Midhurst (pronounced /ˈmɪd.hɜrst/, or in the Sussex dialect: Medhas /ˈmɛd.həs/) is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex (until 1974 part of the former county of Sussex), in southern England. It lies on the River Rother about 20 miles inland from the English Channel, and about 12 miles north of the county town of Chichester.The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as Middeherst, meaning "Middle wooded hill", or "(place) among the wooded hills".