Unnamed Unit, Sussex : Historical writing

Descriptive gazetteer entries

These other entries in our collection of descriptive gazetteers are also about Brighton. You may be able to find further references to Brighton in the descriptive gazetteers by doing a full-text search here.

Place Type of entry Source
Brighthelmstone ancient name Bartholomew
Brighton fashionable watering-place, parliamentary and municipal borough, and parish Bartholomew
BRIGHTON a town, a parish, and a district Imperial

Travel writing

This website includes the complete texts of books describing journeys around Britain, written between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. Selecting one of the links below will take you to the first reference to Brighton within the selected text. This will not always be a description of a visit: travellers often mention places other than where they are, for example as a basis for comparison.

Traveller Section No. of Refs.
William Cobbett Jan. 8th to 11th, 1822: Sussex Journal 8
Robert Gammage On tramp in 1840, from London to the south coast 5
William Cobbett Aug. 30th to Sept. 1st, 1823: Sussex and Kent 4
Robert Gammage Liverpool and London in 1842 4
Henry Broadhurst In Journeyings Often 3
Daniel Defoe Letter 2, Part 2: Canterbury and Sussex 3
William Camden Berkshire, Surrey and Sussex 2
William Cobbett July 30th to Aug. 2nd, 1823: Surrey, Sussex, and Hampshire 2
William Cobbett Oct. 18th to 26th, 1826: Weston to Kensington 2
Robert Gammage Hampshire, Lancashire, and final reflections 2
George Head Durham Coast 2
William Cobbett Nov. 9th to 21st, 1821: Gloucester to Berghclere 1
Daniel Defoe Letter 1, Part 3: Norfolk and Cambridgeshire 1
Daniel Defoe Letter 2, Part 3: Hampshire and Surrey 1
Daniel Defoe Letter 5 (London), Part 2: The City 1
George Head Visiting Mull 1

This website includes two large libraries, of historical travel writing and of entries from nineteenth century gazetteers describing places. We have text from these sources available for these places near your location:

Place Mentioned in Travel Writing Mentioned in Historical Gazetteer
Whalebone 0 2
Preston 0 4
Kemp Town 0 1
Prestonville 0 1
Ovingdean 0 2
Younsmere 0 2
Falmer 0 2
Dean 0 2
Stanmer 0 2
Patcham 0 2
Rottingdean 0 2
Hove 0 2
West Blatchington 0 2
Aldrington 1 2
Hangleton 0 2
Swanborough 0 2
Iford 0 3
Pyecombe 0 3
Telscombe 0 2
Portslade By Sea 1 2

Names from historical writing

The following appear as names for Brighton. Follow the links for what the author actually said:

Name Author Source
BREDHEMSTON Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
BRIGHTHEALMES TUN William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
BRIGHTHELMSTED William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
BRIGHT HELMSTON Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
BRIGHTHELMSTON Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
BRIGHTHELMSTONE John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
BRIGHTON John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
BRITHELMSTON Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).

NB: These variant names come from our collections of historical travel writing and descriptive gazetteers:

  • The above links take you to the first reference to this particular version of the name within a book of travel writing, or to the relevant gazetteer entry.
  • Some names may derive from research by antiquarian writers such as William Camden and Thomas Pennant into the Roman, Saxon and medieval names of places. Their claims are not always supported by modern place-name researchers.
  • References by travel writers to the place using its "normal" name are not included. Descriptive gazetteer entries are included only if the name does not appear anywhere else.