Settled in what is now Essex, the East Seaxe included the Daenningas, Hrodingas, Haeferingas and the Gigingas. They adjoined the Middel Seaxe to the west in the Thames valley, the Middel Engle and the East Engle in the northwest and north and faced Cantware across the Thames estuary. Their settlement area was protected to the north and west by a thick belt of forest.essex (92K) It is notable that the Roman roads leading north and northwest went out of use and in some cases their precise line is not known today.

This region seems to have harboured a substantial Germanic population perhaps already Saxon, in the late fourth century. Although no continuity between this undoubtedly Roman administrative arrangement and the later East Seaxe has been demonstrated it interesting that this area, alongside Sussex, Kent and Lindsey, became a separate kingdom with its own royal family.

These territorial units, each recorded as having 7000 families, could correspond to the divisions established for defensive purposes in the command of the Count of the Saxon Shore. In fact it is hard to see what other divisions could have been made. Assuming that the East Saxon territory extended to the Stour in the north and the Thames in the south then the Saxon shore fort at Bradwell (Othona) was included.

The area around the fort was occupied by the Daenningas whose name is preserved in Dengie Hundred and this was the domain of the royal family. Here in 654 Cedd built his church, St Peter's on the Wall, for king Saeberht reusing stone from the Roman fort. The East Saxon royal family is unique in claiming descent from Seaxeneat rather than Woden. All members of this familiy with one exception have names beginning with "s". Whatever early oral or written history of the East Saxons once existed has been lost.