Today, 16 June, people across Sussex mark Sussex Day – an annual celebration of one of England’s great historic counties, its identity, its history and its continuing place in the life of the nation.
Sussex Day is celebrated each year on 16 June, the feast day of St Richard of Chichester. It is a day for flying the Sussex flag, sharing county pride, supporting local heritage, and celebrating the towns, villages, landscapes and communities that make Sussex distinctive.
From the Weald to the South Downs, from the coast to the county’s inland market towns, Sussex has a shared identity that reaches far beyond local government boundaries. Brighton, Chichester, Lewes, Hastings, East Grinstead, Crawley, Worthing, Rye and countless villages all form part of the same historic county story.
The Historic Counties Institute, through RealCounties.com, is encouraging people, public bodies, local organisations, cultural institutions and the media to use Sussex Day as an opportunity to recognise Sussex properly: not as an outdated idea, but as an enduring geographic, historic and cultural reality.
A spokesperson for the Historic Counties Institute said:
Sussex Day is a brilliant reminder that county identity still matters. Local government arrangements change from time to time, but Sussex remains Sussex. It is a historic county with deep roots, a clear identity and a living place in the hearts of the people who belong to it.
Whether you are in Chichester, Hastings, Brighton, Crawley, Worthing, Rye or any of the villages between, Sussex Day belongs to the whole historic county. It is a chance to celebrate the landscape, history, culture and community that bind Sussex together.
The local government areas called East Sussex and West Sussex are important for the services they provide, but they do not replace the historic county of Sussex. Councils run services; counties define places. Sussex Day is therefore not simply a celebration of one council area or another, but of the whole historic county.
Sussex has long been one of the most recognisable county identities in England. Its name, landscape, flag, dialect, sporting traditions, local history and cultural associations all help maintain a strong sense of belonging. County days such as Sussex Day show that the historic counties remain relevant, popular and widely understood by the public.
The Historic Counties Institute believes that recognising historic counties helps strengthen local identity, improve public understanding, and connect people with the long story of the places in which they live.
The spokesperson added:
People should not have to choose between local administration and historic identity. Councils have their place, but they are not the whole story of where we are from. Sussex Day is a celebration of something older, deeper and more permanent.
RealCounties.com provides public education, reference material and mapping to help people understand the historic counties of Great Britain and Ireland, and to explain how they differ from council areas and lieutenancy areas.
This Sussex Day, the message is simple: Sussex has not disappeared. Sussex has not been divided out of existence. Sussex is still here – and today is its day.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Sussex Day is celebrated annually on 16 June.
RealCounties.com is the public education website of the Historic Counties Institute, providing information, evidence and resources relating to the historic counties of Great Britain and Ireland.
For further information, contact: media@realcounties.com