SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)     June 28, 2001
                                                --------------------------------



                         Essex Bancorp, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter



          Delaware                      1-10506                 54-1721085
----------------------------      --------------------     ---------------------
(State or other jurisdiction          (Commission              (IRS Employer
     of incorporation)                File Number)          Identification No.)



       Interstate Corporate Center
          Building 9, Suite 200
            Norfolk, Virginia                                   23502
--------------------------------------------              ---------------
Address of principal executive offices                        Zip Code



Registrant's telephone number, including area code        (757) 893-1300
                                                  ------------------------------



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)


<PAGE>
Item 5.  Other Events

         The  Board of  Directors  of Essex  Bancorp,  Inc.  ("Registrant")  has
established  July  2,  2001  as  the  record  date  for  the   determination  of
stockholders  entitled  to  notice  of and to  vote at the  Registrant's  Annual
Meeting (the "Meeting"),  which will be held on August 31, 2001 at 10:00 a.m. at
Interstate  Corporate Center,  Building #11, 1st Floor Conference Room, Norfolk,
VA. The Meeting is for the purpose of considering  and voting upon the following
matters:

      1.    A proposal to approve an  Agreement  and Plan of Merger  pursuant to
            which the Registrant will be merged with and into Essex  Acquisition
            Corp., a newly-formed  Virginia  corporation  that is a wholly owned
            subsidiary  of the  Registrant  and  each  outstanding  share of the
            Registrant's  common stock  (other than shares held by  stockholders
            who  have  properly  perfected  their  dissenters'  rights)  will be
            exchanged for the right to receive $1.45 in cash, without interest.

      2.    The  approval of  adjournments  of the Meeting in order to allow the
            Registrant  to continue to solicit  proxies  from  holders of common
            stock who have not cast a vote by proxy with respect to the proposed
            merger, or whose proxies have not been voted in favor of the merger.

         Only record  holders of the common stock as of the close of business on
July 2, 2001 will be entitled to vote at the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.
A complete  description  of the terms of the merger and  additional  information
about the parties involved and their interests in the merger will be provided in
the Registrant's Proxy Statement, which will be mailed to stockholders beginning
on or about July 5, 2001.

                                       2
<PAGE>
                                   SIGNATURES


Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                             Essex Bancorp, Inc.


June 28, 2001                                By:  /s/ Gene D. Ross
-------------                                     ------------------------------
   (Date)                                         Gene D. Ross
                                                  Chairman, President and
                                                  Chief Executive Officer










                                       3
[{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "essex_8k.txt", "description": "FORM 8-K", "secsgml_size_bytes": 4186}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "ESSEX BANCORP INC /NEW", "cik": "0000847325", "assigned-sic": "6035", "irs-number": "541721085", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "001-10506", "film-number": "1669693"}, "business-address": {"street1": "INTERSTATE CORPORATE CENTER", "street2": "BUILDING 9 SUITE 200", "city": "NORFOLK", "state": "VA", "zip": "23502", "phone": "8044868700"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "INTERSTATE CORPORATE CENTER", "street2": "BUILDING 9 SUITE 200", "city": "NORFOLK", "state": "VA", "zip": "23502"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "ESSEX FINANCIAL PARTNERS LP", "date-changed": "19920703"}}
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)     June 28, 2001
                                                --------------------------------

                         Essex Bancorp, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter

          Delaware                      1-10506                 54-1721085
----------------------------      --------------------     ---------------------
(State or other jurisdiction          (Commission              (IRS Employer
     of incorporation)                File Number)          Identification No.)

       Interstate Corporate Center
          Building 9, Suite 200
            Norfolk, Virginia                                   23502
--------------------------------------------              ---------------
Address of principal executive offices                        Zip Code

Registrant's telephone number, including area code        (757) 893-1300
                                                  ------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)
Item 5.  Other Events

         The  Board of  Directors  of Essex  Bancorp,  Inc.  ("Registrant")  has
established  July  2,  2001  as  the  record  date  for  the   determination  of
stockholders  entitled  to  notice  of and to  vote at the  Registrant's  Annual
Meeting (the "Meeting"),  which will be held on August 31, 2001 at 10:00 a.m. at
Interstate  Corporate Center,  Building #11, 1st Floor Conference Room, Norfolk,
VA. The Meeting is for the purpose of considering  and voting upon the following
matters:

      1.    A proposal to approve an  Agreement  and Plan of Merger  pursuant to
            which the Registrant will be merged with and into Essex  Acquisition
            Corp., a newly-formed  Virginia  corporation  that is a wholly owned
            subsidiary  of the  Registrant  and  each  outstanding  share of the
            Registrant's  common stock  (other than shares held by  stockholders
            who  have  properly  perfected  their  dissenters'  rights)  will be
            exchanged for the right to receive $1.45 in cash, without interest.

      2.    The  approval of  adjournments  of the Meeting in order to allow the
            Registrant  to continue to solicit  proxies  from  holders of common
            stock who have not cast a vote by proxy with respect to the proposed
            merger, or whose proxies have not been voted in favor of the merger.

         Only record  holders of the common stock as of the close of business on
July 2, 2001 will be entitled to vote at the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.
A complete  description  of the terms of the merger and  additional  information
about the parties involved and their interests in the merger will be provided in
the Registrant's Proxy Statement, which will be mailed to stockholders beginning
on or about July 5, 2001.

                                       2
SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                             Essex Bancorp, Inc.

June 28, 2001                                By:  /s/ Gene D. Ross
-------------                                     ------------------------------
   (Date)                                         Gene D. Ross
                                                  Chairman, President and
                                                  Chief Executive Officer

                                       3