spacerBritain Express home page The Cinque Ports, or Ancient Towns
The Cinque Ports helped the English crown control the Channel throughout the Middle Ages.
 
spacer

Britain Express
spacer
British Heritage

History of England
  Prehistoric Britain
  Roman Britain
  Anglo-Saxon Era
  The Middle Ages
  The Tudor Era
  Stuart Britain
  Georgian Britain
  The Victorian Age
  English Monarchs
History of Wales
History of Scotland
London History

FEATURES
Medieval Life
British Battles
British Biography
English Architecture
Royal Family
English Culture

History of Britain book

Historic Churches in Britain

Castles
England
Scotland
Wales

Stately Homes
England
Scotland
Wales

Monasteries
England
Scotland
Wales

Prehistoric Sites
England
Scotland
Wales

FUN
 Historic Attraction Quiz
 British History Quiz
 Monarch Mayhem
 This Day in British History
 Heritage Traveller blog

TOURISM
 England
 Scotland
 Wales

About
 Contact
 About us

spacer
spacer
History > Medieval Britain > Cinque Ports
spacer



The Ancient "Cinque Ports" of England


BY , EDITOR

Rye, East Sussex
Rye, East Sussex
In the late Anglo-Saxon era, the threat of Norse invasion was constant. For a time England had a Danish king in the person of Cnut (Canute) but after his death the Anglo-Saxon Edward the Confessor did his best to keep the Norse threat at bay.

The key to the security of the realm as Edward saw it was to control the English Channel. To this end he granted the ports of Sandwich, Dover, and New Romney, all in Kent, the right to keep all legal fees assigned in court cases. This was quite a profitable concession for the towns involved, and made them far more prosperous than most towns of similar size elsewhere in the country.

In exchange, the towns agreed to provide ships and sailors for defense when required by the crown. To the original three ports were later added Hastings in Sussex, and Hythe, in Kent.

These five coastal towns made up the Five Ports (in Norman French the "Cinque Ports"). In the 13th century Rye and Winchelsea joined nearby Hastings and in the next century gained legal status as "Antient Towns", affiliated with the Cinque Ports.

The need for defense was so great that a large number of other towns became allied to the major ports. Thus, inland Tenterden became an ally of Rye, and Pevensey an ally of Hastings. This 'coastal confederation' reached a total of 42 towns at its medieval peak.

The ports took full advantage of their special legal status to spread their economic reach far beyond their local areas. Thus Rye battled fiercely with Yarmouth in Norfolk for control of the herring fishery on the Norfolk Broads.

The fortunes of the Cinque Ports varied. Dover, with its excellent coastal harbour, prospered. Others fared less well. The sea receded over the medieval period, and rivers silted up, leaving Winchelsea and Tenterden totally isolated from the coast. Rye transformed from a coastal port into a river one, with subsequent loss of trade.

Once bustling, prosperous towns (perhaps a little puffed up with their own importance) dwindled into villages or tourist centres as the need for their defensive contribution declined.

Walmer Castle near Deal (Kent) is the official residence of the Warden of the Cinque Ports, a post little more than ceremonial today, but once of huge national importance. The current (2005) Warden is Admiral the Lord Boyce, and past wardens include the Queen Mother, Winston Churchill and the Duke of Wellington. The "Cinque Ports" and the two Antient Towns still retain their unique legal status in Britain.



Latest History articles
Llewelyn ap Gruffudd
Dafydd ap Gruffudd
Commote
Cantref
Brut y Tywysogyon


History
Prehistory - Roman Britain - Dark Ages - Medieval Britain - The Tudor Era - The Stuarts - Georgian Britain - The Victorian Age



Contents © David Ross and Britain Express

spacer



National Trust

National Trust membership

Free entry to National Trust properties throughout England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, plus discounted admission to National Trust for Scotand properties

Membership details

About the National Trust



HISTORY CORNER

Name the Historic attraction

Name the mystery historic attraction
See larger image



British Heritage Awards

Celebrate the best of British Heritage in our annual
British Heritage awards.

View this year's winners.

British History Quiz

This national celebration marked the centenery of the 1851 Great Exhibition



 Clue

This Day in British History

19 May, 1536

Anne Boleyn beheaded

Queen Anne was executed on Tower Green, saving her the spectacle of a more public execution.

Monarch Mayhem

This monarch put down the 1715 Jacobite Rising of James Stewart, The Old Pretender



 Clue



British Heritage

History of England
History of Wales
London HistoryHeritage

Castles
England
Scotland
Wales

Stately Homes
England
Scotland
Wales

Monasteries
England
Scotland
Wales

Prehistoric Sites
England
Scotland
Wales

More
Medieval Life
British Battles
British Biography
English Architecture
Royal Family