Peasmarsh

This article is about the village in East Sussex. For other uses, see Peasmarsh (disambiguation).

Peasmarsh is a village and civil parish in the Rother district, in the county of East Sussex in England. It is located on the A268 road between Rye and Beckley, some 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Rye.

Peasmarsh
The Norman church of St Peter and St Paul, Peasmarsh
Peasmarsh Location within East Sussex
Area	15.8 km2 (6.1 sq mi) [1]
Population	1,163 (Parish-2011)[2]
• Density	191/sq mi (74/km2)
OS grid reference	TQ886229
• London	50 miles (80 km) NW
District	Rother
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	RYE
Postcode district	TN31
Dialling code	01797
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Bexhill and Battle
List of places UK England East Sussex 50.98°N 0.69°E / 50.98; 0.69

The village church, dedicated to St Peter and Paul,^[3] lies about one mile (1.6 km) from the village; it is thought the village centre was moved after the Black Death plague.^[4] There are three public houses and a motel in close proximity to the village; and a country house hotel with a leisure centre. The village is also home to an independent supermarket, although the proprietors choose not to open their store on Sundays. Peasmarsh Place, now a residential care home, is to the south-east of the village.

Every year, in June, the Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival, bringing world-class concerts of chamber music, is held in the church.^[5]

Governance

The lowest level of government is the Peasmarsh parish council. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into the district council meetings. The parish council comprises nine councillors with elections being held every four years. The May 2007 election was uncontested.^[6]

Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Peasmarsh lies within the Rother Levels ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned two Conservatives councillors.

East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Peasmarsh falls within the Northern Rother ward. Peter Jones, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 49.7% of the vote.

The UK Parliament constituency for Peasmarsh is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker was re-elected in the May 2005 election, and the current Member of Parliament is Huw Merriman, a member of the Conservative Party.

Prior to Brexit in 2020, Peasmarsh was part of the South East England constituency in the European Parliament.

Notable residents (past & present)

• Sir Paul McCartney MBE, musician and former member of The Beatles, lives in a farmhouse in the village.^[7]
• Rudi Martinus van Dijk, international composer buried at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Peasmarsh
• Anthony Roland, art collector and producer of films on art.
• Maria Ann Smith (née Sherwood, d. 9 March 1870), from whom comes the name of the Granny Smith apple, was born here in 1799.^[8]
• Henry Crockford, son of the gambler William Crockford, lived at Flackley Ash (now a hotel) in the village
• Anthony Marwood MBE, British violinist, lives in a cottage in the rural countryside.