The Cordova daily times., 1920-02-18


 A structures which the British
 \ cherish because in them, they
 feel, is visibly incorporated the prestige of England. not the least picturesque and interesting is Walmer castle, on the coast of Kent, the off, cial home of the lord warden of the Cinque ports.
 The lord wardenship is an older and more picturesque monument than Wal mer castle. The office of lord war den is far more ancient than his dwelling. About that office are gath cred the earliest activities out of which the British navy grew, writes Martin Conway in Country Life The present functions of the lord warden may not be of any executive value as contributing to national defense, but, as long as there is lord warden liv ing at Walmer the small beginnings of the navy in remote past remain vis ibly memorialized. Such memorial is more efficient than any pile of stone that the ingenuity of man could raise. Nothing more wildly brings the past into the present or enforces on living men the amount of their indebtedness to those from whom they descend than formed in accordance with an ancient and unbroken tradition.
 No one knows when the lord war denship was founded or by what earliest stages it came into being Ne cessity enforced the defense of the southeastern coast of England, and to that end the small maritime forces of the little ports along it had to be CO., ordinated. The original five ports were Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich; to these others were added as we'll as inland localities which had to contribute financial aid. Ultimately the jurisdiction extended round the coast from SeafOrd in Sus- sex to near Margate in Kent.
 importance of the cinque Ports.
 Throughout the Middle Ages down to the time of Henry VII the Cinque ports thus enlarged and organized had to furnish the crown with nearly all the ships and men needed for naval purposes. The oldest existing charter dates from Edward l. but 1t refers to older documents as far back as the time of Edward the Confessor Duties and corresponding privileges went on accommodating. Such an organization could not exist without head, but his office was of correSpondingly gradual growth. At one time it was an office of great power and importance. It was generally coupled with the gover- norship of Dover castle. The lord warden was admiral of the ports. He had his court of chancery at Dover. He still retains the duty of appointing the judge of the admiralty court of the Cinque ports as well as the justices of the peace in the same areas; but his most important functions have be- 1 come decorative, monumental and pic turesque, not, however, as aforesaid, unimportant. ! The maritime activity which led to l the discovery of America and the be- l ginnings of world commerce neces- l sarily made great change in British 1 naval affairs Local levies of ships l and sailors were bound to be replaced 1 sooner or later by something in the nature of national navy. The change 1 is already apparent in the days of l Henry VIII, and from that time the l importance of the Cinque ports as the 1 nations naval base declined and with 1 1t the power of the lord warden. It is l that the erection of Wal mef castle dates from this period. 1t was built i'll the reign of Henry VIII along with other castles round the 1 coast, such as the neighboring Deal l and Sandown and the remote Lindis- farne on Holy island in Northumber- land. Previously the coast had been protected by succession of earth works, the Great and Little BulWarke, for instance, within the parish of Wal mer They had embrasures~for guns and were connected by communication trenches.
 Built by Henry VIII.
 The Kentish castles built by Henry VIII were completed about l54O ana rlaced under the control of the lord warden. The following description of them is compressed from Elgin: In the center is the keep-a circular tow or containing bomb-proof magazine for ammunition. It is surrounded by hastions with fifty-two port-holes be- low. commanding the encompasslng noa+ Tunnels or chimneys were con- rived to carry off the smoke of the guns. There were larger embrasures