Cinque Ports and Limbs
Cinque Ports and Limbs
The Confederation of Cinque Ports
There are five Cinque Ports (pronounced ‘Sink’)
- Dover
- Hastings
- New Romney
- Hythe
- Sandwich
During the late Saxon or early Norman these places, really just fishing villages, banded together offering mutual support including for defence.
During the late Saxon or early Norman these places, really just fishing villages, bandedThe Domesday Book records the obligation of these Cinque Ports to supply 57 ships and men to sail them, for 15 days a year. This was a joint service shared out between the ports. This service was given in return for valuable rights and privileges which were granted by a series of Royal Charters from 1260.
The last charter granted by Charles II was in 1668 and is in the Guildhall, Sandwich it includes.
- Exemption from Tax and Tali.
- Right to levy tolls.
- Right to local self-government.
- Authority to compel holders of stolen goods to divulge their source.
- Authority to punish shedders of blood and seize those who fled from justice.
- Authority to punish minor offences.
- Power to detain and execute felons both inside and outside the Ports jurisdiction.
- Authority to try breaches of the King’s Peace.
- Right to take lost or unclaimed goods after one year and one day.
- Power to claim floating wreckage on the shore or goods thrown overboard.
- Right to land at Great Yarmouth – a fishing port on the east coast – and to dry and mend nets and sell fish.
Their naval service was last called upon in 1596, to meet the threat of the Spanish Armada.
Few of their ancient rights and privileges survive, but the Confederation continues to promote public awareness of the history and the traditions of the communities which played a key role in the early development of our country’s naval power.
Cinque Port Limbs
The Cinque Ports would have approached its neighbouring fishing towns for support with the burden of its ship and man service, or they offered that support in return for a share in the privileges. Thus towns became associated or limbs of the original Cinque Ports.
Deal and Ramsgate and Brightlingsea are associated with Sandwich.
Tenterden with Rye
Folkestone, Faversham & Margate with Dover
Lydd with New Romney
Yarmouth and the Brotherhood
The insistence of rights at Yarmouth are ancient (pre 1200) from when the fishermen and ports were concerned with herring and its movements along the coast to the mouth of the Yar, which later became Yarmouth. An annual Herring Fair became established with many of the fishing boats attending. So each Port eventually sent its own elected Bailiff to administer any justice as required. This formed what is known as a Brotherhood who then administered the rights and privileges of the Cinque Ports.
Barons
Termed “Barons of the Cinque Ports, all Freemen of the ports were termed “portsmen”.
Portsmen were deemed in mediaeval times to be barons. Members of the baronage are entitled to attend the king’s parliament.
In the 21st century the title “Baron of the Cinque Ports” is now reserved for Freemen elected by the Mayor, Jurats and Common Council of the Ports to attend a coronation and is solely honorary in nature.
Coronation Privileges
In recognition of the service by the Cinque Ports the custom grew that the Barons of the Ports would bear the canopy of state at the Monarchs coronation as they walked between Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey. This ‘Honour at Court’ was first recorded at the coronation of Richard 1.
Following the coronation of George IV the procession was no longer made.
At the Coronation of Edward VII in 1902 the barons were given a new role. They were to process inside the abbey as far as the choir and then to receive the banners of the monarch’s realms, an honour they have repeated at every coronation since.
Another honour to be given was that, at the celebratory dinner held in the Great Hall, after the coronation they are seated at the Chief Table to the right hand of the monarch.
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
There has been a Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports since the 12th century when it was known as Keeper of the Coast. It is still a life appointment.
He was in charge of the Cinque Ports and responsible for the return of all writs to the Crown, along with the collection of taxes and the arrest of criminals.
The Lord Warden’s court was held in St James’s church in Dover. He also had a “lieutenant’s powers of muster”, and was the Constable of Dover Castle.
The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is today an honorary but still prestigious position, formerly held by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Winston Churchill and the Duke of Wellington – the present Lord Warden is Admiral Lord Boyce.
The Official Residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is based at Walmer Castle.
Lord Wardens and Keepers of the Coast
Keeper of the Coast
Odo, Bishop of Bayeux 1066–84
Henry of Essex c.1150–54
Henry de Sandwich 1154–89
Simon de Sandwich 1154–89
Alan de Fienes 1154–89
James de Fienes 1189–99
Matthew de Clere 1189–99
William Devereux 1189–99
William Longchamp 1189–99
William de Wrotham 1189–99
Thomas Bassett 1199–1216
William de Huntingfield 1199–1216
William de Sarum 1199–1216
Geoffrey FitzPiers 1199–1216
William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey 1204–06 and 1214
Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent 1215–20
Geoffery de Lucy 1224 (1230)
William d’Avranches 1226–27
Robert de Auberville 1228
Peter de Rivaux 1232–34
Lord de Segrove
Walerand Teutonicus 1235
Hamo de Crevecoeur 1235
Bertram de Criol 1236 (intermittently until 1255)
Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford 1241
Peter de Savoy 1241
Reginald de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1255
Sir Roger Northwode 1258
Nicholas de Moels 1258
Richard de Grey 1258
Hugh de Bigod 1259–60
Nicholas de Crioll 1260–63
Robert de Walerand 1261
Walter de Burgsted 1263
Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford about 1264?
Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster???
Henry de Sandwich (Bishop of London) 1263
Sir Roger de Leybourne 1263
Henry de Montfort 1264
Matthew de Hastings 1265
Edward “Longshanks”, Earl of Chester 1265
Sir Matthew de Bezille 1266
Lord Warden and Constable of Dover Castle (since 1267)[edit]
Sir Stephen de Pencester 1267–71, then at intervals until 1298 (32 years)
Sir Simon de Creye 4 February 1275 [5]
Robert de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1299–1306
14th century
Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1307
Robert de Kendall 1307
Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham 1315
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere 1320
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester 1320
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent 1321
Sir John Peche 1323
Ralph Basset, 2nd Baron Basset of Drayton 1325
Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1327
William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon 1330
Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1348
Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March 1355
John Beauchamp, 3rd Baron Beauchamp 1359
Sir Robert de Herle 1361
Baron Spigurnell 1364
Richard de Pembrugge (Sir) 1370
Andrew de Guldeford
William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer 1374
Sir Thomas Reines
Edmund of Langley, Earl of Cambridge 1376
Sir Robert Assheton 1381
Sir Simon de Burley 1384
John Devereux, 1st Baron Devereux 1387
John Beaumont, 4th Baron Beaumont 1392
Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York 1396
John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Dorset 1398
Sir Thomas Erpingham 1399
15th century
Henry “of Monmouth”, Prince of Wales 1409
Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel and 10th Earl of Surrey 1412
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester 1415
James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele 1447
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1450
Richard, Lord Rivers 1459
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick 1460
Sir John Scott 1471
William FitzAlan, 16th Earl of Arundel 1483–1488
Philip Fitz Lewes 1488
Sir William Scott 1492
Prince Henry, later King Henry VIII of England 1493
16th century
Sir Edward Poynings 1509
George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny (appointed, but resigned)
Sir Edward Guilford (1474/9-1534)
George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford 1534–1536
Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset
Sir Thomas Cheney 1536/1558
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle 1539–1542
Sir Thomas Seymour, temporary joint Lord Wardenship between Cheney in 1545
William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (son of above) 1597
17th century
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton 1604–1614
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 1614–1615
Edward, Lord Zouche of Haryngworth 1615–1625
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham 1625–1628
Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk 1628–1640
James Stewart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox 1641–1642
Sir Edward Boys 1642–1646
Major John Boys 1646–1648
Sir Algernon Sydney 1648–1651
Colonel Thomas Kelsey 1651–1656
Admiral Robert Blake 1656–1657
Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea 1660 (unconfirmed term may have been father/son)
James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany 1660–1673
Colonel John Beaumont 1673–1691
Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney 1691–1702
18th century
Prince George of Denmark 1702–1708
Lionel Sackville, 7th Earl of Dorset 1708–1712 (served two terms)
James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde 1712–1715
John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester 1717–1727
Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset 1727–1765
Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness 1765–1778
Frederick North, Lord North (2nd Earl of Guilford from 1790) 1778–1792
William Pitt the Younger 1792–1806
19th century
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool 1806–1827
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1829–1852
James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie 1853–1860
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston 1860–1865
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville 1865–1891 (not installed?)
William Henry Smith 1891 (not installed?)
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava 1892–1895
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury 1895–1903
20th century
George Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston 1905
The Prince George, Prince of Wales 1905–1907
Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey 1908–1913
William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp 1913–1934
Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading 1934–1935
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon 1936–1941
Sir Winston Churchill 1941–1965 (Installed August 1946)
Sir Robert Menzies 1965–1978 (Installed July 1966)
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 1978–2002 (Installed August 1979)
21st century
Admiral of the Fleet Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce gazetted 10 December 2004, (installed 12 April 2005)
Sources
http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/cinqueports/limbs.htm
https://cinqueports.org/home/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Warden_of_the_Cinque_Ports
White & Black Books of the Cinque Ports Vol. XIX