Earl of Essex

Earl of Essex is a title that was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville (d. 1144). Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct. Geoffrey fitz Peter, who had married Beatrice de Say, granddaughter of the first earl's sister and eventual heir to the Mandeville honour, gained the earldom in 1199. The title passed to two of his sons before again becoming extinct after the death of the second, William, the 6th Earl of Essex, who had taken the surname de Mandeville.

The third creation was for Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford in 1239, whose father Henry had married Maud, sister of the sixth earl. Both the Earldom of Hereford, Earldom of Northampton and the Earldom of Essex became extant in 1373, reconfirmation of titles on heirs to be issued soon. There were several more creations until the famous Devereux creation in 1572, which included Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1566–1601) a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and his son Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, the general who commanded the Parliamentary army at the Battle of Edge Hill, the first major battle of the English Civil War (for further history of the Devereux family, see the Viscount Hereford). Upon its extinction, the present creation was made in 1661.