Winchelsea is a town in the non-metropolitan region of East Sussex, within the historical region of Sussex, England, located in between the High Weald as well as the Romney Marsh, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of Rye as well as 7 miles (11 km) north eastern of Hastings. The town depends on the site of a middle ages community, founded in 1288, to change an earlier community of the same name, often called Old Winchelsea, which was lost to seaside erosion. The town belongs to the civil parish of Icklesham. It is claimed by some residents that the town is in reality the tiniest community in Britain, as there is a mayor and also corporation in Winchelsea, however that case is disputed by areas such as Fordwich. The mayor of Winchelsea is selected yearly from among the participants of the company, who are known as freemen, as opposed to being chosen by public vote. New freemen are themselves selected by existing members of the corporation. Therefore, in its existing kind, the company is efficiently a relic of Winchelsea's days as a 'rotten borough' (when Winchelsea chose two MPs but the number of citizens was limited to about a lots, sometimes less). The corporation lost its remaining civil and judicial powers in 1886 yet was maintained as a charity by an Act of Parliament to preserve the membership of the Cinque Port Confederation. The mayor and also corporation in Winchelsea currently have a greatly ceremonial role, along with duty for the continuous treatment and upkeep of the primary provided ancient monoliths in the community and the Winchelsea museum. Winchelsea comprises neither a local government district, civil parish neither charter trustees area.