Prince Harry, Rag'n'Bone Man and Selsey cockles - here's all you need to know about Sussex

Think you know a lot about Sussex? Here's some facts you may not be aware of:
Sussex artist Rag n Bone Man. Photo courtest of the Brits AwardsSussex artist Rag n Bone Man. Photo courtest of the Brits Awards
Sussex artist Rag n Bone Man. Photo courtest of the Brits Awards

1) Sussex is a county in southern England on the English Channel. It was formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that was captured by Wessex in the 9th century. It was divided in 1974 into the counties of East Sussex and West Sussex.

2) The name Sussex is derived from the Middle English Suth-sæxe which means land or people of the South Saxons.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

3) Sussex is 1,461 sq miles. It is 50 per cent larger than Luxembourg. The population of Sussex is about 1.6m.

4) Blackdown, West Sussex, is the highest hill at 919 feet (280 metres).

5) Sussex by the Sea, written in 1907 by William Ward-Higgs, is considered by many to be the unofficial county anthem.

6) The county is home to England’s largest arts festival, the Brighton Festival.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

7) The first film show in Sussex was in March 1896 in Brighton, the first in the UK outside of London.

8) The county is known for its ‘Seven Good Things of Sussex’. They are Pulborough eel, Selsey cockle, Chichester lobster, Rye herring, Arundel mullet, Amberley trout and Bourne wheatear.

9) The Sussex dialect has an unusually large number of words for mud.

10) Prince Harry was made Duke of Sussex on May 19 2018 to mark his wedding to Meghan Markle, the first Duchess of Sussex.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

11) Popular musicians to come from Sussex include: Leo Sayer, The Cure, The Levellers, Brett Anderson, Keane, Royal Blood and Rag’n’Bone Man.

12) Sussex played a key role in the development of cricket and stoolball. Weald and Sussex CCC is England’s oldest county cricket club. Sussex is represented in the Football League by Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town.