Sussex Languages

Sussex Languages

Official Language
Medieval Latin became the official language used in documents In England from the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Some informal documents were written in English from as early as the 15th century.

During the Protectorate, by a statute of 25 November 1650, English replaced Latin.

With the Restoration in 1660, all statutes of the interregnum were treated as void and Latin once again became the official language to be used in documents. In fact, however, many documents were written in English.

In 1731, an Act was passed mandating English as the official written language. This Act commenced in on Lady Day 1733.

See also: England Language and Languages

Sussex Dialect
A dialect of English with regional variations was spoken in Sussex. When speaking the common tongue, there was (and, in some speakers, remains) a distinct Sussex accent. When reading documents where the speaker was not the recorder such as census records it may be useful to read aloud personal names and place names with an approximation of a Sussex accent to more accurately identify the name.


 * William Douglas Parish, A dictionary of the Sussex dialect and collection of provincialisms in use in the county of Sussex (1875)