What are the original five Cinque Ports?
The original five Cinque Ports are Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover, and Sandwich. These towns gave the confederation its name, which is Old French for "five harbours".
Questions about Cinque Ports
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why were the Cinque Ports given special privileges?
The Cinque Ports were granted privileges including tax exemption, legal jurisdiction, and parliamentary representation in return for providing 57 ships for 15 days' service to the Crown each year. The historian N. A. M. Rodger argues the original grants may have been made by Edward the Confessor to secure the loyalty of strategically important ports controlling cross-Channel traffic.
What caused the decline of the Cinque Ports?
The decline had several causes: coastal changes such as harbour silting and the withdrawal of the sea, the catastrophic South England flood of February 1287 that destroyed New Romney's harbour, French raids on Hastings in 1339 and 1377, the rise of larger ports like Southampton, the need for bigger ships than the ports could supply, and later the Reform Act 1832, which eroded their administrative and parliamentary powers.
How many members does the Cinque Ports confederation have today?
There are now 14 members in total: five head ports, two ancient towns (Winchelsea and Rye), and seven limbs. At its peak in the Late Middle Ages the confederation included over 40 members.
What role did the Barons of the Cinque Ports play at coronations?
Since time immemorial the barons held the right to carry a canopy above the monarch during the procession between Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey. After that procession was discontinued following the Coronation of George IV in 1821, the barons were given a new role at the Coronation of Edward VII in 1902: processing inside the abbey to receive the banners of the monarch's realms. Fourteen barons attended the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla in 2023.
What were the White Book and Black Book of the Cinque Ports?
The White Book covers the proceedings of the Brotherhood and Guestling assemblies from 1432 to 1571, and the Black Book covers 1572 to 1955. Both volumes were held at New Romney until 1960, when they were transferred to the Kent Archives Office, now the Kent History and Library Centre, in Maidstone. A comprehensive calendar of both books was published in 1966.