The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-07


Queen Elizabsth's reign an incoming
lord warden was addressed as follows by
the speaker of the ports: "Sir, ye shall
keep inviolate and maintain all the fIan-
ohises and liberties, customs and usages
of the five ports, in that ye may do, by
the allegiance that ye owe unto our lady
the Queen of England, and by your
knighthood. To which the warden.
holding his hand breast high, answered
aYea, if God will, shall to my power. !"
In olden times the office WAS one OF
profit. When William Pitt had it it gave
him sure net income of aboat $4,000
a year with additions in the form of
perquisites from the fotsam and jetaam
of the ports. Today there is no pay, only
the perQuisites and the castle in which
to reside.
AS seen from the sea the castle does
not make very imposing appearance.
but .is.old enough to satisfy the wants
of the most exalting arohaeologist, con-
tanning evidences of masonry of the time
Of Alfred the Great, in whose reign was
built what is shown in it's walls as being
OF the Saxon line of defense. The Roman
and Norman lines ars also disoernible.
the remains of the first being sncirclsd
by ditch. The present. keep was begun
by Gundolph, bishop of Rochester in
1853. The caste by the River Deal, erect
ed in the reign of Henry Will, faces the
Goodwin Sands and overlooks that great
sea highway, the Downs. A good deal
of the STRUCTURE remains about as it was
when its lookouts watched for the COM
ing of the dreaded Spanish armada.
Under 1t the space is honey combed with
cupancy by the Tudor soldiers.
William Pitt when he was made a
lord warden at the beginning of the GEN.
fury fell in love with the castle, lived
there as much as the cares. of state would
permit and encircled the place with trees.
Other relics Of his tenure of office are
scarce, succeeding wardens buying and
taking away such mementos us they
cared for. His chair is the most notable
Renaissance of his residence
in the castle.
He used to sit astride 1t his face to its
back and his elbows resting on its arms.
His room was gloomy apartment, fac
ing dead wall and looking into the
moat 1t was once occupied by Talley-
rand while on visit to the castle, and
when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
were there on their honey moon journey
the room WAS made into a dining room
by tearing down wall This wall was
afterward. restored and the apartment is
now allotted to the housekeeper.
The old Duke of Wellington-the" Iron
Duke''-dearly loved the castle when ne
WAS lord warden. Within its walls be
died. His successors in office dealt len
iently with the few insignifioant. meman-
tos he left. because they were bought by
relatives and presented TO the castle. The
chair in which he breathed his last. his
boots with spurs attached and which
like his. battles have become famous and
q dresser of painted wood are prominent
among these relics.
The hero warrior was devoted to this
charge Of his declining years. He sur
rendered to Its duties and requirements
ii to nothing else. Following the pre-
oedent Of Pitt he always wore in public
the blue uniform with red collar and
facings prescribed as the official dress of
the lord warden. In all things connect
ed with the real or fanoied duties of the
position he was martinez having the
drawbridge kept oiled and gravely giving
a personal inspection to the moat each
day as II expecting siege or an assault.
His favorite walk was on the ramparts
where he passed hours studying the. mag
nifcent panorama presented by the sea
Ind seeing in the far away distance the
hin white line of France.
One would naturally conclude that the
conoclastio spirit of centuries would
,aye revolutionied- the governments of the
,inque ports. Not at all. Their affairs
IRE managed today as in the time of Lord
Warden Humphrey Duke of Gloucester
~ brotherhood and gurtling the, former
meeting regularly twice year and the
after by specially called meetings.
These meetings were presided over by
IN officer termed speaker. He was a
mayor of one Of the five ports the sue
;ession being by rotation. The last meet
ing before the induction of Salisbury
was for the installation of Lord Dufferin
June %. 1899. When the queens jubi-
lee was observed at Dover juno "a, 1887,
grand court of the Brotherhood was
aeld and congratulations extended to / err
majesty, in doing which the very ancient
ceremonies of the body were faithfully
observed, even to the reading of orders
ssued in behalf Of the ports during the
'eign of Queen Elizabeth.
The cinque ports possess one pc culiar
privilege, of which they are very tenacious
tut of which they seldom have an oppor-
unity of avat1fpo h o,y ol