Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Sussex was a constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...

 of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...

 then of the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...

 from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

 from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire
Knights of the Shire
From the creation of the Parliament of England in mediaeval times until 1826 each county of England and Wales sent two Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four...

, elected by the bloc vote
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...

 system.

Under the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...

 the constituency was split into two two-member divisions, for Parliamentary purposes, at the 1832 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

. The county was then represented by the East Sussex
East Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
East Sussex was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....

 and West Sussex
West Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
West Sussex was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....

 divisions.

Boundaries

The constituency comprised the whole historic county
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

 of Sussex. (Although Sussex contained nine boroughs
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...

 - Arundel
Arundel (UK Parliament constituency)
Arundel was twice a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The first incarnation strictly comprised the town centre of Arundel and was a borough constituency first enfranchised in 1332 and disfranchised in 1868 under the Reform...

, Bramber
Bramber (UK Parliament constituency)
Bramber was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, one of the most notorious of all the rotten boroughs. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in 1295, and again from 1472 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:The borough consisted of...

, Chichester
Chichester (UK Parliament constituency)
Chichester is a county constituency in West Sussex, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

, East Grinstead
East Grinstead (UK Parliament constituency)
East Grinstead was a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. It first existed as a Parliamentary borough from 1307, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons elected by the bloc vote system...

, Horsham
Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)
Horsham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...

, Lewes
Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewes is a constituency located in East Sussex and centred on the town of Lewes. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a safe Conservative seat until 1997, but the Liberal Democrats have gained a strong foothold.-Boundaries:The constituency is...

, Midhurst
Midhurst (UK Parliament constituency)
Midhurst was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1311 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the constituency was abolished...

, New Shoreham
Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)
Shoreham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1997....

 and Steyning
Steyning (UK Parliament constituency)
Steyning was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, England, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons sporadically from 1298 and continuously from 1467 until 1832...

 - and four Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...

 - Hastings
Hastings (UK Parliament constituency)
Hastings was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member....

, Rye
Rye (UK Parliament constituency)
Rye was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Rye in East Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until its representation was halved under the Reform Act 1832....

, Seaford
Seaford (UK Parliament constituency)
The UK parliamentary constituency of Seaford was a Cinque Port constituency, similar to a parliamentary borough, in Seaford, East Sussex. A rotten borough, prone by size to undue influence by a patron, it was disenfranchised in the Reform Act of 1832...

 and Winchelsea
Winchelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Winchelsea was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-Boundaries:...

 - each of which elected two MPs in their own right, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the boroughs or ports could confer a vote at the county election.)

1290–1660

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1334 Roger Hussey
1344 Roger Hussey
1351 Andrew Peverell
1353 Andrew Peverell
1356 Andrew Peverell
1361 Andrew Peverell
1366 Andrew Peverell
1373 Andrew Peverell
1386 Sir Edmund FitzHerbert Sir Edward Dallingridge
1388 (Feb) Sir William Waleys Sir Edward Dallingridge
1388 (Sep) Nicholas Wilcombe Robert Ore
1390 (Jan) Sir William Percy Thomas Jardyn
1390 (Nov) Sir William Percy Sir William Waleys
1391 Sir William Percy Robert Tauk
1393 Sir William Percy John Broke
1394 Sir William Percy Sir Thomas Sackville II
1395 Hugh Quecche Sir Thomas Sackville
1397 (Jan) Sir Wikkiam Percy John Ashburnham
1397 (Sep) Sir Thomas Sackville II John Ashburnham
1399 John Pelham John Preston
1401 Sir John Pelham Sir Henry Hussey
1402 Sir John Dallingridge Sir Henry Hussey
1404 (Jan) Sir John Pelham Robert Lewknor
1404 (Oct) Sir John Dallingridge Sir John Pelham
1406 Sir John Dallingridge Sir John Pelham
1407 Sir John Dallingridge Sir John Pelham
1410
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) Richard Wayville Richard Wakehurst
1414 (Apr) William Bramshott Thomas St. Cler
1414 (Nov) Richard Wayville John Babelake
1415 Richard Styuecle William Weston
1416 (Mar) Richard Styuecle Sir Roger Fiennes
1416 (Oct)
1417 John Halle Richard Styuecle
1419 Richard Bannebury Richard Bitterley
1420 William Ryman Ralph Rademylde
1421 (May) William Ryman John Halle
1421 (Dec) Ralph Rademylde Richard Bitterley
1449 John Wood
John Wood (speaker)
Sir John Wood was Speaker of the House of Commons of England between January 1483 and February 1483.He was probably born in Suddex, the son of another John Wood....

 
1450 Robert Poynings
1456 Nicholas Hussey
1483 John Wood
John Wood (speaker)
Sir John Wood was Speaker of the House of Commons of England between January 1483 and February 1483.He was probably born in Suddex, the son of another John Wood....

1495 Edmund Dudley
Edmund Dudley
Edmund Dudley was an English administrator and a financial agent of King Henry VII. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons and President of the King's Council. After the accession of Henry VIII, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed the next year on a treason charge...

1510-1523 No names known
1529 Sir John Gage Sir Richard Shirley
1536
1539 Sir John Gage Sir William Goring
1542 ?Sir John Gage ?
1545 ?Sir John Gage ?
1547 Sir William Goring John Palmer
1553 (Mar) ?Sir Richard Sackville
Richard Sackville (escheator)
Sir Richard Sackville of Ashburnham and Buckhurst in Sussex and Westenhanger in Kent; was an English administrator and Member of Parliament.-Career:...

?
1553 (Oct) John Caryll John Covert
1554 (Apr) Sir Robert Oxenbridge Sir Thomas Palmer
1554 (Nov) John Covert John Ashburnham
1555 Sir Robert Oxenbridge John Caryll
1558 Sir Nicholas Pelham Sir Robert Oxenbridge
1559 (Jan) Sir Richard Sackville
Richard Sackville (escheator)
Sir Richard Sackville of Ashburnham and Buckhurst in Sussex and Westenhanger in Kent; was an English administrator and Member of Parliament.-Career:...

John Caryll
1562/3 Sir Richard Sackville
Richard Sackville (escheator)
Sir Richard Sackville of Ashburnham and Buckhurst in Sussex and Westenhanger in Kent; was an English administrator and Member of Parliament.-Career:...

, died
and replaced 1566 by
John Apsley
William Dawtery
1571 John Pelham Thomas Palmer
1572 John Jeffrey, died
and replaced Jan 1581 by
Walter Covert
Thomas Shirley
1584 Robert Sackville
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset was an English aristocrat and politician, with humanist and commercial interests.-Life:He was the eldest son of Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, by Cecily, daughter of Sir John Baker...

Sir Thomas Shirley
1586 Walter Covert Thomas Palmer
1588 (Oct) Sir Thomas Palmer Henry Neville 
1593 Robert Sackville
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset was an English aristocrat and politician, with humanist and commercial interests.-Life:He was the eldest son of Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, by Cecily, daughter of Sir John Baker...

Sir Thomas Shirley
1597 (Sep) Robert Sackville
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset was an English aristocrat and politician, with humanist and commercial interests.-Life:He was the eldest son of Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, by Cecily, daughter of Sir John Baker...

Sir Nicholas Parker
1601 Charles Howard Robert Sackville
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset was an English aristocrat and politician, with humanist and commercial interests.-Life:He was the eldest son of Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, by Cecily, daughter of Sir John Baker...

 
1604 Charles Howard Robert Sackville
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset
Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset was an English aristocrat and politician, with humanist and commercial interests.-Life:He was the eldest son of Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, by Cecily, daughter of Sir John Baker...

1614 Sir Walter Covert Sampson Lennard
Sampson Lennard
Sampson Lennard , of Chevening in Kent, was an English Member of Parliament who represented an unusually large number of different constituencies during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I....

1621 Sir Edward Sackville
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset KG was the son of Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset and the brother and heir of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset.-Life:...

, travelled abroad 1623
, ennobled 1624 and replaced by
Henry Cary, 1st Earl of Dorset
Christopher Neville
1624 Algernon Lord Peircy
Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland
Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, KG was an English military leader and a prominent supporter of constitutional monarchy.-Family background:...

Thomas Pelham
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1621 and 1654. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....

1625 Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1621 and 1654. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....

Sir John Shirley
1626 Sir Walter Covert Sir Alexander Temple
1628 Sir William Goring, 1st Baronet Richard Lewknor
Richard Lewknor
Richard Lewknor was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1629.Lewknor was the son of Christopher Lewknor, recorder of Chichester, and his wife Mary May, daughter of John May of Rawmere, Sussex....

1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned
1640 (Apr) Sir Thomas Pelham Bt
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1621 and 1654. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....

Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham , Lewes , Sussex . He was colonel and governor of Chichester and signed the death-warrant of Charles I...

1640 (Nov) Sir Thomas Pelham Bt
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1621 and 1654. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....

Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham , Lewes , Sussex . He was colonel and governor of Chichester and signed the death-warrant of Charles I...

1645 Sir Thomas Pelham Bt
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1621 and 1654. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....

Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham , Lewes , Sussex . He was colonel and governor of Chichester and signed the death-warrant of Charles I...

1648 Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham , Lewes , Sussex . He was colonel and governor of Chichester and signed the death-warrant of Charles I...

One seat only
1653 Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham , Lewes , Sussex . He was colonel and governor of Chichester and signed the death-warrant of Charles I...

 
William Spence
Nathaniel Studeley
1654 Herbert Morley
Herbert Morley
Herbert Morley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1667. He fought for the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....

 
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1621 and 1654. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....

 
Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley
Anthony Stapley was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham , Lewes , Sussex . He was colonel and governor of Chichester and signed the death-warrant of Charles I...

 
John Stapley
John Stapley
Sir John Stapley, 1st Baronet of Patcham , was a Royalist who plotted with members of the Sealed Knot to overthrow the Protector Oliver Cromwell and restore Charles II of England to the throne, but when questioned by Cromwellians he disclosed the plot and betrayed the other members...

 
John Fagg
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1645 and 1701...

 
William Hay 
John Pelham
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1644 and 1698.Pelham was the son of Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet and his wife Mary Wilbraham....

 
Francis Lord Dacres
Herbert Springet
Sir Herbert Springet, 1st Baronet
Sir Herbert Springet, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1662....

1656 Herbert Morley
Herbert Morley
Herbert Morley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1667. He fought for the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....

 
John Pelham
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1644 and 1698.Pelham was the son of Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet and his wife Mary Wilbraham....

 
John Fagg
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1645 and 1701...


John Stapley
John Stapley
Sir John Stapley, 1st Baronet of Patcham , was a Royalist who plotted with members of the Sealed Knot to overthrow the Protector Oliver Cromwell and restore Charles II of England to the throne, but when questioned by Cromwellians he disclosed the plot and betrayed the other members...

 
Anthony Shirley 
George Courthope
George Courthope
Sir George Courthorpe was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1656 and 1679.Courthorpe was the son of George Courthorpe, of Ticehurst, Sussex...

 
Sir Thomas Rivers, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Rivers, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Rivers, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1656.Rivers was the son of James Rivers and his wife Charity Shirley, daughter of Sir John Shirley of Isfield Sussex...

 
Sir Thomas Parker
Samuel Gott
Samuel Gott
Samuel Gott was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England between 1645 and 1648 and between 1660 and 1661....

1659 Herbert Morley
Herbert Morley
Herbert Morley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1667. He fought for the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....

 
John Fagg
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1645 and 1701...


1640–1832

YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
1660 Sir John Pelham, Bt
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1644 and 1698.Pelham was the son of Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet and his wife Mary Wilbraham....

Henry Goring
Sir Henry Goring, 2nd Baronet
Sir Henry Goring, 2nd Baronet was an English barrister and politician.Goring was the son of Henry Goring and Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Eversfield, High Sheriff of Sussex. Goring sat as Member of Parliament for Sussex from 1660 to 1661 and for Steyning in 1660 and again from 1661 to 1679...

 
1661 John Ashburnham 
1667 Sir William Morley 
February 1679 John Lewknor 
August 1679 Sir Nicholas Pelham 
1681 Sir William Thomas, Bt
Sir William Thomas, 1st Baronet
Sir William Thomas, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1681.Thomas was created Baronet of Folkington in the County of Sussex, created in the Baronetage of England on 23 July 1660. He was Member of Parliament for Seaford from 1661 to 1681...

 
Sir John Fagg, Bt
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet
Sir John Fagg, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1645 and 1701...

 
1685 Sir Henry Goring, Bt
Sir Henry Goring, 2nd Baronet
Sir Henry Goring, 2nd Baronet was an English barrister and politician.Goring was the son of Henry Goring and Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Eversfield, High Sheriff of Sussex. Goring sat as Member of Parliament for Sussex from 1660 to 1661 and for Steyning in 1660 and again from 1661 to 1679...

 
Sir Thomas Dyke, Bt
Sir Thomas Dyke, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Dyke, 1st Baronet was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1685 and 1698.Dyke was the son of Sir Thomas Dyke and his wife Catharine Bramstone, daughter of Sir John Bramstone, of Skreenes, Essex. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church,...

 
1689 Sir John Pelham, Bt
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet
Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1644 and 1698.Pelham was the son of Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet and his wife Mary Wilbraham....

 
Sir William Thomas, Bt
Sir William Thomas, 1st Baronet
Sir William Thomas, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1681.Thomas was created Baronet of Folkington in the County of Sussex, created in the Baronetage of England on 23 July 1660. He was Member of Parliament for Seaford from 1661 to 1681...

 
1698 Robert Orme 
January 1701 Henry Lumley
Henry Lumley
General Henry Lumley was a British soldier and Governor of Jersey.He was the second son of John Lumley and Mary Compton, and younger brother of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough....

 
John Miller 
December 1701 Sir William Thomas, Bt
Sir William Thomas, 1st Baronet
Sir William Thomas, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1681.Thomas was created Baronet of Folkington in the County of Sussex, created in the Baronetage of England on 23 July 1660. He was Member of Parliament for Seaford from 1661 to 1681...

 
Sir Henry Peachey 
1702 Sir Thomas Pelham, Bt
Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham
Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham of Laughton Bt was a moderate English Whig politician and Member of Parliament for several constituencies. He is best remembered as father of two British prime ministers who, between them, served for 18 years as first minister...

 
Whig Henry Lumley
Henry Lumley
General Henry Lumley was a British soldier and Governor of Jersey.He was the second son of John Lumley and Mary Compton, and younger brother of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough....

 
1705 John Morley Trevor  Sir George Parker, Bt
Sir George Parker, 2nd Baronet
Sir George Parker, 2nd Baronet , of Ratton, Sussex, was an English politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Sussex from 1705 to 1708 and again from 1710 to 1713....

 
1708 Sir Henry Peachey, Bt  Peter Gott
Peter Gott
Peter Gott was an English politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Hastings from 1690 to 1695 and again from 1698 to 1701.He died aged 56.-References:...

 
1710 Charles Eversfield  Sir George Parker, Bt
Sir George Parker, 2nd Baronet
Sir George Parker, 2nd Baronet , of Ratton, Sussex, was an English politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Sussex from 1705 to 1708 and again from 1710 to 1713....

 
1713 Henry Campion  John Fuller 
1715 James Butler  Hon. Spencer Compton
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington KG, KB, PC was a British Whig statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death. He served as the nominal head of government from 1742 until his death in 1743, but was merely a figurehead for the true leader of the government, Lord...

 
Whig
1722 Hon. Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham was a British Whig statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 27 August 1743 until his death in 1754...

1728 James Butler 
1742 Earl of Middlesex
Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset
Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset PC was a British nobleman, politician, and cricketer. He was styled Lord Buckhurst from 1711 to 1720 and Earl of Middlesex from 1720 to 1765.-Early life:...

 
1747 John Butler
1754 Thomas Pelham
Thomas Pelham, 1st Earl of Chichester
Thomas Pelham, 1st Earl of Chichester PC , known as the Lord Pelham of Stanmer from 1768 to 1801, was a British Whig politician.Pelham was the son of Thomas Pelham and his wife Annetta, daughter of Thomas Bridges...

Whig
1767 Lord George Henry Lennox
1768 Richard Harcourt 
1774 Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson 
1780 Thomas Pelham
Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester
Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester PC, PC , FRS , styled The Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1768 until 1783, The Right Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1783 to 1801, and then known as Lord Pelham until 1805, was a British Whig politician...

1790 Charles Lennox
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox KG, PC was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.-Background:...

1801 John 'Mad Jack' Fuller
John 'Mad Jack' Fuller
John Fuller , better known as "Mad Jack" Fuller , was Squire of the hamlet of Brightling, in Sussex , and is well known as a builder of follies, and as a philanthropist, patron of the arts and sciences, and a supporter of slavery...

Tory
1807 Charles William Wyndham 
1812 Sir Godfrey Webster, Bt
Sir Godfrey Webster, 5th Baronet
Sir Godfrey Vassal Webster, 5th Baronet was an English Tory Member of Parliament .Webster succeeded to the baronetcy in May 1800....

 
Walter Burrell
Walter Burrell (1777–1831)
Walter Burrell was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1812 to 1831.Burrell was educated at Westminster School where he may have taken part in the first school cricket match in 1794 between Westminster and Charterhouse School.Burrell was elected at the 1812 general...

 
Tory
1820 Edward Jeremiah Curteis 
1830 Herbert Barrett Curteis 
1831 Lord John Lennox
Lord John Lennox
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord John George Lennox , was a British soldier and Whig politician.-Background:Lennox was the second son of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, and Lady Charlotte, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon.Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, was his elder...

 
Whig
1832 Constituency divided into East
East Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
East Sussex was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....

 and West Sussex
West Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
West Sussex was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....

.

Elections

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the adult male owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each elector had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...

 of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...

. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.

The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK