The competition that gave Peacehaven its name

In 1915, entrepreneur Charles Neville bought 200 acres of land which would go on to become Peacehaven

What's in a name? When it comes to the East Sussex town of Peacehaven, the answer is more complicated than one would expect.

It is a story of competition, opportunism, and ingenuity on the part of one woman from Leicestershire.

In 1915, entrepreneur Charles Neville bought 200 acres of land which would go on to become Peacehaven, with grand plans to build a new seaside resort.

Chris Kempshall, a World War One historian from Sussex, explains that Mr Neville was "principally interested in Peacehaven because there wasn't anything here".

'Competition with a catch'

"He saw it as a real opportunity to basically snatch up the land and start building here," he told Secret Sussex.

After completing his purchase, Mr Neville sought to drum up interest by launching a nationwide competition offering a £100 prize to name the town.

He placed adverts in a number of national newspapers, offering plots to the 50 runners up alongside the main naming prize.

However, East Sussex historian Jenny Flood says there was a "catch".

"All the runners up who would receive a plot would have to pay three guineas, and that would cover conveyancing and stamp duty...that's the equivalent of around £160 - £180 in today's money," she said.

In the end, New Anzac-on-Sea was chosen in honour of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand army core) troops who fought at Gallipoli.

But the name was deemed too militaristic in a time of war, and ultimately did not stick.

A second competition was launched and won by Ethel Radford from Leicestershire, who suggested Peacehaven. The name was officially confirmed on 12 February, 1917.

Mr Kempshall describes its dual appeal.

"[It was] looking towards the post-war period of a Britain at peace, but also a haven of peace," he said.

However, the new name did not come with an immediate reversal of fortunes.

Historian Lucy Noakes says that Peacehaven was viewed as an "eye sore" by many social commentators at the time.

There was also the added issue of a number of people having plots that they could not afford to build on.

"It had a real kind of shanty town appearance, which offended many people," she said.

Charles Neville launched a second competition after the original winner, New Anzac-on-Sea, was deemed too militaristic

A third problem, which had been rumbling on since the first competition, was the ongoing court proceedings brought by a number of runners up who had received plots.

Mrs Flood says they "wanted their money back, or at least an injunction to prevent Neville from spending their money".

The Daily Express sued Mr Neville on behalf of 125 plot holders. He was found guilty of fraud and forced to pay back most of the money to the runners up.

In the end, the plots were deemed worthless.

Anyone who lives in Peacehaven now would probably disagree.

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