Essex

Traditionally founded by Aescwine in 527AD, the Kingdom of Essex occupied territory to the north of
the River Thames and incorporated much of what would later become Middlesex and Hertfordshire. Later, its territory was restricted to lands east of the River Lea.

The County's Coat of Arms consists of three Saxon seax daggers arranged on a red background. The county town is now Chelmsford, which was founded in 1199.

Some other well known places around Essex include these significant areas:

MALDON
The market town of Maldon, located on high ground at the head of the River Blackwater, was settled by Saxons in the sixth century. It subsequently became a significant port and a royal mint was established in about 958AD which issued coins for the late Saxon kings and, after the Conquest of England, the Norman kings. King Edward the Elder had a