The county in the east of England is Essex, which has five letters. Essex is a county in the East of England, located to the north-east of London and bordered by Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Kent. It is the third largest county in England, covering an area of 1, 400 square miles. Essex is home to many historic towns and villages, including Colchester, Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea.