Historically Essex was the land of the East Saxons and quite separate from Anglia. There are still clearly different physical characteristics between the "coffin-headed" Saxons and "pudding-headed" Anglians. Bob Roberts told how someone asking directions was told to go into Essex and ask again - when he enquired how he would know he was in Essex, he was told, "Why, bor, you'll see a lot of Essex-men about".

In more recent times, however, Essex had more in common both linguistically and culturally with East Anglia than with London.