Winchelsea Court Hall Museum
The Court Hall museum contains displays and exhibits
that illustrate the history of the 'Antient Town of
Winchelsea'. The museum is housed in a single large
room on the first floor of the Court Hall,
which is one of the oldest buildings in the town.
Exhibits include maps, models, pictures, seals, local
pottery and items of daily life from the area. Please
see the Museum
Guide (PDF 1.3M) for more details.
One of the most noteworthy features is the list of
Mayors of Winchelsea shown on a series of oak boards.
This list, far fuller than that of most towns, is
complete from 1430 and is partially complete from 1295
when Mayors first replaced the King's
Bailiffs. The list of Mayors are a matter of great
pride to the Museum, but were presented to the town, by
Mr GM Freeman, for quite another purpose.
The Court Hall is still the meeting place of the
Corporation and it is
here, on Easter Monday each year, a new Mayor is
elected and takes his seat beneath the great roll of
his predecessors. The Corporation, like the City of
London, elects its own members who are Freemen of
Winchelsea and from whom up to 12 Jurats are selected
annually at the Mayoring to assist the Mayor. There are
also a Town Clerk, Chamberlain and Sergeant-at-Mace.
