A number of ships with the name Essex served the British East India Company (EIC) as East Indiamen:
Essex (1716 EIC ship) — of 320 tons (bm), launched on the Thames in 1716; made four voyages for the EIC before she was sold.
Essex (1744 EIC ship) — of 570 tons (bm), launched by Brondson & Wells, Deptford, on 17 April 1744, in November 1780; she made four voyages for the EIC until 17 September 1755 when she was sold at Lloyd's Coffee House to breakers who promptly stripped her and broke her up.
Essex (1758 ship) — of 632 tons (bm), launched by Graves, Limehouse, on 3 August 1758; made four voyages for the EIC before she was sold for breaking up in 1770.
Essex (1780 EIC ship) - of 799 14⁄94 tons (bm), launched in October 1780 by Perry, Blackwell; she made five voyages for the EIC and was sold in 1798 to be hulked or broken up. She was present at the battle of Porto Praya and participated in the action of 10 September 1782. John Strover, master, received a letter of marque on 20 November 1793 for the Essex, ship, 793 tons. Her armament was described as consisting of twenty-six 4 and 9-pounder guns.
Essex (1803 EIC ship) - of 1257 30⁄94 tons (bm), launched on 7 February 1803 by Perry, Blackwell; she made seven voyages for the EIC until on 20 August 1821 her register was cancelled as she had been demolished. She was reputed to have had the greatest spread of sail of any East Indiaman. George Bonham received a letter of marque on 27 May 1803 for the Essex, ship, of 1352 tons (bm). Her armament was described as consisting of twenty-six 18-pounder guns and ten 18-pounder carronades. Her next master, Richard Nisbet, received a letter of marque on 16 November 1813. This time her armament was described as thirty-six 18-pounder guns.
