Peasmarsh

For other uses of Peasmarsh see Peasmarsh (disambiguation)

Peasmarsh is a village and civil parish in East Sussex in England. It is located on the A268 road between Rye and Beckley, some three miles (4.8 km) north-west of Rye.

The village church, dedicated to SS Peter and Paul, lies about one mile (1.6 km) from the village; it is thought the village centre was moved after the Black Death plague. There are three public houses and a motel in close proximity to the village; and a country house hotel with a leisure centre. The village is also home to a major independent supermarket with a cafe, filling station and post-office. Peasmarsh Place, now a residential care home, is to the south-east of the village.

Every year, in June, the Florestan Festival, bringing concerts of chamber music, is held in the church.

Governance
The lowest level of government is the Peasmarsh parish council. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into the district council meetings. The parish council comprises nine councillors with elections being held every four years. The May 2007 election was uncontested.

Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Peasmarsh lies within the Rother Levels ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned two Conservatives councillors.

East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Peasmarsh falls within the Northern Rother ward. Peter Jones, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 49.7% of the vote.

The UK Parliament constituency for Peasmarsh is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker was re-elected in the May 2005 election.

At European level, Peasmarsh is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green, none of whom live in East Sussex.

Notable residents (past & present)

 * Sir Paul McCartney MBE, musician and ex-Beatle, lives in a farmhouse in the village.
 * Maria Ann Smith (née Sherwood, d. 9 March 1870), from whom comes the name of the Granny Smith apple, was born here in 1799.