Henry d'Essex

Henry of Essex or Henry de Essex was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who was feudal baron of Rayleigh in Essex and of Haughley in Suffolk. He served as one of the royal constables during the reigns of Kings Stephen and Henry II by right of his second wife, which office included the duty of bearing the royal standard to indicate the location of the king when on campaign or in battle. In 1163 he was convicted as a traitor, having been defeated in trial by battle, and took the habit of a monk, spending his last years at Reading Abbey.