Seaford, (East Sussex)

OPC for Seaford is : Lynne Shumway

Email: Lynne Shumway.

Parish picture

Seaford is situated south of Lewes beside the sea, on the opposite side of the river Ouse from the port of Newhaven.

The town was used by the Romans as a port and by 1290 was one of the major ports in the South of England exporting the local wool and importing wine.

The 100 years war marked the end of Seaford's prosperity; the continual raids on the town by the French followed by the Black Death in 1348 led to reports in 1357 that the town was largely burnt down and there were no longer enough inhabitants to defend it.

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By the late 1500's the fine harbour had silted up, and the new harbour was built at Newhaven some time before 1565.

Construction of a new railway line from Newhaven commenced on 1st June 1863. It was built on an embankment which also acted as a flood barrier which helped reduce the threat of flooding.

Although Seaford never became a major tourist destination, perhaps due to its proximity to Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings which had better rail connections to the capital, Seaford became a pleasant small town.

Parish picture

Until 1508, when it was annexed to Seaford, Sutton was a separate parish. The ruins of the ancient church were still traceable in the 19th century. The new church, dedicated to St Luke was built in 1958 and is actually in Chyngton; the site of the ancient building is lost beneath a housing estate. Chyngton House is built on the site of an ancient monastery.

Places of worship:

Church details, together with baptism, marriage, monumental inscription & burial records can be accessed by clicking on the church name.

Ancient Parish Church, Sutton

Baptist Chapel

Baptist Church

Chyngton Methodist, Sutton

Congregational Church

Convent Chapel

Kingdom Hall

Kingsmead School Chapel

Methodist Church

Seaford Cemetery

Seaford Community Church

Spiritualist Church

St John

St Leonard

St Luke, Sutton

St Peter's School Chapel

St Thomas More

Census returns:

The OPC Database has no census returns for people residing in this parish yet.

People born in this parish but residing elsewhere:

6 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1851 census.

8 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1861 census.

3 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1871 census.

4 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1891 census.

1841, 1851, 1861 (in progress), 1871 and 1891 - look up request service offered

Maps:

Grid reference: 548500, 99500 ~ View on: Google Maps, Open Street Map, Streetmap, National Library of Scotland Map or Oldmaps.

Militia records etc:

Names on the war memorial north end of Sutton Road

Other links relating to this parish:

Seaford - a community website

Seaford Town - a community website

Seaford Museum is housed in Martello Tower no. 74 on the Seafront. Nicknamed the Tardis by its visitors, there is a deceptive 5,000 square feet of display area which includes the roof with cannon, entrance floor with museum shop, the lower floor of the tower and the covered dry moat area

Poll Registers:

The OPC database contains 150 poll register entries for people entitled to vote in this parish.

1641 Protestation Returns:

There are no protestation returns for this parish in the OPC database.

Gazettes:

The OPC database contains 122 entries for people associated with this parish mentioned in Gazettes.

Parish histories:

The OPC has the following available for look up:
Seaford in Picture Postcards (Book)
Seaford by William Banks (Book)
Records of the Corporation of Seaford

Photographs:

There are 183 images depicting this parish in the OPC database.

Postal directories:

The OPC database contains 364 postal directory entries for this parish, (breakdown below).

73 entries from the 1791 Universal British Directory.

124 entries from the 1859 Kelly's Directory.

167 entries from the 1866 Kelly's Directory.

The OPC database contains the following directory sections which cover this parish.

1859 Kelly's Directory for Seaford.

1866 Kelly's Directory for Seaford.

1791 Universal British Directory for Lewes.

1867 Kelly's Directory for Seaford is available on the GENUKI site

Publications:

There are 3 books about this parish in the Sussex OPC Bibliography.

There are 35 articles about this parish in the OPC Sussex Archeaological Collections Index.

There are 20 people from this parish in the OPC Sussex Archeaological Society Members Index.

Wills:

The OPC database contains 1 will of someone who lived in this parish.

The OPC database contains 1 will which mention this parish.

Interest in this parish:

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