Æthelwulf of Wessex
Protestant Nonconformism was well established in Sussex by the beginning of the 19th century, and Wesleyan Methodism had a strong presence. In 1807, the Lewes and Brighton Wesleyan Circuit was founded, covering much of the county; it administered ten churches by 1841. In September of that year, Methodists first began to meet in Steyning, an ancient village whose strategic position made it an important centre of trade. St Cuthman founded its church in the 8th century; King Æthelwulf of Wessex was later buried there; and George Fox and William Penn were associated with a 17th-century Quaker meeting house.