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The Cinque Ports
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The Ports on this part of the coast had been of importance from early Roman days and five large fortresses had been built by the Romans in the early fifth century and had been placed under the charge of ’The Count of the Saxon Shore’ The Cinque Ports date back to the 11th Century, during the reign of Edward the Confessor. Originally five in number, these Head Ports were Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich, with Rye and Winchelsea becoming ’limbs’ of the Head Port of Hastings in the second half of the 12th Century. Before Henry II died in 1189, he had conferred the same privileges on Rye and Winchelsea as were enjoyed by the incorporated members of the Cinque Ports Federation. |
The importance of Rye and Winchelsea, and the decline of Hastings, elevated them to become Cinque Ports, and Head Ports, in their own right in the 14th Century although this does not seem to have been marked by any special event or legal formality. In typically English fashion the name of the confederation was not changed, but continued under the somewhat cumbersome title of the ’Five Ports and Two Ancient Towns’.
| It is notable that on their admission to the Cinque Ports, Rye and Winchelsea were already called ’Ancient Towns’, meaning ’worthy of veneration’. These ports provided ships and men for the Royal Fleet and thus laid the foundations of England’s maritime power. |
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From this a Confederation of towns and fishing villages was formed – in return for their services, these included supplying ships and seamen for a set number of days per year and in times of trouble, they received certain privileges (legalised by Royal Charter in 1278) which enabled the Cinque Port towns to be exempted from many taxes, trade wherever they wished and have the right to hold their own courts.
The decline of the ports dates from the mid-14th century when changing ways of warfare made it necessary to have a more permanent marine force and the consequent larger ships were too big for the harbours, which had begun to silt up.
Today only Rye and Dover remain as true ports.
