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Contained Places
West Sussex has a range of scenery, including the Weald, the South Downs and the coast. The highest point of the county is Blackdown, at 280 metres (919 ft). It has a number of stately homes including Goodwood, Petworth House and Uppark, and castles such as Arundel Castle and Bramber Castle. Over half the county is protected countryside, offering walking, cycling and other recreational opportunities.
[edit] GovernanceSussex was traditionally divided into six sub-divisions known as rapes. From the 12th century the three eastern rapes and the three western rapes each had separate quarter sessions, with the county town for the three western rapes being Chichester. This situation was formalised by Parliament in 1865, when the rapes were abolished and the two parts, East Sussex and West Sussex, were made into administrative counties, each with distinct county councils first elected in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. West Sussex is the western part of the historic county of Sussex. Chichester, in the southwest, is the county town and the only city in present county; the largest towns are Crawley, Worthing and Horsham. In 1974, with an area of 1,991 square kilometres (769 sq mi) and a population of over 800,000, West Sussex became a ceremonial county, with a Lord Lieutenant and a High Sheriff. Chichester and the three large towns (previously urban districts) became "district municipalities" within the county. At the same time the eastern boundary was altered, so that parishes in the Mid Sussex region (including Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath) was transferred to the county of West Sussex as part of the Mid Sussex District. In addition to Mid Sussex, there are now two large, rural, district municipalities in West Sussex (further subdivided into civil parishes):
and four more urban district municipalities: Briefly, West Sussex became an administrative county in 1888 and a ceremonial county in 1974. In the period between 1865 and 1974 Sussex was the ceremonial county for both East and West Sussex. [edit] History
Although the name Sussex, derived from the Old English 'Sūþsēaxe' ('South Saxons'), dates from the Saxon period between AD 477 to 1066, the history of human habitation in Sussex goes back to the Old Stone Age. The oldest hominin remains known in Britain were found at Eartham Pit, Boxgrove. Sussex has been occupied since those times and has succumbed to various invasions and migrations throughout its long history.[1] Prehistoric monuments include the Devil's Jumps, a group of Bronze Age burial mounds, and the Iron Age Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring hill forts on the South Downs. The Roman period saw the building of Fishbourne Roman Palace and rural villas such as Bignor Roman Villa together with a network of roads including Stane Street, the Chichester to Silchester Way and the Sussex Greensand Way. The Romans used the Weald for iron production on an industrial scale. The foundation of the Kingdom of Sussex is recorded by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year AD 477; it says that Ælle arrived at a place called Cymenshore in three ships with his three sons and killed or put to flight the local inhabitants. The foundation story is regarded as somewhat of a myth by most historians, although the archaeology suggests that Saxons did start to settle in the area in the late 5th century. The Kingdom of Sussex was absorbed into Wessex as an earldom and became the county of Sussex. With its origins in the kingdom of Sussex, the later county of Sussex was traditionally divided into six units known as rapes. By the 16th century, the three western rapes were grouped together informally, having their own separate Quarter Sessions. These were administered by a separate county council from 1888, the county of Sussex being divided for administrative purposes into the administrative counties of East and West Sussex. In 1974, West Sussex was made a single ceremonial county with the coming into force of the Local Government Act 1972. At the same time a large part of the eastern rape of Lewes (the Mid Sussex district which includes the towns of Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead) was transferred into West Sussex. [edit] Provision for paupersUntil 1834 provision for the poor and destitute in West Sussex was made at parish level. From 1835 until 1948 eleven Poor Law Unions, each catering for several parishes, took on the job.
Briefly, West Sussex became an administrative county in 1888 and a ceremonial county in 1974. In the period between 1888 and 1974 Sussex was the ceremonial county for both East and West Sussex. [edit] Research Tips
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