There has been a mayor of Winchelsea for over 700 years, with records dating back to 1295. The mayoring ceremony takes place annually on Easter Monday, and since 1665 this has been held in the Upper Court Hall. The ceremony recognises the continuing existence of the last surviving unreformed Corporation of England and Wales and comprises an Assembly of the Freemen of Winchelsea followed by the "Annual Sitting of the Hundred" the principal business of which is the installation of the Major for the coming year.

For detailed information on The Winchelsea Corporation and Act of Parliament that defined its current role, please click here .

Annual Mayoring Ceremony

The new Mayor is attended by twelve Jurats of the Town, selected annually at the Mayoring. The Mayor is assisted by the Town Clerk, the Chamberlain and the Sergeant-at-Mace. The ceremony is open to the public and takes place at 11 a.m.

The new Mayor elected for 2010 is Mr Mike Melvin, with Mr Steve Turner as his deputy. Mr Malcolm Pratt remains as Clerk to the Corporation. No new freeman were elected in 2010.

At the 2009 Mayoring ceremony the Mayor and Corporation were delighted to acknowledge the unique service and selfless contribution Malcolm Pratt has given to the Town of Winchelsea as its Clerk over the past 25 years.  A special presentation was made to Malcolm in recognition of his services. Not only is Malcolm our eminent Town Clerk but he is also a distinguished historian and has written two authoritative historical books on Winchelsea. In 1998 he published ‘Winchelsea, a Port of Stranded Pride’. His second book about the town ‘Winchelsea - The Tale of a Medieval Town’ was the sequel and was published in 2005. These exceptional books have contributed significantly to the history of our Town. This was acknowledged by the eminent historian Lord Asa Briggs who generously prefaced both publications.

more Corporation photos...