Sussex, England Genealogy

England Sussex

The East Sussex Record Office is moving. The former search room at The Maltings closed on 31 May, 2013. A new reading room will open in The Keep later this year. More on their website. The Patron Saint of Sussex is Saint Richard of Chichester who was learned in the Canon Law before training for the priesthood eventually being elected as the Bishop of Chichester in 1244. His shrine in Chichester Cathedral attracted pilgrims but was destroyed during Henry VIII's time. His translated saint's day of 16 June has been celebrated as Sussex Day since 2007. }}
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Sussex is a former maritime county located in South East England and corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex.

The county of Sussex is named for the South Saxons, in Old English, sūth + Seaxe. The expression Suth Seaxe is first recorded in the late 9th century. In the Domesday Book (1086) it is Sudsexe.

The historic county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming into force of the Local Government Act 1972.

Research Tools

 * GenUKI: Sussex
 * Sussex Family History Group (SFHG)
 * Sussex Online Parish Clerks (Sussex OPC)
 * GenWeb: Sussex pages of the British Isles GenWeb part of the World GenWeb Projects
 * The Weald The history, genealogy and topography of the Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex
 * Sussex Records Society (SRS)
 * Sussex Families compiled by John Comber

Mailing lists and Message Boards

 * Sussex+ RootsWeb Mailing List
 * Sussex+ RootsWeb Mailing List Searchable Archives
 * Sussex RootsWeb Message Board
 * GenForum Message Board for Sussex
 * RootsChat Sussex Forum
 * British Genealogy Sussex Forum

East Sussex

 * East Sussex Records Office (ESRO)

West Sussex

 * West Sussex Records Office (WSRO)
 * West Sussex Past Photographs Over 5000 images from the 1640s to the present

Jurisdictions
Use an interactive mapto find jurisdictions for each parish in Sussex.

Rapes and Divisions
Sussex was formerly divided into six rapes. In the 19th Century, the county was divided for electoral purposes into two divisions, the Eastern and Western, which, in 1888, became the basis of two administrative bodies, East Sussex and West Sussex.

Civil Districts
When civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in 1837, Sussex was divided into a number of registration districts, each containing several parishes. The index to the civil records gives the name of the district where an event took place. Click here to see a list of the civil districts in Sussex and the parishes covered by each. Read more about England Civil Registration.

Parishes
Burchall, Michael J. Roman Catholics in Sussex giving name, residence and value of estate. Article covers year 1715. To be found in magazine Sussex Family Historian. vol. 1. #5, June 1974. pages 115-116. Family History Library Ref. 942.52 B2 su

Probate Jurisdictions
Before 1858, every town and parish in Sussex was under the probate jurisdiction of several ecclesiastical courts. To read more about probate records and see a list of Sussex towns and parishes and the probate courts that had jurisdiction over them, go to Sussex Probate Records.

Websites
These websites contain information of value for Sussex research:


 * Sussex Resources and help pages on RootsChat Sussex Resources and help pages. (Free).
 * http://www.thesussexweald.org/home.asp - parish records, maps, books, pedigrees etc for the Weald an area 120 miles long and 30 miles wide encompassing many small towns in Sussex, Kent and Surrey.
 * http://www.sussexrecordsociety.org/plhome.asp?an=&amp;ap - Sussex poor Law records, settlements and removals
 * http://www.barriesgenealogy.co.uk/html/broadwater_worthing.html - includes links to a variety of sources for Sussex.
 * http://www.sussex-opc.org/- Sussex Online Parish Clerks
 * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Burtenshaw/?yguid=138587594 - Burtenshaw family of or from Sussex
 * Cyndi's List for Sussex lots of useful links here

To view a brief list of additional web sites and/or web pages for Sussex and many of its parishes, visit FHLFavorites.info.

Getting Help with your Genealogy
Professional Genealogists who specialize in Southeast England Research helps you compare the expertise, credentials, and rates of professional researchers who can help you access these records.