Cinque Ports is also the name of a 1703 galleon (ship)

The Confederation of Cinque Ports (pronounced /sɪnk pɔ:rts/) is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex, at the eastern end of the English Channel where the crossing to the continent is narrowest. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial.

The name is Norman French for "five ports" – the five being Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover, and Sandwich. Norman is a Romance language and one of the Oïl languages. The northern Norman can be classified in the septentrional Oil languages with Picard and Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name New Romney is a small town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh an area of flat rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea Hythe (haɪð or haithe) is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way on the south coast Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. Sandwich is a historic town in Kent, south-east England. It was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval buildings They are supported by the two ancient towns of Rye and Winchelsea, whose councils traditionally maintained defence contingents for the realm of England. The small town of Rye, in East Sussex, England, stands at the confluence of two rivers although in medieval times as an important member of the Cinque Ports This article concerns the town in the United Kingdom For the town in Victoria Australia see Winchelsea Victoria.

Apart from the five ports and the two ancient towns, there are seven other members of the Confederation, which are considered to be Limbs of the other towns. These are Lydd (Limb of New Romney), Folkestone, Faversham and Margate (Limbs of Dover), Deal and Ramsgate (Limbs of Sandwich) and Tenterden (Limb of Rye). Lydd is a Town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger towns on the Marsh and the most southerly town in Kent Folkestone (ˈfoʊkstən is a resort town on the south coast of Kent, England, traditionally known as "The Garden Coast" Faversham (fævɜʃəm is a town in Kent, England, in the district of Swale, roughly halfway between Sittingbourne and Canterbury Margate is a Seaside resort town within the Thanet district of East Kent, England. Deal is a Town in Kent, England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover. Ramsgate is a seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent, England. Tenterden is a small Town in the Ashford District of Kent, England.

There are in addition some 23 towns, villages and offices which have varying degrees of connection to the ancient Liberties of the Cinque Ports. Pevensey was once a Limb of Hastings, and the coastal confederation and during its mediæval period consisted of a confederation of 42 towns in all. Pevensey is a Village and Civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England.

Contents 1 History of the Ports 1.1 Formation and privileges 1.2 Decline 2 Bibliography 3 See also 4 External links 5 Footnotes

History of the Ports

Formation and privileges

A Royal Charter of 1155 established the ports to maintain ships ready for the Crown in case of need. In return the towns received:

"Exemption from tax and tallage, Right of soc and sac,

tol and team, blodwit and fledwit, pillory and tumbril,

infangentheof and outfangentheof, mundbryce,

waives and strays, flotsam and jetsam and ligan"

(Exemption from tax and tolls; self-government;

permission to levy tolls, punish those who shed blood or flee justice, punish minor offences,

detain and execute criminals both inside and outside the port's jurisdiction, and punish breaches of the peace;

and possession of lost goods that remain unclaimed after a year, goods thrown overboard, and floating wreckage. Tallage or talliage (from the French tailler ie a part cut out of the whole may have signified at first any Tax, but became in England and )

In other words, the authorities would turn a blind eye to ships and sailors from these ports. This led to smuggling becoming a major local industry. Smuggling, also known as trafficking, is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited such as out of a building into a Prison

A significant factor in the need to maintain the authority of the Cinque Ports by the King was the development of the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) With the advance in shipbuilding techniques came a growth in towns such as Bristol and Liverpool and the wider development of ports such as London, Gravesend, Southampton, Chichester, Plymouth and the royal dockyards of Chatham, Portsmouth, Greenwich, Woolwich and Deptford. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, England. It has a long history as a settlement its Roman past and its subsequent importance Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London, Woolwich (ˈwʊlɪtʃ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/ is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. A further reason for the decline of many older ports may be ascribed to the development of the railway network across Britain, and the increased quantity of overseas trade it could distribute from the new major ports developing from the 18th century. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system

King Edward I of England granted the citizens of the Cinque Ports special privileges, including the right to bring goods into the country without paying import duties; in return the Ports would supply him with men and ships in time of war. Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost The associated ports, known as 'limbs', were given the same privileges. The five head ports and two ancient towns were entitled to send two Members to Parliament. The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. A Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was appointed, and also held the title of Constable of Dover Castle, and whilst this office exists today, it is now a purely honorary title, with an official residence at Walmer Castle. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. Walmer Castle was built by Henry VIII in 1539&ndash1540 as an artillery Fortress to counter the threat of invasion from Catholic France and Spain The town of Hastings was the head port of the Cinque Ports in mediæval times.

The towns also had their own system of courts, and the right to send barons to hold the canopy above a new monarch in the coronation ceremony. The Coronation of the British Monarch is a Ceremony (specifically Initiation rite) in which the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other While this custom no longer continues, the barons still have the right to attend the ceremony.

As time went by and some ports declined or silted up, others were added. Rye and Winchelsea were attached to Hastings as "Antient Towns" in the 12th century, and later became members in their own right. The small town of Rye, in East Sussex, England, stands at the confluence of two rivers although in medieval times as an important member of the Cinque Ports This article concerns the town in the United Kingdom For the town in Victoria Australia see Winchelsea Victoria. Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name

Lydd, Faversham, Folkestone, Deal, Tenterden, Margate and Ramsgate were all added as "corporate limbs" in the 15th century. Lydd is a Town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger towns on the Marsh and the most southerly town in Kent Faversham (fævɜʃəm is a town in Kent, England, in the district of Swale, roughly halfway between Sittingbourne and Canterbury Folkestone (ˈfoʊkstən is a resort town on the south coast of Kent, England, traditionally known as "The Garden Coast" Deal is a Town in Kent, England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover. Tenterden is a small Town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. Margate is a Seaside resort town within the Thanet district of East Kent, England. Ramsgate is a seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent, England. Other places associated with the Cinque Ports and sometimes described as "non corporate limbs" included Bekesbourne, Birchington, Brightlingsea, Fordwich, Pevensey, Reculver, Seaford, Stonor and Walmer. Bekesbourne is a Village, within the Civil parish of Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne, near Canterbury in Kent, South East England Birchington-on-Sea is a village in northeast Kent, England, with a population of around 9800 Brightlingsea is a coastal town in the Tendring district of Essex, roughly mid-way between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, situated at the Fordwich /ˈfɔːdˌwɪtʃ/ is said to be the smallest Town in England, with a population of around 300 people Pevensey is a Village and Civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Reculver is a popular summer resort situated about east of Herne Bay, on the North Kent coast of England. Stonor Park is the location of a historic house with gardens and a park in Oxfordshire, England, on the border with Buckinghamshire north of Henley-on-Thames Walmer is a town in the district of Dover, Kent in England: located on the coast the parish of Walmer is 6 miles (10 km north-east of Dover At one time there were 23 limbs.

Decline

The continuing decline of the confederation of the Cinque Ports may be ascribed to a variety of different circumstances, but they were not so hampered by the raids from the Danes and the French to be removed by the numerous destructive impact of plagues, and survived the politics of the 13th century Plantagenets, and the subsequent War of the Roses. The term Dane may refer to People with a Danish ancestral or ethnic identity whether living in Denmark, emigrants or the descendants of emigrants This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The House of Plantagenet (planˈtadʒɪnɪt also called the House of Anjou, or the First Angevin dynasty, was originally a noble The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485 were a series of dynastic Civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York

Although by the 14th century the confederation faced wider challenges from a greater consolidation of national identity in the monarchy and Parliament, the legacy of the Saxon authority remained. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south Even after the 15th Century, the 'antient towns' continued to serve with the supply of transport ships.

During the 15th century, New Romney, once a port of great importance at the mouth of the river Rother (until it became completely blocked by the shifting of sands during the great storm of 1287), was considered the central port in the confederation, and the place of assembly for the Cinque Port Courts, the oldest such authority being vested in the 'Kynges high courte of Shepway', which was being held from at least 1150. It was here that from 1433 The White (1433-1571) and Black (1572-1955) Books of the Cinque Port Courts were kept.

Ongoing changes in the coastline along the south east coast, from the Thames estuary to Hastings and the Isle of Wight did undoubtedly influence the significance of a number of the Cinque port towns, as port authorities, but ship building and repair, fishing, piloting, off shore rescue and sometimes even 'wrecking' continued to play a large part in the activities of the local community. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the

By the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Cinque Ports had effectively ceased to be of any real significance, and were absorbed into the general administration of the Realm. Local Government reforms and Acts of Parliament passed during the 19th and 20th Centuries (notably the Great Reform Act of 1832), have eroded the administrative and judicial powers of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports, when New Romney and Winchelsea were disenfrachised from Parliament, with representation provided through their Counties alone, while Hythe and Rye's representation was halved. The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system

In 1985, HMS Illustrious established an affiliation with the Cinque Ports. See HMS ''Illustrious'' for other ships of the same name Construction She was laid down at Swan Hunter on the River Tyne In 2005, the affiliation was changed to HMS Kent. Deployments March 2002 saw HMS Kent return from the Gulf after a five-month record-breaking mission under Commander John Clink

Bibliography

• The Cinque Ports: History People and Places by Edward Hinings. ^[1]

See also

• Pentapolis
• Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

External links

• Cinque Ports' official site
• Extensive historical information on Romney Marsh and the Cinque Port towns

Footnotes

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic