This is atimeline ofSussex history. To read about the background to these events, seeHistory of Sussex. See also thelist of monarchs of Sussex.
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 15 | Verica succeedsEppillus as king of the southernAtrebates (approximately modern Sussex and south-east Hampshire) with a capital at or close to what went on to become the RomanNoviomagus Reginorum (modernChichester) | [1] | |
| by 42 | Caratacus, king of the Catuvellauni tribe, conquers the southern Atrebatic kingdom and expelsVerica. | [1] | |
| c.43 | Romans land on Sussex coast as part of the Roman conquest of Britain, perhaps in support ofVerica. Under Roman rule theclient kingdom of theRegni orRegnenses is created from the southern Atrebatic kingdom forCogidubnus that includes much of what is to become Sussex. | [2][1] | |
| c.75 | Thelargest Roman residence north of the Alps is built close to what is now Chichester Harbour | ||
| c.80 | Kingdom ofRegni orRegnenses, becomes a Roman canton orcivitas with its capital atNoviomagus Reginorum (modern Chichester). | [2] |
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 121/122 | Astone statue, perhaps the largest in Roman Britain, is erected at what is nowChichester Harbour | [3] | |
| c.150 | Ptolemy'sGeography mentions several places in what was to become Sussex includingMagnus Portus,Noeomagus (Noviomagus Reginorum),Novus Portus and theFlavius Trisantona (River Arun). | [4] | |
| c.190 | Construction begins on a Romano-Britishvilla just north of the South Downs, close to Stane Street |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.200-250 | Beachy Head Lady buried atEast Dean, the first knownperson of sub-Saharan origin in Britain. | [5] | |
| c.293-300 | The Romans build theSaxon Shore fort ofAnderitum at Pevensey | [6] |
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| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.410 | Romans leave Britain | [7] | |
| 460s onwards | Hoard of coins deposited at what is nowPatching. | [8] | |
| c.477 | Aelle arrived atCymenshore; Aelle goes on to become the first king of Sussex and the firstBretwalda. | [9][10] | |
| 485 | Battle of Mercredesburne | [11] | |
| 491 | Siege ofAnderitum in modern Pevensey. | [12][13] |
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.500 | The beginning of theHeptarchy, which includes theKingdom of Sussex. |
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 607 | Ceolwulf of Wessex fights the South Saxons | [14] | |
| 661 | KingÆthelwealh of Sussex becomes Christian and his territory expands westwards to include theMeon Valley and theIsle of Wight. | [15] | |
| c. 679 | Sussex is affected by famine. | [16] | |
| 681 | St Wilfrid arrives in Sussex. | [17] | |
| c.681 | Selsey Abbey founded. | [17] | |
| 685-686 | Cædwalla of Wessex invades Sussex, killing King Æthelwealh of Sussex. | [18] | |
| 686 | South Saxons attackHlothere, king of Kent, in support of Hlothere's nephewEadric. | [19] | |
| c.7th century | Sussex appears in theTribal Hidage. | [20] |
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.700 | Parts of Sussex are mentioned in theRavenna Cosmography includingNouiomago orNauimago regentium (Chichester) andAnderito (Pevensey). | [21] | |
| 710 | KingNunna of Sussex and KingIne of Wessex clash with KingGeraint ofDumnonia (Devon and Cornwall). | [22] | |
| c.715 | Eadberht, Abbot of Selsey is consecrated the firstbishop of the South Saxons. | [23] | |
| 771 | KingOffa of Mercia defeats theHaestingas and adds their kingdom to the Kingdom of Sussex. | [24] |
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.827 | Sussex annexed by Kingdom of Wessex | [25] | |
| 828 | Historia Brittonum is written, which refers to the "Night of the Long Knives" in which Sussex is ceded by sub-Roman authorities to Saxons. | ||
| 839 | Æthelstan becomes "King of the Dwellers in Kent, of the East Saxons, of the South Saxons and of Surrey" on the authority of his father,Æthelwulf of Wessex. | [26] | |
| 858 | Æthelwulf of Wessex buried atSteyning. | [27] | |
| 860 | Æthelberht of Wessex becomes king of Wessex. Sussex, together with Essex, Kent and Surrey, is fully subsumed as part of this kingdom. | [28][29] | |
| 885 | King Alfred meets his biographer,Asser, for the first time at Alfred's royal estate at Dean in Sussex. | [30] |
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| After 915 | TheBurghal Hidage lists fiveburhs (fortified towns or forts) in Sussex at Chichester, Burpham, Lewes, Hastings andEorpeburnan | ||
| 927 | Æthelstan styles himself as King of the English, becoming the first king to do so. | ||
| 930 | 3 April | England-wide Royal Council (Witenagemot) takes place atLyminster, included KingÆthelstan and his councillors. | [32][33] |
| 994 | Vikings commanded byOlaf Tryggvason andSweyn Forkbeard raid the coast of Sussex. | [34] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1011 | The last Viking raid on Sussex takes place at Hastings. Later in the same year, Sussex is ruled by the Danes | [35] | |
| 1049 | Sweyn Godwinson abducts his cousin Beorn atBosham and later murders him. | [36] | |
| 1064 | Harold Godwinson sets sail for Normandy from Bosham. | [37] | |
| 1066 | September | William of Normandy lands atPevensey. | [38] |
| 1066 | 14 October | Battle of Hastings atSenlac Hill. | [39] |
| 1075 | TheCouncil of London decrees that the bishopric for Sussex should be moved from Selsey Abbey to a new cathedral at Chichester. | [40] | |
| 1088 | Rebellion of 1088:William II captures the rebel leaderOdo of Bayeux in a six-week siege atPevensey Castle. | [41] | |
| 1090 | First mention of Church in the wood Hollington, Saint Leonards on Sea |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1107 | Henry I of England grants BishopRalph de Luffa the right to hold a fair in Chichester, which becomes known as theSloe Fair. | [42] | |
| 1108 | Chichester Cathedral is consecrated under BishopRalph de Luffa. | [40] | |
| 1139 | Siege of Arundel - part of the events ofthe Anarchy. | [43] | |
| 1155 | Earliest known charter of theCinque Ports, included Hastings and laterRye, Winchelsea andSeaford. | [44] | |
| 1187 | Fire destroys Chichester Cathedral and much of the city of Chichester. | [45][46][47] | |
| 1194 | WhileRichard the Lionheart is held captive in France,King John's forces lay siege toChichester Castle. | [48] | |
| 1199 | Chichester Cathedral is re-consecrated under BishopSeffrid II. | [46][47] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1208 | King John confiscatesBramber Castle from the de Braose family, after suspecting them of treachery. | [48] | |
| 1215 | 22 January | WhileKing John visitsKnepp Castle for 4 days, confederated barons assemble in London to determine how best to check the career of this vicious king. | [49] |
| 1216 | in part of theFirst Barons' War, Rye and Winchelsea open their gates toPrince Louis of France in an unsuccessful bid to take the crown from the hated King John | [50] | |
| 1216 | Chichester Castle is attacked and occupied byPrince Louis of France. | [48] | |
| 1217 | A force ofWealdsmen led byWilliam of Cassingham ambushesPrince Louis of France and his men at Lewes, pursuing them to Winchelsea. | [51] | |
| 1225 | Chichester Castle is demolished so that it cannot be used again by French forces | [50] | |
| 1250-1262 | TheRape of Chichester is created, the last of Sussex's six sub-divisions, known as Rapes. | [52] | |
| 1262 | Pope Urban IV canonisesSt Richard of Chichester, former bishop of Chichester and now Sussex's patron saint. | [53] | |
| 1264 | 14 May | Battle of Lewes | |
| 1287 | February | OldWinchelsea completely destroyed byflood. | [54] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1315 | TheGreat Famine of 1315–17 brings a relatively large increase in mortality in Sussex and across much of northern Europe. | [55] | |
| 1336 | Edward III decides to site the county court for Sussex at Chichester. | [56] | |
| 1338 | Start of the English Channel naval campaign, part of theHundred Years' War, saw the unwalled Hastings burnt to the ground. | [57] | |
| 1348 | Over the next 20 years theBlack Death kills perhaps half of the population of Sussex. | [58] | |
| 1350 | 29 August | Battle of Winchelsea | [59] |
| 1353 | Chichester is named as thestaple port for Sussex in theStatute of the Staple. | [56] | |
| 1377 | 10 December | BishopWilliam Reade receives permission to fortifyAmberley Castle. | [60] |
| 1381 | Peasants' Revolt: people from Sussex participate in riots in London;Lewes Castle is sacked; | [61][62][63] | |
| 1385 | Work begins onBodiam Castle | [64] |
| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1406 | James I of Scotland is imprisoned inPevensey Castle, whereHenry IV of England provided for his education. | [65] | |
| 1419 | Joan of Navarre, dowager Queen of England, is imprisoned inPevensey Castle for the next three years after her step-sonHenry V accuses her of planning to destroy the king by sorcery | [66] | |
| 1450 | June | Rebels involved in Jack Cade's Rebellion assemble outside London. | [67] |
| 1450 | 12 July | Jack Cade fatally wounded atCade Street. | [67][68] |
| 1451 | Easter week | John and William Merfold indicted after publicly inciting the killing of the nobility, clergy, the deposition of King Henry VI and advocating rule by common people. | [67] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1504 | A statute is passed to alternate the court of theHigh Sheriff of Sussex between Chichester and Lewes. | [69] | |
| 1538 | 20 December | Shrine of St Richard destroyed following a royal order fromHenry VIII. | [70] |
| 1545 | 20 July | After theBattle of the Solent, the French Navy landed at Brighton and Newhaven but is repulsed. | [71] |
| 1555-1557 | As part of theMarian Persecutions, a significant number of men are martyred for their Protestant faith, including 17 men burnt alive in Lewes. | [72] | |
| c.1562 | FirstHuguenot community arrived atRye, arriving atWinchelsea the following year. | [73] | |
| 1588 | 1 October | Ralph Crockett andEdward James executed in Chichester for being Catholic priests. | [74][75] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1611 | 24 March | The first known reference to cricket being played by adults is recorded atSidlesham on theManhood peninsula. | [76][77][78] |
| 1611 | First recorded use of theemblem of Sussex inJohn Speed'sTheatrum Imperii Maganae Britanniae | [79] | |
| 1624 | 10 September | Jasper Vinall becomes the first person recorded to have died as a result of an incident in a game of cricket | [80] |
| 1642 | December | English Civil War:Battle of Muster Green in Haywards Heath results in the deaths or fleeing of 200 Royalists | [81] |
| 1642 | 22–27 December | English Civil War:Siege of Chichester | [82] |
| 1643 | 14 April - 1 May | English Civil War: Siege ofArundel Castle | [83] |
| 1643 | 13 December | English Civil War:Battle of Bramber Bridge | |
| 1643-1644 | 19 December 1643 – 6 January 1644 | English Civil War:Siege of Arundel | |
| 1655 | George Fox preaches atIfield and as a result the first weeklyQuaker meeting in Sussex is held; thefirst Quaker Friends meeting house in Sussex is built in 1676. | [84] | |
| 1690 | 10 July | Battle of Beachy Head. | [85] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1743 | 27 August | Henry Pelham, one of the two MPs elected to thecounty of Sussex constituency, becomesPrime Minister of Great Britain. | [86] |
| 1745 | Sussex Weekly Advertiser first published. | [87] | |
| 1748 | February | The brutal murders take place of William Galley and Daniel Chater by theHawkhurst Gang of smugglers. | [88] |
| 1749 | 16 January | At a special Assize in Chichester, seven men were convicted of smuggling and their part in murders carried out by theHawkhurst Gang. | [89][88] |
| 1768 | 19 February | Thomas Paine moves to Lewes, where he develops his political ideas, particularly as part of theHeadstrong Club. | [90] |
| 1794 | Sussex Yeomanry founded when there was a threat of invasion in theNapoleonic Wars. | [91] |


| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 27 November | Prince Augustus Frederick becomesDuke of Sussex | [92] |
| 1804 | 3 June | Birth ofRichard Cobden, statesman and co-founder of theAnti-Corn Law League | [93][94] |
| 1804 | Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, gets royal permission for the title 'Sussex' to be transferred from the25th Regiment of Foot to the35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot. This regiment was replaced by theRoyal Sussex Regiment 180 years later in 1881. | [95] | |
| 1813 | Ashburnham blast furnace is closed, the last in the Weald as iron production is produced more cheaply in the Midlands and the north of England using coke. | [96] | |
| 1822 | Gideon Mantell discovers dinosaur teeth in Tilgate Forest that he later names as a new genus of dinosaur found 'iguanadon', the second named genus of dinosaur. | ||
| 1823 | Sussex's first pier, theChain Pier, is built in Brighton. | [97] | |
| 1828 | 11 June | Sussex County Hospital (now Royal Sussex County Hospital) opens in Brighton | |
| 1830 | Captain Swing riots take place across Sussex and England. | [99] | |
| 1832 | ThePetworth Emigration Scheme is set up by theEarl of Egremont. Over the next five years around 1,800 working-class people from Sussex and neighbouring counties emigrate toUpper Canada to escape poverty. | [100] | |
| 1835 | John Sparshott is hanged in Horsham, becoming the second to last person in England to be put to death for homosexuality | [101] | |
| 1836 | 27 December | Lewes avalanche kills 8 people. | [102] |
| 1837 | 27 March | Death ofMaria Fitzherbert, longtime companion of the future KingGeorge IV of the United Kingdom at her home inSteine House, Brighton. | [103] |
| 1839 | 1 March | Sussex County Cricket Club formed, the first county cricket club. | [104] |
| 1840 | 11 May | The first railway line in Sussex,from Brighton to Shoreham opens. | [105] |
| 1853 | Lewes Prison, the local prison for male prisoners in Sussex, is opened. | [106] | |
| 1861 | 25 August | Clayton Tunnel rail crash results in 23 deaths. | |
| 1864 | 25 July | Ebernoe Horn Fair is revived after a long lapse. | |
| 1865 | The County of Sussex Act 1865 confirms the sub-division of Sussex into east and west areas for purposes of administration. | [107] | |
| 1884 | Skeleton Army riots inWorthing | [108] | |
| 1889 | County Councils were established for Sussex's eastern and western divisions. | ||
| 1893 | An outbreak oftyphoid fever in Worthing results in 188 fatalities. | [109] | |
| 1894 | Administration of the south ofTunbridge Wells and south ofLamberhurst is transferred toKent County Council | [110][111] | |
| 1896 | TheNational Trust acquires its first property,Alfriston Clergy House in Alfriston. | [112] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | "Sussex by the Sea", written byWilliam Ward-Higgs from hisSouth Bersted home, is published for the first time. | [113] | |
| 1910 | An airfield is established atShoreham Airport making it one of the world's first airports. | [114] | |
| 1916 | 24 March | Without warning a German submarine mistakenly torpedoes theSS Sussex, a cross-channel ferry, 13 miles (21 km) south ofDungeness resulting in 80 deaths. | [115] |
| 1916 | 30 June | Battle of the Boar's Head, known as "the Day Sussex Died" | [116] |
| 1918 | 13 October | At a meeting atDanny House inHurstpierpoint, theImperial War Cabinet agrees terms of the armistice to be offered to Germany at the end ofWorld War I. | [117] |
| 1925 | TheAdministration of Estates Act 1925 abolishes the custom of 'borough English' or ultimogentiture, a practice that prevailed more extensively in Sussex than elsewhere in England. | ||
| 1926 | 11 May | Angry confrontations known asBattle of Lewes Road take place in Brighton during the1926 United Kingdom general strike. | |
| 1934 | 9 October | Fascists and anti-Fascists clash at theBattle of South Street in Worthing. | [118] |
| 1940 | September | Operation Sea Lion planned byNazi Germany to land on the Sussex coast and part of the coast of Kent and invade the United Kingdom. | [119] |
| 1940 | German air raids on Sussex begin, those in Brighton being known as theBrighton Blitz. | ||
| 1942 | Dieppe Raid launched from Newhaven. | [120] | |
| 1943 | Deception planOperation Fortitude launched to convince Nazis that invasion would come fromFirst United States Army Group based in Sussex and Kent to invade thePas-de-Calais department of northern France. | [121] | |
| 1944 | Ports ofShoreham andNewhaven used as embarkation points for theD-Day landings. | [122][123] | |
| 1945 | 8 May | VE Day marks the end of the war in Europe. | [124] |
| 1945 | 15 August | VJ Day marks the end of World War II. | [125] |
| 1946 | 7 September | Teddy Donaldson establishes a new officialairspeed world record of 615.78 mph (991.00 km/h; 535.10 kn) in aGloster Meteor F.4 overLittlehampton. | [126] |
| 1946 | New Towns Act 1946 designatesCrawley as the site of a new town. | [127] | |
| 1953 | 7 September | Neville Duke establishes a new officialworld air speed record of 727.63 mph (1,171.01 km/h), flying HunterWB188. | [128] |
| 1961 | August | Charter granted to theUniversity of Sussex, the first university in Sussex. | [129] |
| 1962 | Chichester Festival Theatre opens. | [130] | |
| 1965 | 14 June | BishopDavid Cashman is made the first bishop of the Roman Catholicdiocese of Arundel and Brighton. | [131] |
| 1966 | Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was designated; it was revoked in 2010 upon the establishment of the South Downs National Park. | ||
| 1967 | The firstBrighton Festival andBrighton Fringe are held | ||
| 1967 | The firstSouth of England Show is held atArdingly. | [132] | |
| 1967 | 4 November | Iberia Flight 062 crashes into the southern slope ofBlackdown killing all 37 people on board | [133] |
| 1968 | Sussex Police is formed. | [134] | |
| 1970 | A team at theInstitute of Development Studies and theScience Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex publishes theSussex Manifesto at the request of theUnited Nations. | ||
| 1971 | Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is set up by an Act of Parliament. | ||
| 1972 | July | TheSouth Downs Way is established as Sussex's firstNational Trail and the UK's first long-distance bridleway. | [135] |
| 1972 | October | SussexGay Liberation Front holds a demonstration in favour ofgay rights, a precursor to the annualBrighton Pride event | [136] |
| 1974 | As part of theLocal Government Act 1972 theLord Lieutenancy of Sussex replaced with one each for East and West Sussex which are made ceremonial counties. | [137] | |
| 1980 | Wilton Park is used as a venue for South African leaders includingJacob Zuma and the rulingNational Party to meet behind closed doors. | [138] | |
| 1982 | At a meeting of theInternational Whaling Commission in Brighton, delegates vote for amoratorium on commercialwhaling. | [139] | |
| 1983 | 22 October | BBC Radio Brighton is relaunched as BBC Radio Sussex. | [140] |
| 1983 | 28 October | High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is confirmed. | [141] |
| 1983 | TheSussex Border Path is devised. The main path is 222 km (138 mi) long and stays close to Sussex's borders withHampshire,Surrey andKent, connectingThorney Island toRye. | [142] | |
| 1984 | 12 October | Brighton bombing assassination attempt on Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher | [143] |

| Year | Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Brighton and Hove is grantedcity status, becoming Sussex's second city | ||
| Sir Charles Burrell, 10th Baronet begins the process ofrewilding land at what went on to becomeKnepp Wildland, the first lowland rewilding project in England | [144] | ||
| 2002 | 7 October | Piers Sellers becomes the first native of Sussex to journey into outer space. | [145] |
| 2003 | Thousands ofChagossians settle in Crawley following their earlierforced eviction by the UK Government fromDiego Garcia in theIndian Ocean | [146] | |
| 2005 | 5 December | The first civil partnership formed under theCivil Partnership Act 2004 takes place between Matthew Roche and Christopher Cramp at St Barnabas Hospice,Worthing | [147] |
| 2007 | 16 June | Sussex Day, Sussex's county day is celebrated for the first time. | [148] |
| 2009 | 14 March | Finance ministers and central bankers of theG20 meet atSouth Lodge Hotel inLower Beeding in advance of the2009 G20 London summit. | |
| 2011 | 1 April | South Downs National Park becomes fully operational. | [149] |
| 20 May | Flag of Sussex registered by Flag Institute. | [150] | |
| 2012 | 21 November | Katy Bourne is elected as the firstSussex Police and Crime Commissioner | [151] |
| 2013 | Summer | Protests againstfracking take place inBalcombe | [152] |
| 21 November | Beachy Head West,Kingmere andPagham Harbour are made the firstMarine Conservation Zones in Sussex waters. | [153] | |
| 2014 | UNESCO designates land between the Rivers Adur and Ouse to be theBrighton and Lewes Downs Biosphere Reserve, Sussex's first UNESCOBiosphere Reserve. | [154] | |
| 2015 | 22 August | AHawker Hunter T7 military aircraft participating in theShoreham Airshowcrashes onto the A27 dual carriageway outside ofShoreham Airport, killing 11 people and injuring 16 others. | [155] |
| 15 December | Timothy Peake becomes the first BritishEuropean Space Agency astronaut as well as the first person from Sussex to board theInternational Space Station. | ||
| 2016 | May | TheSouth Downs National Park is grantedInternational Dark Sky Reserve status, to restrict artificial light pollution above the park; it is the second such area in England and the 11th in the world. | [156] |
| 23 June | The people of Sussex vote to leave the EU by a margin of 50.23% to 49.77% or 4,413 votes in thereferendum on UK membership of the EU. | [157][158] | |
| 2018 | TheRampion Wind Farm becomes operational, a wind farm that lies off the Sussex coast between Worthing and Seaford. | [159] | |
| 3 October | Prince Harry andMeghan Markle make their first official visit to Sussex asDuke and Duchess of Sussex | [160] | |
| 2019 | 31 May | DEFRA designate "Selsey Bill and the Hounds" as aMarine Conservation Zone. The zone is an inshore site which covers an area of approximately 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi) and is located by the town of Selsey. The site adjoins theBracklesham BaySite of Special Scientific Interest. | [161] |
| 2020 | 6 February | The first case in Sussex ofCOVID-19 was reported when a man who returned from Singapore and France to the Brighton on 28 January | [162][163][164] |
| 2021 | March | DEFRA announces a bylaw first proposed by the SussexIFCA to prevent trawling on 304 square kilometres (117 sq mi) of sea bed off the coast of Sussex. The law should help therewilding and regeneration of the Sussexkelp forest. | [165][166][167] |
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