The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-07
THE ClNQUE PORTS.
Famous in the History Of Merrie
England.
AMONG THE PROUDEST OF LORD
SALISBURY'S HONORS.

A Distinguished Line of Wardens Includ-
ing the Hero of WaterloO-The Castle
Which Was the Pride of the Iron Duke
How He Kept the Draw Bridge Oiled.
Among the offices which are held by
Lord Salisbury, one of the greatest in
point of the honor which accompanies Is
Is that of lord warden of the cinque
ports. At the same time very few Ameri
cams know that he holds it among his
titles. Lord Salisbury il the 151st man to
receive the appointment. 1t is an office
which history shows has been presented
only to great public characters.
It Is no tawdry, ephemeral gift which
has descended upon England's prime
minister. but rather something so old
and yet SO full of sentiment as to be-
wilder one In the consideration of its
romantic history. The CAUSES which led
10 the creation of the Office may be said
TO have arisen when Rome ruled Britain
and a defensive union OF certain seaports
became necessary for the protsction of
the coast against the fierce and pitiless
invasion of the enemies to whom Eng
land was like plump plum in pud
ding.
This confederation Of seaports first
became prominent in history in the time
of Edward the Confessor, who made
Godwyne, Earl of Wessex. whose daugh-
ter he married, the first lord warden of
the five ports. William the Conqueror,
who won the bloody battle Of Hastings,
whore King Harold Godwin's son, was
slain, granted importans privileges to
the cinque ports, now known as Dover
Hastings, Sandwich. Romney and Hythe
and from this time the places assume
Importance in the history Of the country.
During the baron's war (12s2-l272) the
men OF the cinque ports were the terrors
of the sea. They took their wives and
children aboard their vessels and then
harried the channel and the coasts with
the unrelenting feroaity characteristic of
that period. They were the merciless
tyrants Of the water.
OAlstOI uAo uIbe G0W dIO uu0 CluQuc
ports seamen were continually fighting
those of Normandy, and in one great sea
fight killed 5000 of the Frenchmen.
These sailors fought with bows and
arrows, with quicklime which they
threw into the faces of their enemies,
and With vessels armored at the bow,
which they drove with terrific force into
the bulls Of their adversaries' ships.
When the French king demanded redress
for this slaughter King Edward threat
sned the victors with punishment TO
which they deiantly replied "that II
wrong or grievance be done in any fash
ion against right. they will sooner for
nike wives, children and all that they
have and 60 seek through the seas,
where they shall think to make their
profit"
These ports had to pay tribute of 40
light character for their privileges and
immuntties, one requirement. being to
furnish the reigning sovereign with such
shipping as he might need for public
service and during the reign Of tho Ed
ward mentioned a demand was made
upon the ports for fifty seven armed and
equipped ships for fifteen days. service.
The naval power of these towns, whose
fishermen were in the sixteenth century
made into bold buccaneers for Sir
Francis Drake, was at last turned to lit
tie else thanspiratioal forays, and became
30 dangerous to the stability of the
government as to call forth parliament
tary acts for their suppression.
To be lord warden for such a uuin tet
Of towns, whether made up of mud huts
as in the beginning, or handsome resi-
denoes, as composed today. was to hold
q position of high honor, and in former
times Of immense power and great pro-
fit; and the $50 lords warden who have
Salisbury from Godwyna to
Lord Dufferin. through a line of over
800 years were mostly men whose deeds
are imbedded like precious stones in the
history of England. Kings have held
the honorable post-Harold, slain at
and James H., when Duke OF
York. The rest were lords, victorious
soldiers and grand com oners whom
feiRning sovereigns have selected as be-
Ing particularly worthy of the uniq ne
and exalted preferment. The ancient
oath OF Office, not taken in this century.
was pledge of personal faith and honor