Current season or competition: 2019–20 Essex Canterbury Jack 1 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2003 |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Country |  England |
| Holders | Maldon (1st title) (2021–22) (promoted to London 3 Essex) |
| Most titles | Billericay, Campion, Dagenham, East London, Upminster, Wanstead (2 titles) |
| Website | englandrugby.com |
Essex 1 (known as Essex/Canterbury Jack 1 for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and features teams from Essex and parts of north-east London. Promoted clubs tend to move up to London 3 Essex. Relegated clubs used to drop into Essex 2 but as that division has been abolished there is currently no relegation. The division was created in 2003 by Essex-based teams who left Eastern Counties 1 and Eastern Counties 2. Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
For the 2016–17 season the league was divided into two parallel divisions - Essex 1A and Essex 1B - divided on geographical lines with teams in Essex 1A typically based in the north and east of the county, while teams in Essex 1B are predominantly London based. Each division plays 14 home and away games from September until February. From February the top 4 teams from each division go into the Essex 1 Premiership and play for the title and promotion, while the bottom 4 sides from each group would play for the Essex 1 Shied.
For the 2018–19 season Essex 1 would revert to being a single division of 11 teams.