jollan de Dureseme |
| 1305 | John de Tany | William de Wauton |
| 1306 | John de Sutton | Ralph le Bigod |
| 1307 | John de Tany | John de la Lee |
| 1309 | Sir Nicholas Barrington | |
| 1313 | Sir Nicholas Barrington | |
| 1322 | Thomas Gobion | Simon de Kynardesle |
| 1330 | Sir John Barrington | |
| 1334 | Sir John de Coggeshall | |
| 1335 | Sir John de Coggeshall | |
| 1336 | Sir John de Coggeshall | |
| 1339 | Sir John de Coggeshall | |
| 1343 | Sir John de Coggeshall | |
| c1355 | Sir Thomas Tyrell (7 times) | |
| 1358 | Sir John de Coggeshall | |
| 1377 | Sir Robert Swinburne | |
| 1379 | Sir Robert Swinburne | |
| 1380 (Jan) | Sir John Guildesborough | Richard Lyons |
| 1380 (Nov) | Sir John Guildesborough |
| 1382 | Sir Robert Swinburne | |
| 1383 (Feb) | Sir John Guildesborough | |
| 1384 | Sir Robert Swinburne | |
| 1385 | Sir John Guildesborough | |
| 1386 | Sir Robert Marney | Edmund Brokesbourne |
| 1388 (Feb) | Sir John Guildesborough | Thomas Coggeshall |
| 1388 (Sep) | Sir Alexander Walden | Sir John FitzSymond |
| 1390 (Jan) | Sir Robert Swinburne | Sir Robert Marney |
| 1390 (Nov) | Sir Alexander Walden | Thomas Bataill |
| 1391 | Sir William Coggleshall | Sir Walter Lee |
| 1393 | Sir Thomas Swinburne | Sir Walter Lee |
| 1394 | Thomas Bataill | Sir Walter Lee |
| 1395 | Thomas Coggeshall | John Doreward |
| 1397 (Jan) | Sir William Coggleshall | John Doreward |
| 1397 (Sep) | Sir John Howard | Robert Tey |
| 1399 | Thomas Coggeshall | John Doreward |
| 1401 | Sir William Coggleshall | Robert Tey |
| 1402 | Sir William Coggleshall | Sir Gerard Braybrooke |
| 1404 (Jan) | Sir William Bourchier | John Doreward |
| 1404 (Oct) | Sir William Coggleshall | Sir Robert Litton |
| 1406 | Helming Leget | Richard Baynard |
| 1407 | Helming Leget | Sir William Marney |
| 1410 | |
| 1411 | Sir William Coggleshall | John Tyrell |
| 1413 (Feb) | |
| 1413 (May) | John Doreward | John Tyrell |
| 1414 (Apr) | Sir William Coggleshall | John Doreward |
| 1414 (Nov) | William Swinburne | Richard Baynard |
| 1415 | |
| 1416 (Mar) | Robert Darcy | John Tyrell |
| 1416 (Oct) | |
| 1417 | Sir Gerard Braybrooke | John Tyrell |
| 1419 | Robert Darcy | John Tyrell |
| 1420 | Sir William Coggleshall | Lewis John |
| 1421 (May) | Robert Darcy | John Tyrell |
| 1421 (Dec) | Sir William Coggleshall | Richard Baynard |
| 1422 | John Tyrell | Sir William Coggleshall |
| 1423 | Robert Darcy | |
| 1425 | John Tyrell | Robert Darcy |
| 1426 | Lewis John | Robert Darcy |
| 1429 | John Tyrell | |
| 1431 | Sir John Tyrell | Lewis John |
| 1432 | Robert Darcy |
| 1433 | Sir John Tyrell | |
| 1437 | Sir John Tyrell | Lewis John |
| 1439 | Lewis John | Robert Darcy |
| 1442 | Thomas Tyrell | |
| 1445 | Thomas Tyrell | Robert Darcy |
| 1447 | Thomas Tyrell | |
| 1449 | Thomas Tyrell | |
| 1453 | Thomas Thorpe |
| 1455 | John Green | |
| 1459 | Thomas Tyrell | |
| 1460 | John Green | |
| 1495 | Richard FitzLewis |
| 1510–1515 | No names known | No names known |
| 1523 | Sir John Marney | ? |
| 1529 | Thomas Bonham | Thomas Audley |
| 1536 | ?Richard Rich | ? |
| 1539 | Sir Richard Rich | Sir Thomas Darcy |
| 1542 | ?Sir Richard Rich | ? |
| 1545 | Sir Richard Rich | Sir Thomas Darcy |
| 1547 | Sir William Petre | Sir Thomas Darcy, ennobled and replaced by Jan 1552 by John Gates |
| 1553 (Mar) | Sir John Gates | ?Sir William Petre |
| 1553 (Oct) | Sir Robert Rochester | Sir William Petre |
| 1554 (Apr) | Sir Robert Rochester | Sir William Petre |
| 1554 (Nov) | Sir Robert Rochester | Sir William Petre |
| 1555 | Sir Robert Rochester | Sir William Petre |
| 1558 | Sir William Petre | Sir Edward Waldegrave |
| 1559 (Jan) | Sir William Petre | Sir Anthony Cooke |
| 1562–3 | Sir William Petre | Sir Anthony Cooke |
| 1571 | Sir Thomas Smith | Sir Thomas Mildmay |
| 1572 (Apr) | Sir Thomas Smith, died and replaced Feb 1581 by Robert Rich | Sir Thomas Barrington |
| 1584 (Nov) | Sir Thomas Heneage | John Petre, 1st Baron Petre |
| 1586 | Sir Thomas Heneage | John Petre, 1st Baron Petre |
| 1588 (Nov) | Sir Thomas Heneage | Sir Henry Grey |
| 1593 | Sir Thomas Heneage | Richard Warren |
| 1597 (Sep) | William Petre | John Wentworth |
| 1601 (Sep) | Henry Maynard | Sir Francis Barrington |
| 1604 | Sir Edward Denny ennobled and replaced 1605 by Sir Gamaliel Capell | Sir Francis Barrington, 1st Baronet |
| 1614 | Sir Robert Rich | Sir Richard Weston |
| 1621-1622 | Sir Francis Barrington, 1st Baronet | Sir John Deane |
| 1624 | Sir Francis Barrington, 1st Baronet | Sir Thomas Cheek |
| 1625 | Sir Francis Barrington, 1st Baronet | Sir Arthur Harris |
| 1626 | Sir Francis Barrington, 1st Baronet | Sir Harbottle Grimston |
| 1628 | Sir Francis Barrington, 1st Baronet | Sir Harbottle Grimston |
| 1629 | Robert Rich, Lord Rich | Sir Harbottle Grimston |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments convened | No Parliaments convened |

### 1640-1832

* Apr 1640: Sir Thomas Barrington, Sir Harbottle Grimston
* Nov 1640: Lord Rich; Sir William Masham
* 1641: Rich elevated to the House of Lords - replaced by Sir Martin Lumley
* 1648: Lumley excluded under Pride's Purge
* 1653: Joachim Matthews; Henry Barrington; John Brewster; Christopher Earl; Dudley Templer
* 1654: Sir William Masham Bt; Sir Richard Everard, 1st Baronet of Much Waltham; Sir Thomas Honywood; Sir Thomas Bowes; Henry Mildmay (of Graces); Thomas Coke (of Pebmarsh); Carew Mildmay; Dionysius Wakering; Edward Turnor; Richard Cutts; Oliver Raymond; Herbert Pelham
* 1656-1658: Sir Harbottle Grimston; Sir Richard Everard, 1st Baronet of Much Waltham; Sir Thomas Honywood; Sir Thomas Bowes; Henry Mildmay (of Graces); Robert Barrington; Carew Mildmay; Dionysius Wakering; Edward Turnor; Dudley Temple; Oliver Raymond; Hezekiah Haynes; John Archer
| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| 1659 | | Lord Rich | | | Edward Turnor | |
| April 1660 | | John Bramston | | | Edward Turnor | |
| 1661 | | John Bramston | | | Sir Benjamin Ayloffe | |
| 1663 | | John Bramston | | | Banastre Maynard | |
| February 1679 | | Sir Eliab Harvey | | | Henry Mildmay | |
| August 1679 | | John Lamotte Honywood | | | Henry Mildmay | |
| 1685 | | Sir William Maynard | | | Sir Thomas Fanshawe | |
| 1689 | | Henry Mildmay | | | John Wroth | |
| 1690 | | Henry Mildmay | | | Sir Francis Masham | Whig |
| 1693 | | John Lamotte Honywood | | | Sir Francis Masham | Whig |
| 1694 | | Sir Charles Barrington | Tory | | Sir Francis Masham | Whig |
| 1698 | | Sir Charles Barrington | Tory | | Edward Bullock | |
| 1701 | | Sir Charles Barrington | Tory | | Sir Francis Masham | Whig |
| 1705 | | Lord Walden | Whig | | Sir Francis Masham | Whig |
| 1707 | | Thomas Middleton | | | Sir Francis Masham | Whig |
| 1710 | | Thomas Middleton | | | Sir Richard Child | |
| 1713 | | Sir Charles Barrington | Tory | | Sir Richard Child | |
| February 1715 | | Thomas Middleton | | | Sir Richard Child | |
| May 1715 | | William Harvey | | | Sir Richard Child | |
| 1716 | | Robert Honywood | | | Sir Richard Child | |
| 1722 | | Robert Honywood | | | William Harvey | |
| 1727 | | The Viscount Castlemaine | | | Sir Robert Abdy | Tory |
| 1734 | | Thomas Bramston | Tory | | Sir Robert Abdy | Tory |
| 1747 | | William Harvey | | | Sir Robert Abdy | Tory |
| 1748 | | William Harvey | | | Sir John Abdy | Tory |
| 1759 | | William Harvey | | | Sir William Maynard | |
| 1763 | | John Luther | | | Sir William Maynard | |
| 1772 | | John Luther | | | John Conyers | |
| 1775 | | John Luther | | | William Harvey | |
| 1779 | | John Luther | | | Thomas Berney Bramston | |
| 1784 | | Colonel John Bullock | | | Thomas Berney Bramston | |
| 1802 | | Colonel John Bullock | | | Eliab Harvey | |
| 1810 | | John Archer-Houblon | | | Eliab Harvey | |
| 1812 | | John Archer-Houblon | | | Charles Callis Western | |
| 1820 | | Sir Eliab Harvey | | | Charles Callis Western | |
| March 1830 | | Thomas Gardiner Bramston | | | Charles Callis Western | |
| August 1830 | | Sir John Tyssen Tyrell | | | Charles Callis Western | |
| 1831 | | William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley | | | Charles Callis Western | |
| 1832 | Constituency abolished: see Northern Essex, Southern Essex | Constituency abolished: see Northern Essex, Southern Essex | Constituency abolished: see Northern Essex, Southern Essex | Constituency abolished: see Northern Essex, Southern Essex | Constituency abolished: see Northern Essex, Southern Essex | Constituency abolished: see Northern Essex, Southern Essex |