Sussex
The historic kingdom and county of the South Saxons, now divided into East and West Sussex.
Sussex (/ˈsʌsɪks/) is an area of South East England that was historically a kingdom and, later, a county. The current ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex cover approximately the same area. The two ceremonial counties border Surrey to the north, Kent to the north-east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. Sussex contains the city of Brighton and Hove and its wider city region, part of the South Downs National Park and the national landscape of the High Weald, and Chichester Harbour. Its coastline is 137 mi long.
- established
- 5th century
- conquered_by_Wessex
- c. 827
- part_of_Kingdom_of_England
- 927
- ceremonial_counties
- East Sussex and West Sussex
- population_2021
- about 1.7 million
- highest_point
- Blackdown, 280 metres
- county_flower
- Round-headed rampion (Pride of Sussex)
Lore & Background
The Kingdom of Sussex emerged in the fifth century in the area that had previously been inhabited by the Regni tribe in the Romano-British period. In about 827, shortly after the Battle of Ellendun, Sussex was conquered by Wessex. From 860 it was ruled by the kings of Wessex, and in 927 it became part of the Kingdom of England. By the Norman period, Sussex was subdivided into six administrative districts known as rapes, which were themselves divided into hundreds. By the sixteenth century, the eastern three rapes and the western three rapes had been combined for most meetings of the court of quarter sessions, a division which was reinforced when the administrative counties of East Sussex and West Sussex were established in 1889. Subsequent local government reforms maintained the division into east and west. The county retained a single lord lieutenant and sheriff until 1974, when they were replaced with separate posts for East and West Sussex and Sussex lost its status as a ceremonial county.
Reader's Guide
Sussex is widely regarded as a single unified entity for some purposes, including provision of some public services, food and drink and sport. In 2007, Sussex Day was created to celebrate the county's culture and history. In February 2025, the UK Government approved plans to devolve powers to a new combined county authority for East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove, to be headed by a directly elected mayor. The flag of Sussex consists of six gold martlets on a blue background, recognised by the Flag Institute on 20 May 2011. Sussex's motto is 'We wunt be druv'. The round-headed rampion, also known as the 'Pride of Sussex', was adopted as Sussex's county flower in 2002.
Did You Know?
- The name 'Sussex' is derived from Old English meaning '(land or people) of the South Saxons'.
- Sussex's coastline is 137 miles long.
- The highest point in Sussex is Blackdown at 280 m.
- Sussex's county day, Sussex Day, is celebrated annually on 16 June, the feast day of St Richard of Chichester.
- Three US counties (in Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia) and a former county in Western Australia are named after Sussex.
More in English Counties 1-24
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