Sussex has three main geographic sub-regions, each oriented approximately east to west. In the south-west of the county lies the fertile and densely populated coastal plain. North of this lie the rolling chalk hills of the South Downs, beyond which lies the well-wooded Sussex Weald. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Sussex; the modern division into East and West counties only dates from 1974. The region is rich in prehistoric and Roman remains.

Sussex was of course the venue for the Battle of Hastings, the decisive victory in the Norman conquest of England. Sussex experienced some of the greatest changes of any English county under the Normans. The county’s existing sub-divisions, known as rapes, were made into ‘castleries’ and each territory was given to one of William’s most trusted barons. The Normans also moved the seat of Sussex’s bishopric from Selsey to Chichester.

During the Hundred Years War, Sussex found itself on the frontline, convenient both for intended invasions and retaliatory expeditions by licensed French pirates. Hastings, Rye and Winchelsea were all burnt during this period and all three became part of the Cinque Ports, a loose federation for supplying ships for the country’s security.

The Sussex coast was greatly modified by the social movement of sea bathing for health which became fashionable among the wealthy in the second half of the 18th century. Resorts developed all along the coast, including at Brighton, Hastings, Worthing, and Bognor. At the beginning of the 19th century the deteriorating conditions of work for agricultural labourers eventually triggered ‘Swing riots’, first in neighbouring Kent, and then in Sussex.

Much of the Sussex Weald consists of clay and is often broken up into to small irregular fields and woods by the topography, making it unsuitable for intensive arable farming. In these areas pastoral or mixed farming has always been the pattern, with field boundaries often little changed since the medieval period. The chalk downlands were traditionally grazed by large numbers of small Southdown sheep, suited to the low fertility of the pasture, until the coming of artificial fertiliser made cereal growing worthwhile. There have been fishing fleets, notably at Rye and Hastings, for centuries. The Weald also had an iron working industry since the Roman period, aided by its large supply of wood, all smelting being done with charcoal until the middle of the 18th century. The glass-making industry started on the Sussex/Surrey border in the early 13th century and flourished until the 17th century. The mid Sussex area had a thriving clay industry in the first quarter of the 20th century.

The county’s agricultural heritage is reflected in census data provided exclusively to us by TheGenealogist.co.uk – agricultural labourers (and domestic servants) predominate in both 1841 and 1911.

The website’s analysis also reveals that common surnames in the county across both years include Baker, Martin, White, Mitchell, Knight, Turner, King, Collins, Richardson, Stevens and Cooper. In 1841 Mills, Carter and Parker were also in the top 20, as was Parsons in 1911. During World War One, on the eve of the Battle of the Somme on 30 June 1916, the Royal Sussex Regiment took part in the Battle of the Boar’s Head. This subsequently became known as ‘the day Sussex died’. In less than five hours the 17 officers and 349 men were killed, and a further 1,000 wounded or taken prisoner.

East Sussex records can be found at The Keep in Brighton, and West Sussex record office is in Chichester.