Sussex was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire, elected by the bloc vote system.

Under the Reform Act 1832 the constituency was split into two two-member divisions, for Parliamentary purposes, at the 1832 general election. The county was then represented by the East Sussex and West Sussex divisions.

Boundaries The constituency comprised the whole historic county of Sussex.

Sussex contained nine boroughs for most of its existence. These were: Arundel, Bramber, Chichester, East Grinstead, Horsham, Lewes, Midhurst, New Shoreham and Steyning; and four Cinque Ports: Hastings, Rye, Seaford and Winchelsea. Each of these areas also elected two MPs in their own right and they were not excluded from the county constituency. Owning property within the boroughs or ports could confer a vote at the county election.

Members of Parliament Two Members

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 1377 (Oct) Nicholas Wilcombe 1378 Sir Edmund FitzHerbert 1380 (Nov)Sir William Waleys 1381 Sir Edmund FitzHerbert 1382 (May) Sir Edmund FitzHerbert 1382 (Oct)Sir William WaleysSir Edmund FitzHerbert 1383 (Feb)Sir William Waleys 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 William 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 Stucley William Weston II 1416 (Mar) Richard Stucley Sir Roger Fiennes 1416 (Oct) 1417 John Halle Richard Stucley 1419 Richard Bannebury Richard Bitterley 1420 William Ryman Ralph Rademylde 1421 (May) William Ryman John Halle 1421 (Dec) Ralph Rademylde Richard Bitterley 1442 Sir Roger Fiennes 1445 Sir Roger Fiennes 1449John Wood 1450 Robert Poynings 1456 Nicholas Hussey 1483 John Wood 1491 Sir David Owen 1495 Edmund Dudley 1510–1523No 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 ? 1553 (Oct) John Caryll John Covert 1554 (Apr) Sir Robert Oxenbridge Sir Thomas Palmer 1554 (Nov) John Covert John Ashburnham II 1555 Sir Robert Oxenbridge John Caryll 1558 Sir Nicholas Pelham Sir Robert Oxenbridge 1559 (Jan) Sir Richard Sackville John Caryll 1562–3 Sir Richard Sackville, died and replaced 1566 by John Apsley William Dawtrey 1571 John Pelham Thomas Palmer 1572 John Jeffrey, died and replaced Jan 1581 by Walter Covert Thomas Shirley 1584 Robert Sackville Sir Thomas Shirley 1586 Walter Covert Thomas Pelham 1588 (Oct) Sir Thomas Palmer Henry Neville 1593 Robert Sackville Sir Thomas Shirley 1597 (Sep) Robert Sackville Sir Nicholas Parker 1601 Robert Sackville Charles Howard 1604 Robert Sackville 1609 Henry Carey 1614 Sir Walter Covert Sampson Lennard 1621 Sir Edward Sackville Christopher Neville 1624 Algernon Lord Peircy Thomas Pelham 1625 Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet Sir John Shurley 1626 Sir Walter Covert Sir Alexander Temple 1628 Sir William Goring, 1st Baronet Richard Lewknor 1629–1640No Parliaments summoned 1640 (Apr) Sir Thomas Pelham Bt Anthony Stapley 1640 (Nov) Sir Thomas Pelham Bt Anthony Stapley 1645 Sir Thomas Pelham Bt Anthony Stapley 1648 Anthony Stapley One seat only 1653 Anthony Stapley William Spence Nathaniel Studeley 1654Herbert Morley Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet Anthony Stapley John Stapley John Fagg William Hay John Pelham Francis Lord Dacres Herbert Springet 1656 Herbert Morley John Pelham John FaggJohn Stapley Anthony Shirley George Courthope Sir Thomas Rivers, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Parker Samuel Gott 1659 Herbert Morley John Fagg

1660–1832 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party1660 Sir John Pelham, Bt Henry Goring 1661 John Ashburnham 1667 Sir William Morley February 1679 John Lewknor August 1679 Sir Nicholas Pelham 1681 Sir William Thomas, Bt Sir John Fagg, Bt 1685 Sir Henry Goring, Bt Sir Thomas Dyke, Bt 1689 Sir John Pelham, Bt Sir William Thomas, Bt 1698 Robert Orme January 1701 Henry Lumley John Miller December 1701 Sir William Thomas, Bt Sir Henry Peachey Whig1702 Sir Thomas Pelham, Bt Whig Henry Lumley 1705 John Morley Trevor Sir George Parker, Bt 1708 Sir Henry Peachey, Bt Whig Peter Gott 1710 Charles Eversfield Tory Sir George Parker, Bt 1713 Henry Campion John Fuller 1715 James Butler Hon. Spencer Compton Whig1722 Hon. Henry Pelham Whig1728 James Butler Whig1742 Earl of Middlesex 1747 John Butler 1754 Thomas Pelham Whig1767 Lord George Henry Lennox Rockingham Whig1768 Richard Harcourt 1774 Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson 1780 Thomas Pelham Whig1790 Charles Lennox Tory 1795 Pittite1801 John 'Mad Jack' Fuller Tory1807 Charles William Wyndham 1812 Sir Godfrey Webster, Bt Tory Walter Burrell Tory1820 Edward Jeremiah Curteis 1830 Herbert Barrett Curteis Tory 1831 Lord John Lennox Whig1832 Constituency divided into East and West Sussex.

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 of Chichester. 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 List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Unreformed House of Commons

References