North Essex League

The North Essex League was a football league that was held in Essex, England, founded in 1895.

North Essex League

Founded	20 March 1895
First season	1895–96
Folded	1956
Country	England
Divisions	Two
Number of clubs	15 (1895–1901)
Domestic cup(s)	FA Cup FA Amateur Cup
League cup(s)	North Essex League Cup

History

On 20 March 1895, following a meeting at the George Hotel, Colchester, the North Essex League was voted into existence in order to improve the standard of football in north Essex.^[1] On 8 May 1895, following a meeting at the Angel Hotel, Witham, the first constitution for the league was decided, with Braintree Gordon, Chelmsford, Colchester, Colchester Excelsior, Colchester St. Peter's, Harwich & Parkeston, Heybridge and Witham making up the first division. Braintree Gordon II, Bocking, Chelmsford II, Clacton Town, Halstead, Maldon and Manningtree United were announced as founder members of the second division at the same meeting.^[2] Alongside the league, a cup competition for North Essex League clubs ran, with Harwich & Parkeston winning the first edition of the cup, beating Braintree 5–2.^[3]

The league disbanded at the end of the 1955–56 season.^[4]

Champions

North Essex League First Division

• 1898–99 – Harwich & Parkeston
• 1899–1900 – Colchester Town
• 1900–01 – Colchester Town
• 1902–03 – Heybridge Swifts
• 1905–06 – Manor Works
• 1910–11 – Manor Works
• 1911–12 – Manor Works
• 1924–25 – Heybridge Swifts

North Essex League Second Division

• 1898–99 – Clacton Town
• 1899–1900 – Clacton Town
• 1946–47 – Tiptree United

Member clubs

• Arc Works^[5]
• Bocking
• Braintree^[6]
• Braintree Gordon
• Brightlingsea Town^[7]
• Burnham Ramblers
• Clacton Town
• Chelmsford
• Chelmsford Swifts^[5]
• Colchester Crown
• Colchester Excelsior
• Colchester St. Peter's
• Colchester Town
• Coggeshall Town^[8]
• Earls Colne^[9]
• Great Leighs
• Halstead
• Harwich & Parkeston
• Heybridge Swifts^[10]
• Maldon
• Maldon Town
• Manningtree United
• Manor Works^[6]
• Royal Irish Fusiliers^[9]
• Royal Warwick Regiment^[9]
• Saffron Walden^[11]
• Tiptree United
• Witham Town

References

1. "The proposed football league for north Essex", Essex County Standard, 23 March 1895
2. "North Essex League", Essex County Standard, 11 May 1895
3. "Football notes", Ipswich Journal, 4 April 1896
4. "Competition" (.pdf). Non-League Matters. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
5. "North Essex Football League", Essex County Standard, 23 June 1900
6. Blakeman, M (2010) The Official History of the Eastern Counties Football League 1935–2010, Volume II ISBN 978-1-908037-02-2
7. "Brightlingsea", Essex County Standard, 18 August 1900
8. "Coggeshall Town Football Club" (.pdf). Coggeshall Town F.C. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
9. "North Essex League", Essex County Standard, 18 February 1899
10. "The Club". Heybridge Swifts F.C. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
11. "Saffron Walden Town – Club in focus". Essex Senior League. Retrieved 16 February 2021.