See also Stories of Famous Sussex People

 

Of illustrious names connected with Sussex there is truly no end. If mention were made of characters who have found a place in history, of the ecclesiastics at Selsey and Chichester, of the members of the illustrious families which have been long settled in the county, of royal progressions from Edward I to George V, the roll would be as extensive as the famous one of Battle.

 

But, even setting these aside, the list is a great one. Whilst this list is not complete I hope to add to it as I am able to. Until then further information on the names mentioned below can be seen if there is a link.

 

Among the writers, ' Shelley' was born at Warnham, ' Tennyson' died in the home he had chosen under Blackdown, 'Byron' was a visitor at Hastings and Littlehampton, and ' Cowper' at Eartham. ' Pope' is said to have written The Rape of the Lock at West Grinstead, where ' Gay' also was a visitor. ' Campbell' lived five years at Hastings, and ' Swinburne' wrote feelingly of the beauties of the Downs and South coast. 

 

Of lesser lights, ' Collins' was a native of Chichester, Coventry ' Patmore's' home was at Hastings, ' William Blake' lived three years at Felpham, where also ' Hayley' is buried, ' Francis Thompson' lived at Storrington, and the dramatists ' Otway' and ' Fletcher' were born at Trotton and Rye respectively.   'John Selden', the great scholar, jurist, and politician during the Civil Wars, was born at Salvington and educated at Chichester.

 

The ' Sackvilles'' home was at Buckhurst. ' Gibbon' the historian lies buried at Fletching, and ' Thomas May' died at Mayfield. The visits of ' Dr. Johnson' and ' Fanny Burney' to Brighton, ' Horace Walpole' to Herstmonceux, and ' Charles Lamb' to Hastings are parts of standard literature. Many famous authors, including ' Dickens' and 'Thackeray', have written about Brighton, and the scene of ' Thackeray's' novel, Denis Duval, is laid at Rye and Winchelsea.

'Anthony Trollope' lived many years near Harting. Of more local celebrity are ' White of Selborne', who often visited Ringmer, and ' M. A. Lower' and ' Sir W. Burrell', the justly famed historians of Sussex. ' Rudyard Kipling' lived for many years in Sussex, first at Rottingdean and latterly near Burwash. The novels of ' Miss Sheila Kaye-Smith' have made the eastern border of the county well known. ' Thomas Sturge-Moore', poet and art critic, was born at Hastings. Other writers who have lived in Sussex include ' Hilaire Belloc', ' E. V. Lucas', ' Wilfred Scawen Blunt', ' Henry James', ' A. C. Benson', ' E. V. Benson', ' Conan Doyle', and ' Virginia Woolf'.

 

Among artists, 'Hine', the marine painter, was born near Brighton, the ' Smith brothers' at Chichester, and ' Baxter' of Baxter-print fame at Lewes. ' Gideon Mantell', the famous geologist whose work established the freshwater origin of the Wealden deposits, practised medicine in Lewes. ' Richard Jeffries', the field naturalist, died at Goring.

 

The divines include ' Dunstan' at Mayfield, and ' Becket' at West Tarring. ' Archbishop Chicheley' visited Scotney Castle; ' Archbishop Juxon' was born in Chichester; Accepted 'Frewen', Archbishop of York, was born at Brickwall, Northiam. 'Chillingworth', the Protestant, lies buried at Chichester; his fierce opponent, 'Cheynell', who was rector of Petworth, is buried at Preston.

 

Horsted Keynes was long the residence of ' Archbishop Leighton' of Glasgow; Rye and Winchelsea recall the preaching of ' John Wesley'. ' Bishop Wilberforce' of Winchester lived long at Wool Lavington, where he is buried, and ' Cardinal Manning' was rector of the same place. The martyr ' Bishop Hannington' was born at Hurstpierpoint. ' Titus Gates', instigator of the Popish Plot, was born at Hastings and was a curate there in 1680.

 

Statesmen. ' William Wilberforce' was member for Bramber, the noted 'rotten borough'; 'Cobden', the famous Free Trader, was born near Midhurst, and is buried at West Lavington; and the ill-fated politician ' Huskisson' has memorials at Eartham and in Chichester Cathedral.

 

We can do little more than mention the present representatives of families who have long been distinguished in the history of the county. Such are the ' Duke of Norfolk' of Arundel Castle, the ' Duke of Richmond' and ' Gordon' at Goodwood, the ' Duke of Devonshire', who had in Compton Place a seat at Eastbourne and owned nearly the whole site of the town.

 

The ' Marquis of Abergavenny' at Eridge represents the ' Nevill' family; ' Earl de la Warr' of Buckhurst, the ' Wests' and the 'Sackvilles'; the ' Earl of Chichester' of Stanmer Park, the 'Pelhams'; and ' Lord Leconfield' of Petworth, the 'Wyndhams', and by descent also the ' Percys' and the 'Seymours'. Other notable families of great antiquity are those of ' Gage' and 'Barttelot'.

 

 

 

 

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