SHOREHAM, NEW, Sussex, a market-town, sea-port, and parlia mentary borough, in the parish of New Shoreham, is situated on the left bank and near the mouth of the river Adur, in 50° 50' N. lat., 0° 17' W. long., distant 24 miles E. by S. from Chichester, 56 miles S. by W. from London by road and by the Loudon and South-Coast railway. The population of the parish of New Shoreham in 1851 was 2590; that of the parliamentary borough, which includes nearly all the rape of Bramber, was 80,553. The borough returns two members to the Imperial Parliament. The living of New Shoreham is a vicarage in the arebdeaconry of Lewes and diocese of Chichester.
The borough of New Shoreham, so called to distinguish it from Old Shoreham, now a small village about a mile inland, was part of the possessions conferred by the Conqueror upon William do Breese, lord of the rape of Brambcr. King John landed here from Normandy with a large army in 1199, and he made it a free port in 1210. In the time of Edward III. (1346) it contributed 26 ships towards the two fleets which were fitted out by the king, being one ship more than was furnished by London ; Fowey, Yarmouth, and Dartmouth alone furnished a larger number. In 1758 an act was obtained for the improvement of the haven, but the growth of a sand-bank at the mouth of the Adur caused the embouchure to shift towards the east, and to advance a mile and a half in the course of half a century, so as to render the haven of little use. In 1816 an artificial channel was cut through the shingle embankment, and substantial piers were erected. The harbour mouth is still subject to a bar, which rises occasionally above the low-water level, and shifts its position from 60 to 160 feet from the pier-heads. The lift of the spring-tides is about 15 feet, and neaps about 9 feet. Tho depth of the water over the bar at high water is from 14 to 17 feet, according to tho tides and the state of the bar. The Adur was formerly crossed by a ford, once belonging to
the priory of Hardham. In the year 1838 a handsome suspension bridge was erected near the mouth of the river and close to Shoreham.
The number and tonnage of vessels registered as belonging to the port of Shoreham ou December 31st 1853 were :—Under 50 tons 54 vessels, tonnage 1027; above 50 tons 62 vessels, tonnage 11,277.
During 1853 there entered at the port 909 vessels of 91,535 tons, and there cleared 366 vessels of 20,577 tons aggregate burden.
During the last few years much improvement has taken place in the town. It is lighted with gas and paved. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas. is a large and elaborately-finished edifice of the 12th century. In the town are a Protestant Free Church and a chapel for Wesleyan Methodists. The college of St. Nicholas, at Shoreham, is a Grammar school for the education of youths of the middle classes. It had 60 scholars in 1854. Besides this school the college has St. John's Middle Grammar school, Huratpierpoint, Sussex, which had 147 scholars is 1854, and St. George's Military, Naval, and Engineering school, Leyton, with 18 pupils in 1854. At Shoreham are National and Infant schools, a museum and conservatory, and a theatre.
The chief trade of Shoreham consists in the export of timber, and the import of coals, corn, timber, and Irish provisions ; and it is n warehousieg port for all descriptions of timber, and for colonial and foreign produce. There is a custom-house. The oyster-fishery is prosecuted with considerable success. is carried on. Several of the Shoreham boatmen act as pilots. A corn-market is held every alternate Monday, and a fair on July 25th.