Flag of Essex

The Flag of Essex is the flag of the English county of Essex. The flag is ancient in origin and features three notched Saxon seaxes (cutlasses) on a red field, representing the Saxon origins of Essex.

Saxon occupation of land that was to form the Kingdom of Essex had begun by the early 5th century at Mucking and other locations. A large proportion of the original settlers came from Old Saxony. It became one of the seven kingdoms (The Heptarchy) that united to form England over the course of the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries. The seaxes used on the flag were used as a symbol of this kingdom.

Due to the antiquity of the symbol, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact date the flag was designed, but it is earliest attested in the 17th century. It was made official by the county in 1889.