BRIGHTON (formerly Brighthelmstone), a parliamentary borough, seaport, and watering-place of England, county of Sussex, on the English Channel, 50 miles south of London; Lat. 50. 50. N. Long. 0. 8. W. It is situated between and on the slopes of two ranges of chalk hills. It has a sea-front of three miles in length, with a pavement and carriage road of great width, flanked by houses of a superior class, rendering it undoubtedly the finest marine promenade in the kingdom.
Brighton is noted for the salubrity of its climate. In 1750 it was only a small fishing village, with but one church. It owes its rise in the first instance to its being the chosen residence of George IV. when Prince of Wales. At the census of 1801 its population was 7339; in 1841, 48,567; and in 1851 it was 69,673, when the number of inhabited houses amounted to 10,843. It has returned two members to Parliament since 1832.
The salubrity of the climate has rendered Brighton a favourite place for education, and there are accordingly upwards of 250 schools, many of them of a high degree of excellence. A college similar to those of Eton and Harrow has been lately established.
The town has a good hospital, two dispensaries, and numerous societies and institutions for the relief of suffering and distress, as well as for religious and educational purposes.