Winchelsea is a town in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, within the historic area of Sussex, England, situated in between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, around 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) southern west of Rye as well as 7 miles (11 km) north east of Hastings. The community depends on the site of a medieval town, established in 1288, to change an earlier town of the very same name, often known as Old Winchelsea, which was shed to seaside disintegration. The community is part of the civil parish of Icklesham. It is claimed by some homeowners that the town remains in truth the smallest community in Britain, as there is a mayor as well as company in Winchelsea, however that claim is challenged by areas such as Fordwich. The mayor of Winchelsea is selected annually from amongst the participants of the company, that are known as freemen, as opposed to being chosen by public ballot. New freemen are themselves chosen by existing participants of the company. Therefore, in its existing type, the company is efficiently a relic of Winchelsea's days as a 'rotten district' (when Winchelsea chose 2 MPs yet the variety of citizens was restricted to regarding a dozen, occasionally fewer). The company shed its staying civil and also judicial powers in 1886 yet was protected as a charity by an Act of Parliament to maintain the subscription of the Cinque Port Confederation. The mayor and also corporation in Winchelsea now have a mainly ceremonial role, along with duty for the recurring treatment and also upkeep of the primary provided ancient monuments in the community and also the Winchelsea gallery. Winchelsea comprises neither a local government district, civil parish neither charter trustees location.