# Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)

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: 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

| Parliament | First member | Second 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 Waleys | Sir 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 | |
| 1449 | John Wood |
| 1450 | Robert Poynings | |
| 1456 | Nicholas Hussey | |
| 1483 | John Wood |
| 1491 | Sir David Owen | |
| 1495 | Edmund Dudley |
| 1510–1523 | No names known | No 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 | Charles Howard |
| 1609 | Henry Carey | Charles Howard |
| 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 |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No 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 |
| 1654 | Herbert 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 Fagg John Stapley Anthony Shirley George Courthope Sir Thomas Rivers, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Parker Samuel Gott |
| 1659 | Herbert Morley | John Fagg |

### 1660–1832

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| 1660 | | Sir John Pelham, Bt | | | Henry Goring | |
| 1661 | | Sir John Pelham, Bt | | | John Ashburnham | |
| 1667 | | Sir John Pelham, Bt | | | Sir William Morley | |
| February 1679 | | Sir John Pelham, Bt | | | John Lewknor | |
| August 1679 | | Sir John Pelham, Bt | | | 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 | | | Sir William Thomas, Bt | |
| January 1701 | | Henry Lumley | | | John Miller | |
| December 1701 | | Sir William Thomas, Bt | | | Sir Henry Peachey | Whig |
| 1702 | | 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 | Whig |
| 1722 | | Hon. Henry Pelham | Whig | | Hon. Spencer Compton | Whig |
| 1728 | | Hon. Henry Pelham | Whig | | James Butler | Whig |
| 1742 | | Hon. Henry Pelham | Whig | | Earl of Middlesex | |
| 1747 | | Hon. Henry Pelham | Whig | | John Butler | |
| 1754 | | Thomas Pelham | Whig | | John Butler | |
| 1767 | | Thomas Pelham | Whig | | Lord George Henry Lennox | Rockingham Whig |
| 1768 | | Richard Harcourt | | | Lord George Henry Lennox | Rockingham Whig |
| 1774 | | Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson | | | Lord George Henry Lennox | Rockingham Whig |
| 1780 | | Thomas Pelham | Whig | | Lord George Henry Lennox | Rockingham Whig |
| 1790 | | Thomas Pelham | Whig | | Charles Lennox | Tory |
| 1795 | | Thomas Pelham | Pittite | | Charles Lennox | Tory |
| 1801 | | John 'Mad Jack' Fuller | Tory | | Charles Lennox | Tory |
| 1807 | | John 'Mad Jack' Fuller | Tory | | Charles William Wyndham | |
| 1812 | | Sir Godfrey Webster, Bt | Tory | | Walter Burrell | Tory |
| 1820 | | Edward Jeremiah Curteis | | | Walter Burrell | Tory |
| 1830 | | Herbert Barrett Curteis | Tory | | Walter Burrell | Tory |
| 1831 | | Herbert Barrett Curteis | Tory | | Lord John Lennox | Whig |
| 1832 | Constituency divided into East and West Sussex. | Constituency divided into East and West Sussex. | Constituency divided into East and West Sussex. | Constituency divided into East and West Sussex. | Constituency divided into East and West Sussex. | 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.