Place:West Sussex, England

Watchers
NameWest Sussex
Alt namesW Sussexsource: Royal Mail: PAF Digest [online] (2002) accessed 16 Dec 2002
W Susxsource: Gazetteer of Great Britain (1999) xviii; UK Counties and Regions Abbreviations [web site] (1997-98) accessed 16 Dec 2002
TypeAdministrative county, Modern county
Coordinates50.917°N 0.5°W
Located inEngland     (1888 - )
Also located inSussex, England     ( - 1974)
Contained Places
Borough (municipal)
Arundel ( 1865 - )
Chichester ( 1865 - )
Crawley ( 1865 - )
Horsham ( 1865 - )
Worthing
District municipality
Adur District ( 1974 - )
Arun District ( 1974 - )
Chichester District ( 1974 - )
Crawley District ( 1974 - )
Horsham District ( 1974 - )
Mid Sussex District ( 1974 - )
Worthing District ( 1974 - )
Hundred
Aldwick Hundred ( 1865 - )
Avisford Hundred ( 1865 - )
Bosham Hundred ( 1865 - )
Box and Stockbridge Hundred ( 1865 - )
Brightford Hundred ( 1865 - )
Burbeach Hundred ( 1865 - )
Bury Hundred ( 1865 - )
Dumpford Hundred ( 1865 - )
Easebourne Hundred ( 1865 - )
East Easwrith Hundred ( 1865 - )
Fishergate Hundred ( 1865 - )
Manhood Hundred ( 1865 - )
Patching Hundred ( 1865 - )
Poling Hundred ( 1865 - )
Rotherbridge Hundred ( 1865 - )
Singlecross Hundred ( 1865 - )
Steyning Hundred ( 1865 - )
Tarring Hundred ( 1865 - )
Tipnoak Hundred ( 1865 - )
West Easwrith Hundred ( 1865 - )
West Grinstead Hundred ( 1865 - )
Westbourne and Singleton Hundred ( 1865 - )
Windham and Ewhurst Hundred ( 1865 - )
Parish
Albourne ( 1865 - )
Aldingbourne ( 1865 - )
Aldwick ( 1865 - )
Alfold ( 1865 - )
Amberley ( 1965 - )
Angmering ( 1865 - )
Appledram ( 1865 - )
Ardingly ( 1865 - )
Arundel ( 1865 - )
Ashington ( 1865 - )
Ashurst ( 1865 - )
Balcombe
Barlavington ( 1865 - )
Barnham ( 1865 - )
Bepton ( 1865 - )
Bersted ( 1865 - )
Bignor ( 1865 - )
Billingshurst ( 1865 - )
Binderton ( 1865 - )
Binsted ( 1865 - )
Birdham ( 1865 - )
Bognor Regis ( 1865 - )
Bolney ( 1974 - )
Bosham ( 1865 - )
Botolphs ( 1865 - )
Boxgrove ( 1865 - )
Bramber ( 1865 - )
Broadwater ( 1865 - )
Burgess Hill ( 1974 - )
Burpham ( 1865 - )
Burton ( 1865 - )
Bury ( 1865 - )
Chichester ( 1865 - )
Chidham ( 1865 - )
Chithurst ( 1865 - )
Clapham ( 1865 - )
Clayton
Climping ( 1865 - )
Coates ( 1865 - )
Cocking ( 1865 - )
Coldwaltham ( 1865 - )
Colgate ( 1865 - )
Compton ( 1865 - )
Coombes ( 1865 - )
Cowfold ( 1865 - )
Crawley ( 1865 - )
Didling ( 1865 - )
Donnington ( 1865 - )
Duncton ( 1865 - )
Durrington ( 1865 - )
Earnley ( 1865 - )
Eartham ( 1865 - )
Easebourne ( 1865 - )
East Grinstead ( 1974 - )
East Lavington ( 1865 - )
East Marden ( 1865 - 1933 )
East Preston ( 1865 - )
East Wittering ( 1865 - )
Eastdean (near Chichester) ( 1865 - )
Eastergate ( 1865 - )
Edburton ( 1865 - )
Egdean ( 1865 - )
Elsted and Treyford ( 1974 - )
Elsted ( 1865 - )
Felpham ( 1865 - )
Fernhurst ( 1865 - )
Ferring ( 1865 - )
Findon ( 1865 - )
Fittleworth ( 1865 - )
Ford ( 1865 - )
Funtington ( 1865 - )
Goring by Sea ( 1865 - )
Graffham ( 1865 - )
Greatham ( 1865 - )
Hardham ( 1865 - )
Harting ( 1865 - )
Hassocks
Heene ( 1865 - )
Henfield ( 1865 - )
Heyshott ( 1865 - )
Horsham ( 1865 - )
Horsted Keynes ( 1974 - )
Houghton ( 1865 - )
Hunston ( 1865 - )
Hurstpierpoint
Ifield ( 1865 - )
Iping ( 1865 - )
Itchingfield ( 1865 - )
Keymer
Kingston by Ferring ( 1865 - )
Kingston by Sea ( 1865 - )
Kirdford ( 1865 - )
Lancing ( 1865 - )
Lavant ( 1865 - )
Linch ( 1865 - )
Linchmere ( 1865 - )
Lindfield ( - 1974 )
Littlehampton ( 1865 - )
Lodsworth ( 1865 - )
Lower Beeding ( 1865 - )
Lurgashall ( 1865 - )
Lyminster ( 1865 - )
Madehurst ( 1865 - )
Marden ( 1933 - )
Merston ( 1865 - )
Middleton on Sea ( 1865 - )
Midhurst ( 1865 - )
New Fishbourne ( 1865 - )
Newtimber ( 1974 - )
North Marden ( 1865 - )
North Mundham ( 1865 - )
North Stoke ( 1865 - )
Northchapel ( 1865 - )
Nuthurst ( 1865 - )
Old Shoreham ( 1865 - )
Oving ( 1865 - )
Pagham ( 1865 - )
Parham ( 1865 - )
Patching ( 1865 - )
Petworth ( 1865 - )
Plaistow ( 1865 - )
Poling ( 1865 - )
Poynings
Pulborough ( 1865 - )
Rackham ( 1865 - )
Racton ( 1865 - )
Rogate ( 1865 - )
Rudgwick ( 1865 - )
Rumboldswyke ( 1865 - )
Rusper ( 1865 - )
Rustington ( 1865 - )
Selham ( 1865 - )
Selsey ( 1865 - )
Shermanbury ( 1865 - )
Shipley ( 1865 - )
Shoreham by Sea ( 1865 - )
Sidlesham ( 1865 - )
Singleton ( 1865 - )
Slindon ( 1865 - )
Slinfold ( 1865 - )
Sompting ( 1865 - )
South Bersted ( 1865 - )
South Stoke ( 1865 - )
Southwater
Southwick ( 1865 - )
Stedham with Iping ( 1974 - )
Stedham ( 1865 - )
Steyning ( 1865 - )
Stopham ( 1865 - )
Storrington ( 1865 - )
Stoughton ( 1865 - )
Sullington ( 1865 - )
Sutton ( 1865 - )
Tangmere ( 1865 - )
Terwick ( 1865 - )
Thakeham ( 1865 - )
Tillington ( 1865 - )
Tortington ( 1865 - )
Treyford ( 1865 - )
Trotton with Chithurst ( 1974 - )
Trotton ( 1865 - )
Turners Hill ( 1865 - )
Up Marden ( 1865 - 1933 )
Up Waltham ( 1865 - )
Upper Beeding ( 1865 - )
Walberton ( 1865 - )
Warminghurst ( 1865 - )
Warnham ( 1865 - )
Warningcamp ( 1865 - )
Washington ( 1865 - )
West Chiltington ( 1865 - )
West Dean (near Chichester) ( 1865 - )
West Grinstead ( 1865 - )
West Itchenor ( 1865 - )
West Lavington ( 1865 - )
West Stoke ( 1865 - 1933 )
West Thorney ( 1865 - )
West Wittering ( 1865 - )
Westbourne ( 1865 - )
Westhampnett ( 1865 - )
Wiggonholt ( 1865 - )
Wisborough Green ( 1865 - )
Wiston ( 1865 - )
Woodmancote ( 1865 - )
Woolbeding with Redford ( 1865 - )
Worth ( 1974 - )
Worthing
Yapton ( 1865 - )
Registration district
Chichester Registration District ( 1974 - 2010 )
Crawley Registration District ( 1974 - 2010 )
Cuckfield Registration District ( 1974 - 1980 )
Haywards Heath Registration District ( 1980 - 2010 )
Horsham Registration District ( 1974 - 2010 )
Hove Registration District ( 1974 - 1998 )
West Sussex Registration District ( 2010 - )
Worthing Registration District ( 1974 - 2010 )
Rural district
Chanctonbury Rural
Chichester Rural
Cuckfield Rural
East Preston Rural
Horsham Rural
Midhurst Rural ( 1865 - )
Petworth Rural
Steyning West Rural
Thakeham Rural ( 1865 - )
Westbourne Rural
Westhampnett Rural
Worthing Rural
Tything
Ambersham ( 1865 - )
Urban district
Bognor Regis ( 1865 - )
Burgess Hill ( 1974 - )
Cuckfield ( 1974 - )
East Grinstead ( 1974 - )
Haywards Heath ( 1974 - )
Littlehampton ( 1865 - )
Shoreham by Sea ( 1865 - )
Southwick ( 1865 - )
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names


West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering East Sussex (with the city of Brighton and Hove) to the east, Hampshire to the west and Surrey to the north, and to the south the English Channel.

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.

Contents

Governance

Sussex 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.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

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.

Provision for paupers

Until 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.

end of Wikipedia contribution

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.

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