Brighton

Although the local land has been inhabited since 3000BC, it was not until the arrival of the Saxons that Brighton's foundations were laid. By the 6th century AD they were in control of much of Southern England; in fact Sussex means the "kingdom of the south Saxons". The original name of Brighton was "Brighthelmston" and was almost certainly distorted from the Saxon name "Brithelm" or "Beorthelm", and "tun", meaning farmstead. During Saxon times the settlement developed as a modest community with a population of 400 which revolved around fishing and farming.

Brighthelmston was a village constantly fighting to survive. In 1514 the French pillaging of the south coast all but destroyed it, but against all odds the village recovered and went on to thrive as a fishing community as never before. Despite this growth, the town fell into decline as rising sea levels, culminating in the violent storms of 1703 and 1705, destroyed its lower part. By 1730, a population that had swelled to 4,000 in 1600, had dwindled to half that number.