The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-19 00:00:00

op" OFFICE AND AUTHORITY
TIM LORD WARDEN t f the CINQUE PORTS.

•
• " They that bear
The cloth of Stateabove her, are four Barons
Of the c:
Cinque s'ons."—SuAsSPEARE.
It
cp aPPtars, from the above passage, that the pro-
ce-si:l:nns (),flkoyalty in former times were wont to re •
sta,,ce„°••mall accession to their " pomp. circum-
Po Lertil, the presence and service of the Cinquec
°Vi the 4 and their supporters. But, on looking
Ilene
w, scrolls of their history, we.find mention of
n° has bestowed greater dignity on the office
pct 1.1.°r has
by his liege in a more commanding as-.
in3.4‘rusa the Illustrious Duke,. who now, advanced
duties and full of honours, waits for a last time in the
signs „_°f his office upon her Majesty, before he re-
of eurwlium, as it is rumoured, to the princely Consort
Thp een•
overan eient trading towns of the Cinque Ports,.
the „„ Ica his Grace has for some time past exercised
asee'wers of Lord Warden, lie on the
.coast K
to France x, and were selected from proximitytheir
assist, and early superiority. in navigation, to
canners'' Protecting the realm against invasion..nßvoe)s,ta.linß .
the Were on these grounds granted them,
ill"eeta with certain privileges.
are be..arts so privileged, as we at present account them,
the 'et', Sandwich, Romney, Hastings, Hythe, and
othrioni.griheutliia,encient towns of Winchelaca and Rye; al-
NO latter places appear to, have been only
al'l)oiate,l,tnenibers. The services which they. were
to
, g perform were either honorary, viz., assist-
hats le Coronation and sending Members to Par-
furZt? or auxiliary to the defence of the realm, asn
beia"'ng a certain supply of vessels and seamen, on
tsporitlo;sileodsa:v:upispniiol3.olinrioeifdi;tio.ntnhtzser,hviicceh ibnyfothrme
eKritnigmseswthiese
la'ltoirdn'edwwas, according to Thorn,
vessel 2,5:"..--Hastings provided 21 vessels,,amfl in each
'tenser °len. To thig port belonged Sea ord,.Pese:
0014, lledney, Winchelsea, Rye, Hamine, Wakes-
five e
five si;.-Creneth, and Forthclipe. Romn.ey provdd
tromilipst, and in each 24 men. To this belongedin.
ntenhala'' 143'cle, Oswarstone Dangemares,. and
seatrie-a I!.Ythe furnished five ships, and in each 21
kale number this belonged Westmeath. Dover, the
4eBto u
as Hastings. To this belonged Fol-
fniiisite' l'evershans, and Marge. Lastly, Sandwich
d
mist tbe same with Hythe. To this belonged
n't!tic, Rculver, Serre, and Deal.
apPolleartsris ttehehtttvillete of ,henry the Seventh, the Crown
had no permanent navy: the Cinque
quirePnstantly furnished nearly all the shipping
.re-
for ti and their assist-
-nee to - purposes of the State,
Itx". Icing's ships continued long after that
ntaltri " nen ships were wanted, the King issued his
tira,
ors to the Ports to provide their quota. In the
seven in dWard 1., they were bound to provide fifty-
The The nurilber, fully equipped, at their own cost.
Edgard
k gratuitous, service was 15 days. In
ilAportid t'io Thirds tinie; the summons seems to have
berg. tried the ships among the Ports and their mem-
and ill rnne of the members had to provide one ship,
erel,o,""zne cases two of the members had to provide
in "Veen them,
ess of time the Cinque Ports grew so pow?r-
bypo"", observes Chitty (Commercial Law, vol. h.),
InsdessTsion of a warlike fleet, so audacious, that they
tatical excursions in defiance of all publicd
el'llredf.,lr'n,..setne occasions they made war, and formed
Pears, r'aes as separate independent States. It ap-
''Apres,,,°,,ver., that these irregUlarities were soon
ltufEct,ii, when the Government was strong, and
the ,ttent'Y confident torexert its powers. So long as
fete fereat7 of raising a navy by contributions from di
-:),,"8 Continued, the Cinque Ports afforded. an
"44 eb:TPIY but since that. time their privileges
services lisp but their separate or peculiar
Thes,Owns]Cinque
of the Cinque Ports, owing to various
t
Inl,Poit:a7,avel however, long since lost their ancient
viVs' Xee,• This may, in part, be attributed to the
st ages enanges that have taken place in the course
andinAon the coast-line. Rye and Romney, once
't. 8,,-g,en the shore, are now at some distance from
aucl..nawich is only accessible for smallvessels. Thehief f
:t site
1, a Folkestone one of the members
The
has been almost wholly washed away. T emust
14-11s:e) however, of the extinctiOn of these Ports
Pera„ai attributed to the complete organization of a
th'ely-ti„nt, navy in our island ; while agajn, com.para
t'''tli-modern improvements, their inferiority aso
ehtki their distance from _all the great seats
for
theirlp% ntanufacture, Will sufficiently account f
Ali trh-sellt Commercial insignificance.
e circumstances that tended to diminish the
did influence and importance of these Ports, how-
tecst'" not prevent them from sustaining,. until the
ical measures of general reform, considerable li-
taraeritority•Ports re-
gard Each Of the five original
I. two Barons to Parliament as early as
Lord
the,the ReVolution of 1688 the Lord
4oPe 1,1,11 assumed the power and right of nominating_
qtn„e )1)0a‘c: sometimes both, of the Members for each of
11,,,''etawns having Parliamentary representation.
'l'44 --;"rnt Act of 1832 has worked, a considerable
dimi sin the political relations of the. Cinque Ports,
'cn ii)g the number of representatives from six-
'r' ° ht
ho .g •
be4t, title
the TvA Of IVarclen of the Cinque Ports was first
e`4 on the Constable of lover Castle by William
4e3oe °II lner°r• That King, considering Dover as
t
Tast„' :° England, gave the charge of the adjacen
4, DO4, with the shipping belonging to it, to the officer
niipo-rinlentioned, whose trust was one of the most.f
the Cant in the kingdom. But remarks Camden,
I(inp; ilneror was the first appointer of a Warden,
first granted them privileges, and that.
ab.t theindition. that should provide eighty ships
lkhl2l.r °‘‘'n charge for forty days, so often as the
rei)l4ltsueuld have occasion in the wars. John, bell!
etlei f at the time of this grant, was then strait
Tile°lit navy to recover Normandy.
styled arden of the Cinque Ports, now commonly
l'iarde tile Lord Warden, because oftentimes the
Prue„ns have been of the nobility, and sometimes
less the blood royal, is an office which none
:ILiii,„ahn a knight can occupy. This great officer, or
ltniteCiarella: as Camden terms him, was created in
blisl,ol°,,n of tbasame officer which the Romans esta-
ten,,e4pr defence of our coasts. By them he was
the Iin.L'ITIORIS SAXONICI COMES and had under him
serves t`erves-rge of nine seaports. There is no doubt, o
t, this learned antiquary, in reference to this
soiae this.
these
Cinque Ports or towns were under
Saxonscial government even in the time of the
Dela°. ' necessity so requiring. These Wardens also,
also 4aiset for the defence of the coast and ports, and being
for se commanders of their ships which they furnished
Thei(;:d bestowed on them the name of Admirals.
jaiise,ree was large. Not only confined to the
their kl-"°n of the sea in their district, they had in
labniediate•eP and preserving the inland ports—were
"rs t differences—guards against the
croaehi
alit:l,:arralense.Tlts °f
foreigners, and correctors of errors
their regularities in all marine transactions within
That the Warden of the Ports might.
of Seat suitable to his quality, the Castle ofDo.ver,
‘C)
his eh was appointed Constable, was committed
lye gee and custody.
l'erse, hav before observed that many memorable
their "8, and
have them several with blood royal in
the bvei—s' "ave filled the office of which his Grace
tire. like of Wellington has been the last representa-
the e; „In Jeake's invaluahle book (Charters of
other',„"lue Ports, fol. 1,727), which, in absence
Lords
e'f the°,eutnents, is frequently consulted by the
extens:"urairalty as authority, we find an accurate and
di tensile list of ever_y officer who has enjoy
'sneln,ellYtl;t. W_arden, from the Conquest anedd
mostsub-
"table nprom these we select the highest an
ECtiv, 'Pies
fo 'r"., Ann. 34. Lord Henry Cobham, whose
-L,,,,nnded Cobham College.
one ;se :off Ie •-04
oAf :In: 19. Bartholomew de Burghesh,
Ed firs, Companions of the Garter.
'`e w' then. Ann. 50. Edmund Earl of Cambridge
b. had Ring Edward,
tanddhywhoot,hesurrlyei
the office re-gran e
o_usieellard 11. Ann,tv:ers
condemned for treason,7. A • and whho.lwl.as
SirexSeicinutnedn BonurTleoy;ver-
York_— ann. 21. Edward Plantagenet, Duke of
lien I
Aumerle.
tesi V. -Ann. 12. Henry Prince of Wales, who
delflecl it on becoming King to the Earl of Arun
_
Dt;i:elit was subsequently bestowed on the " Good
I4ulphre"
Ail aryl. Ann: 25. Lord Say of Seale, whounhap-
-1,,w beheaded by Jack Cade.
-"4", atv
after •,Atin.*l. The famous Earl of Warwick
quen,'"°m, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, subse
t'Y Richard 111.
seKinnrY Va, Arm. 8. Henry, Duke of York, the
Ifs second son, afterwards Henry VIII.
of kenrY VIII. The Duke of Richmond, natural son
c„ln Henry
Votrarles L Villiers Duke of Buckingham. 4'
grin, Tne time after this reign, the officer of the
pnte that commanded the Castle, acted without
ns Lord Warden ; the patent, however, was
filled resumed, and has been at times as honourably
The
r a or
since, as it was in its early periods.
nature
the Lord Warden's office, as regarded
ppears to be in exercising the jurisdic-
th-nn (It' aa
Sheriff over all the ports and members, in
execution of writs and custody of debtors. The
is tY jurisdiction in the Lord Warden's hands_
3i
it
ef expressly reserved in that clause of the Municipal
, • "rtit Act which abolishes chartered Admiralty
.tii'
risdictions in
general. A branch of this jurisdic-
f n aPpears in the Court of' Lodemanage, so called
srin thete Ohl English word Lockman, a leach-man or
of Piwthich is held for the licensing and regulating
lots, by
the Lord Warden and a number of Cor-
e l!nssioners. The Lord Warden seems anciently to
at held a Court of Chancery in one of the churches
e'ver, lilt it has long been obsolete.
At present the efficient authority, charge, or pa-
tronagei, of the Lord Warden is not very great. The
' honourableness of the situation, however, makes it

paramount to all minor considerations, the salary it-
self not being more than 3,oool.—(Macculloch's Dict.
Commerce.)
The Barons of the Cinque Ports, who form part of
fie Court and State attendant on the Lord Warden,
have, time out of mind, had the honour to carry the
canopy over the King and Queen at their coronation,
and dine with them the same day. Their service is
thus stated in an old document :—"To bear the silk
cloths, sustained by four staves silvered over, with
little silver bells gilded, over the King and Queen, on
the day of their coronation ; and after the service per-
formed, to receive and have the same cloths, with
their appurtenances, as accustomed fees.• And also to
sit at the principal table at the right side of the hall."
The Barons of the Cinque Ports numbered 32, and in
the grandeur of the procession and ceremony, formed no
small part.
The derivation of the names of the different Cinque
Port towns over which the Warden exercises juris-
diction, has been settled by antiquarians and etymolo-
gists thus :
WINCHELSEA, written also Winchilsey, is said to
signify Wind-cold-sea (chil, an old word, yet in use
for cold), according to the Latin word Frigo-mare-
ventus, for which now its modern name is used.
" Well," says an old writer, " might the ancient
town deserve that name, standing, as it does, in a low
plain, open both to the winds and the sea."
RYE, or Rhie, written in Latin Ria or Rhia. Some
conclude it to be so called from its soil producing
that corn. Others, that it is named from the rivulet