Winchelsea is a small town in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, within the historical region of Sussex, England, situated in between the High Weald as well as the Romney Marsh, around 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) southern west of Rye and also 7 miles (11 kilometres) north east of Hastings. The town stands on the site of a middle ages town, established in 1288, to change an earlier town of the very same name, occasionally called Old Winchelsea, which was shed to coastal disintegration. The community becomes part of the civil parish of Icklesham. It is asserted by some citizens that the town is in truth the smallest community in Britain, as there is a mayor and also firm in Winchelsea, but that case is disputed by places such as Fordwich. The mayor of Winchelsea is picked each year from amongst the members of the company, that are known as freemen, instead of being elected by public vote. New freemen are themselves selected by existing participants of the company. Hence, in its current kind, the firm is successfully a relic of Winchelsea's days as a 'rotten borough' (when Winchelsea chose 2 MPs but the variety of citizens was limited to regarding a lots, occasionally fewer). The company shed its continuing to be civil and judicial powers in 1886 however was protected as a charity by an Act of Parliament to maintain the subscription of the Cinque Port Confederation. The mayor and also firm in Winchelsea currently have a mostly ceremonial function, together with obligation for the continuous care and maintenance of the primary detailed ancient monuments in the community as well as the Winchelsea gallery. Winchelsea constitutes neither a local government area, civil parish neither charter trustees area.