Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports is a historic confederation of harbor towns in southeast England, originally formed to provide naval support during a time when effective maritime defense was crucial. The confederation began with five key ports: Dover, Hastings, Hythe, Romney, and Sandwich. In the eleventh century, these towns established an agreement to protect each other from attacks and to assist in trade, which was formalized by King Edward the Confessor. In exchange for their maritime services, the towns received various privileges, including tax exemptions and the ability to hold their own courts.
Over time, the confederation expanded to include additional ports like Rye and Winchelsea, and it played significant roles in various historical events, including the Hundred Years' War and the defense against the Spanish Armada. However, by the sixteenth century, the rise of a permanent navy diminished the operational need for the Cinque Ports. Today, only Dover remains a significant port, but the legacy of the Cinque Ports endured, particularly through the ceremonial title of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a prestigious position held by notable figures throughout history.
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Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports refers to a confederation of harbor towns in southeast England that formed the original navy for Britain. Residents of the towns provided and operated vessels in exchange for special privileges. While this method of forming a navy was discontinued centuries ago, the towns are still recognized in the twenty-first century for their historical contribution. In addition, the title of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports remains a ceremonial title of great honor in England.
Background
Cinque (pronounced sink) comes from the Old French word for "five." It refers to the five port cities that were part of the original confederation. They included Dover, Hastings, Hythe, Romney, and Sandwich. These prosperous towns were thriving seaports that were both a benefit to the country and a target for foreign invaders because they housed many ships and handled trade. The ships were largely fishing vessels and trade ships—not fighting vessels—but they were adapted for use as necessary. During the eleventh century, the towns established an informal agreement to protect one other from attack and assist one other in trade matters.
King Edward the Confessor formalized the agreement because he needed ways to protect the English coast, fight enemies at sea, and transport goods and people—including the royal family—from England to other parts of Europe. The agreement called for the five ports to provide fifty-seven ships crewed by twenty-one men and a boy on each ship. The five ports each had to do this for fifteen days every year and whenever needed to repel an enemy. In exchange, the towns were granted special privileges. They were exempt from certain taxes and could institute some of their own taxes. They were excused from the authority of some of the courts and could hold their own courts. They also had extended trade privileges and special ceremonial rights. The latter included the right to choose a delegate known as a baron to carry a canopy at coronations and a special official court position called Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Edward's successors continued the agreement in the years that followed. In time, the need for services grew, and several other cities became part of the confederation to help fulfill the need. These included Rye and Winchelsea, which eventually became head ports in the confederation. The confederation also grew to include the port towns of Deal, Faversham, Folkestone, Lydd, Margate, Ramsgate, and Tenterden. Henry II made them officially part of the Cinque Ports during the second half of the twelfth century.
The port arrangement remained in effect until the sixteenth century. At that time, the way wars were fought required standing navies and additional ships, rendering the help provided by the Cinque Ports obsolete. However, the ports maintained ceremonial importance, including the existence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, into the twenty-first century.
Overview
Although the confederation had more than five members for much of its existence, the name Cinque Ports continues to be used to refer to the five original ports in modern times. Its official coat of arms, consisting of three gold lions and three ships hulls on a split field of red and blue, was designed in 1305. It is the second oldest heraldic symbol in England. It is even older than London's coat of arms. By the time the Cinque Ports' coat of arms came into existence, they had already been serving the king for about a century.
The port cities, their ships, and the men and boys who crewed them played key roles in the safety and security of England in many important situations. They served as defensive forces and troop transport during the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), carrying Henry V and England's army to France in 1415 for the Battle of Agincourt, where the outnumbered English defeated a superior French army. The ports remained essential to England's security for more than another century, with at least one Cinque Port sailor taking part in Sir Francis Drake's explorations. The ports also provided a fighting force for the Spanish Armada.
However, the importance of the Cinque Ports began to diminish. A permanent navy, which later became the Royal Navy, was formed in the late sixteenth century. The last royal charter for the Cinque Ports was issued in 1668.
While the Cinque Ports fulfilled an important civic function, not everyone expressed appreciation for their service. People from other cities, including other harbor towns, were often jealous of the privileges enjoyed by the sailors and leaders of the Cinque Ports. Sometimes fighting would break out between the Cinque Ports and other towns and ports.
Over time, not only did the need for the Cinque Port towns diminish but also some of the ports themselves disappeared. Storms, including the Great Storm of 1287, stirred the seafloor and deposited silt and debris in some of the ports, making them less useful. Flooding also changed the landscape. The former port town of Sandwich became a landlocked town two miles from the nearest sea. In the twenty-first century, only Dover maintains a significant port.
The legacy of the Cinque Ports as a forerunner of the Royal Navy continues to be recognized, as does the ceremonial role of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, first established in the twelfth century. Former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, former Australian prime minister Sir Robert Menzies, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother have all held the title.
Bibliography
"Brief History & Introduction to the Cinque Ports." Sandwich in Kent, www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town‗history/cinqueports.htm. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
"The Cinque Ports." BBC, 18 May 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/articles/2009/05/15/cinque‗ports‗video‗feature.shtml. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
"The Cinque Ports." Confederation of the Cinque Ports, cinqueports.org. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
"Cinque Ports." History of Parliament, www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/cinque-ports. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
"The Cinque Ports." White Cliffs Country, www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk/See-Do/Ideas-and-Inspiration/History-and-Heritage/The-Cinque-Ports.aspx. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
"History of the Cinque Ports." Rye Castle Museum, www.ryemuseum.co.uk/history-of-the-cinque-ports. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
"Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports." Dover Society, www.doversociety.org.uk/history-scrapbook/characters/lord-wardens-of-the-cinque-ports. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
Newfield, Dal. "Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports." International Churchill Society, www.winstonchurchill.org/the-life-of-churchill/senior-statesman/lord-warden-of-the-cinque-ports. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.