Rye Castle Museum

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Our Latest Successes

We begin with good news: We are successfully through to the next state of the Heritage Lottery Fund bid for the Women and Children of Rye project which includes the restoration and refurbishment of the Women’s Tower!  Many thanks to all those who have contributed in any way to the work so far.  The next stage of this bid is now being prepared for submission in March 2012, along with other Grant applications to the Rother Community Fund and the Wealden and Rural Rother Partnership.

We are also delighted to learn we have been awarded £500 by the Rye Fund which is allowing us to update the methods of recording our collections of artifacts, documents and books.  Work on this proceeds apace under our Curator, Linden Thomas.

News Flash

Our Links list was growing so long we have just moved it to a separate page.  See Useful Links at right.  This time we’ve added brief descriptions  to give an idea of what you will find at each site and each place.

The Next Museum Events

We’ve just had a most enjoyable New Year party with scrumptious food provided by Rae Festing and splendid entertainment — another Mapp and Lucia sequel written by Dilys Mayor and performed by the  talented members of the Rye Shakespeare Company.

Now we look forward to these events:

Monday, 13th February,  East Street 2 p.m.
Children’s Half Term Activity Afternoon for under 10′s

This time the activities will include making monster skittles and planting cress heads.  Cost: 2.50 with an accompanying adult.  For photos of the happy participants in the last Children’s Activity Day click here.

Tuesday, 14th February. East Street 7:30 p.m.
Rebellious Rye – Corruption, Protest & Reform in the 19th Century by Peter Ewart

Peter is one of our most popular speakers.   This time he will recount the scarcely credible series of dramatic events in the ‘rotten borough’ of Rye before, during and after reform — which attracted the attention of the national press.  Exciting stuff!  Some of you will know Peter’s book A Poor Man’s Rye: the daily life of a local labouring family 1847-1930; if you don’t you can ask to see it at the Rye Library.  Members £2.00  Non-members £3.00  including refreshments.  All welcome.

Wednesday, 22nd February.  East Street 2 p.m. start
‘What is it?’   plus Afternoon Tea

By popular demand we are having another event where you can try to guess what objects are– and, if you like, bring a mystery item of your own.  Our first such afternoon, quite apart from the information gained, was so enjoyable and generated so much talk and social interaction across age, gender, occupation and other communication inhibitors,  we’re offering a similar opportunity again.   Do you have something to bring?  We’d like to see it.  No?  Do come anyway.  £2.00.

Tuesday. 13th March. Tudor Room, Mermaid Inn  7:30 p.m.  {NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE)
The History of Rye Cricket Club by Martin Blincow

A fascinating insight into Rye’s past via a favourite sport–complete with photos, memorabilia, slides . . . . . .

Tuesday, 3rd April, East Street 12 noon
Official 2012 opening  of the East Street site

MP Amber Rudd will be joining us for this occasion which also  includes food!.  Come get up-to-date with progress this past year and exciting plans for the future.

An Invitation from the Sussex Military History Society for
Saturday 26th May 2012 at Newhaven Fort 

Those of you interested in military history might be interested in attending the Sussex Military History Society’s Study Day on
26th May in Newhaven. The theme for the day is ‘Land, Air & Sea’ with all speakers giving expert illustrated lectures. For more information go to www.sussexmilitary.org.uk or contact Stewart Angell 07714923925.

Reminders

Are you caught up with recent Museum news, events and activities?  

Much has happened in the last months so check previous posts under Latest News and other headings at right to see what you might have missed.  If you want to plan still further ahead click on Talks 2012 at right.

‘Winter was icumen in’ . . .  and it’s here!

. . . so just a reminder that we will be on winter hours at the Museum until March 31st.  Thus East Street is closed except for talks and special events, but Ypres Tower  continues to be open 7 days a week (weather permitting)–except for  24th and 25th December–though with an earlier closing time of 3:30 p.m., last admission 3:00 p.m.  Admission to the Tower remains  unchanged: adults £3.00, concessions £2.50,  children under 16 free when accompanied by an adult.

NB: The official opening of the Summer Season will take place on 3rd April (12 noon) at East Street.  Our MP, Amber Rudd, will be attending.

Publications and Souvenirs

The list of publications and souvenirs for sale at the Tower  has just been updated.  Click on the Publications page at right.  Alan Dickinson’s latest book Rye Through Time  is one of the titles recently added.   This is a most attractive and informative Then and Now collection,  one of its most welcome features being that all the Now photos are in colour.     Besides books, cards,  postcards (e.g. Captain Pugwash) and DVDs we now also have models (Ypres Tower), WWII replicas, dolls and more.

Members generously responded to an appeal for more books for the second-hand bookstall recently for which many thanks — but regular sales mean we once again  need more. Though we are now closed for the winter we do have regular events during that period so if your bookshelves are too full . . . .

Rye Museum on Facebook

Did you know there is now a Rye Museum page on Facebook?   Our thanks to Jamie Kirkham for setting it up for us. All you need to do to see it is type Facebook Rye Castle Museum in a Google search box.

Cinque Port Coat of Arms

 The Cinque Ports Confederation  dates back to the 11th Century, during the reign of Edward the Confessor.  It was started by the ports Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich for mutual protecton and trade.  Edward  gave official recognition by granting a Royal Charter which was later confirmed by William the Conqueror .

Rye and Winchelsea became ’limbs’ of the Head Port of Hastings in the second half of the 12th Century.  They were incorporated as ‘Antient Towns’, which meant they were ‘worthy of veneration’.    Before Henry II died in 1189, he conferred on them the same privileges as were enjoyed by the original members of the Cinque Ports Federation.

The privileges were in exchange for services; the towns which formed the Confederation supplied ships and seamen for a set number of days per year and in times of trouble,    The privileges they received in return (legalised by Royal Charter in 1278)  enabled the Cinque Port towns to be exempted from many taxes, to trade wherever they wished and to hold their own courts.

12th to 13th Century Cinque Ports Ship

Apart from the five ports and the two antient 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).

In 1229 Rye supplied five ships for the King out of the Confederation’s total of fifty seven.  In 1337 the Hundred Years War began and the ships of the Cinque Ports were vital to the defence of England and for carrying the army to France. In 1415 the Confederation fleet transported Henry V and an army of ten thousand to Ifarfleur, which subsequently won the Battle of Agincourt.

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’.

Although the main duty of the Confederation was providing ships for the Crown, the Cinque Ports also organised and supplied Bailiffs to the Yarmouth Herring Fair,  an annual event which continued until the late seventeenth century. This big market and festival  fixed the price for the herring catch.  There were often clashes between the men of Rye and Winchelsea and the men of Yarmouth who resented the privileges held by the Cinque Ports towns.

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.   Despite the reduced strategic and tactical importance of the Cinque Ports fleet, the ports remained commercially active.  One Rye seaman accompanied Drake on his voyage around the world.

The Ports were asked by Queen Elizabeth to provide ships for the  Spanish Armada and in 1588 Rye, with its limb, Tenterden, produced–at twenty days notice–a ship of sixty tons called the William, a feat reflecting its relative prosperity at the time.

By the end of the sixteenth century a professional navy, forerunner of the modem Royal Navy, was established. The Cinque Ports continued their slow decline.

Today only Rye and Dover remain as true ports.   However, by providing ships and men for the Royal Fleet for some 400 years they laid the foundations of England’s maritime power, and their ceremonial importance–at Coronations for example– lasts to this day.