The County of West Sussex and its Lieutenancy

The county is divided into eleven districts for administrative purposes. Three of these (Chichester, Arun and East Sussex) have separate Lord Lieutenant's, but the three divisions of West Sussex (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Horsham and Mid Sussex) share a single Lord Lieutenant. The County is bounded on the north by Surrey and by the borough of Crawley, both sharing a border with the county to its west. To the south, across the English Channel, is France.

The county of West Sussex is a historic and traditional region with strong natural, cultural, economic and demographic links to both the London and Brighton/Sutton Coldfield metropolitan areas of England, Mad About Brighton (madaboutbrighton.co.uk). As of 2012, its population was estimated at 767,500 (Source: ONS). It lies between the city of Brighton & Hove and the town of Worthing on England's south coast, adjoins the county boroughs of Crawley and Horsham, and at one point included Gatwick Airport. What you’re looking at here, is the heraldic shield of West Sussex County Council (and by extension, the County itself).

The six martlets or heraldic swallows are emblems of the de Warenne family, to whom the Dukedom and Earldom of Surrey (with its early capital at Lewes, now in West Sussex) were granted by William I. The County of West Sussex has two distinct features: a long sea-coast and the south-easternmost point of England, the latter of which gave rise to its motto ‘Surreyia domi’. This translates as ‘Sussex at home’, and is something of an inversion of the usual motto used by counties.