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Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

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Flag of the previous Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Admiral of the FleetLord Boyce

TheLord Warden of the Cinque Portsis a ceremonial official in theUnited Kingdom.The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title wasKeeper of the Coast,but may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of theCinque Ports,a group of five (cinqueinNorman French) port towns on the southeast coast of England that was formed to collectively supply ships forThe Crownin the absence at the time of a formalnavy.Today the role is asinecureand anhonorary title,and fourteen towns belong to the Cinque Ports confederation. The title is one of the higher honours bestowed by theSovereign;it has often been held by members of theRoyal Familyorprime ministers,especially those who have been influential in defending Britain at times of war.

The Lord Warden was solely responsible for the return of all writs to the Crown, along with the collection of taxes and the arrest of criminals. His court was held in St James's church, nearDover Castle,and there he exercised jurisdiction broadly equivalent to that ofChancery.He also had a "lieutenant's powers ofmuster",and the Constableship of Dover Castle, later added (1267) to the warden's office, enabled him to keep a garrison and administrative staff, including the clerk and the lieutenant of the castle.

The coat of arms of the Cinque Ports first appeared in 1305, second amongst the earliest English knownheraldicemblems, predating even the coat of arms of the City of London. The coat of arms of the Cinque Ports displays three ships' hulls and three lionspassantguardantconjoined to these hulls, all in gold. These may originally have beenGulesthree lions passant gardant in paleOr(for England) dimidiatingGules three ships' hulks in pale Or.The coat of arms of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports is set out on a red and blue background and traditionally represents the fourteen "corporate" members.

Creation and appointment of the Lord Warden[edit]

The creation and appointment of the Lord Warden, once among the most powerful appointments of the realm, by the Sovereign was instituted principally after the portsmen sided with theEarl of LeicesteragainstKing Henry III,in theSecond Barons' War,and was intended to provide some central authority over the Cinque Ports, which were essentially otherwise independent of the King's sheriffs. It was combined from 1267 with the office ofConstable of Dover Castle.However, from 1708Walmer Castleat Deal was to be preferred as the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Lord Warden also holds the office ofAdmiral of the Cinque Portswith a maritime jurisdiction extending to the middle of the English Channel, from Redcliffe near Seaford, inSussexto the shore underneath the Naze Tower, encompassing Brightlingsea inEssex,[1]the only Cinque Port north of the Thames. In earlier centuries the northern limit was taken as the Shoe Beacon in Essex.

The courts of Brodhull and Guestling were established to protect the privileges of the Cinque Ports by the portsmen themselves. From the 15th century these courts had been largely replaced by the Lord Warden's Court at Dover. From the 16th century the principal business of the courts was the installation of the Lord Warden and the court is now only occasionally summoned. The office continued to be a powerful one. In 1550 the Mayor and Jurats of Dover refused to accept a Royal Writ because it was not accompanied by a letter of attendance from the Lord Warden. The member ports' parliamentary representatives were appointed by the Lord Warden at first; despite an act passed in 1689 to curb this influence, it continued until the 19th century.[2]

At the installation of a new Lord Warden, the Speaker of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports instructs the Lord Warden: "to undertake the duties of the Ancient and Honourable Office and to uphold the Franchises, Liberties, Customs and Usages of the port."

The office of Speaker has traditionally rotated between the affiliate townships every year dating from at least 1550. Inaugurations are begun on 21 May, and membership is ordained through a longstanding maritime tradition of a principle of the prevailing winds coming from west to east.

A unique uniform is specified for the Lord Warden (thoughAdmiral of the Fleet Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce,whose term ended with his death in 2022, wore hisnaval uniformin preference). The uniform is very similar to a pre-1956-pattern Admiral's uniform (complete withcocked hat) trimmed in red and with Cinque Ports insignia.[3]Sir Robert Menzies's uniform (pictured), which he wore as Lord Warden from 1966 to 1978, is preserved at theNational Library of Australia.

Barons of the Cinque Ports[edit]

All freemen of the ports, termed "portsmen", were deemed in the age offeudalismto bebarons,and thus members of thebaronageentitled to attend the king'sparliament.[citation needed]Termed "Barons of the Cinque Ports", they reflected an early concept that military service at sea constituted land tenureper baroniammaking themquasifeudal barons.The early 14th-century treatiseModus Tenendi Parliamentumstated the Barons of the Cinque Ports to hold a place of precedence below the lay magnates but above the representatives of theshiresandboroughs.Writsof summons to Parliament were sent to the warden following which representative barons of the Cinque Ports were selected to attend parliament. Thus the warden's duty in this respect was similar to that of thesheriffwho received the writs for distribution to the barons in theshires.The warden and barons often experienced clashes of jurisdiction.[4]In the 21st century the title "Baron of the Cinque Ports" is now reserved for Freemen elected by the Mayor, Jurats, and Common Council of the Ports to attend a Coronation, and is solely honorary in nature.

List of Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports[edit]

The first authoritative list of Cinque Ports Confederation Members was produced in 1293 when Stephen of Pencester was Warden. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is appointed for life, but in the earliest of records this was not the case. The office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports has been traced from the year 1226 from the appointment of William de Averanch, although he was not the first incumbent of this office. The longest term of office was that of William Brook, Lord Cobham, who presided at the court for 40 years.

Constable of Dover Castle[edit]

Source:The Cinque Ports

Keeper of the Coast[edit]

Lord Warden and Constable of Dover Castle (since 1267)[edit]

14th century[edit]

15th century[edit]

16th century[edit]

17th century[edit]

18th century[edit]

19th century[edit]

20th century[edit]

21st century[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Cinque Ports Act 1821. c76 (Regnal 1 & 2 Geo IV) Sect. 18 Boundaries & Jurisdiction of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
  2. ^Note 2, Page 121,Lewis Namier,The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III(2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
  3. ^Dress and Insignia worn at HM Court,Lord Chamberlain's Office, 1937
  4. ^Roskell, J.S.History of Parliament,House of Commons 1386–1421, Stroud, 1992, vol.1, p.751, Cinque Ports
  5. ^Batcheller, William.New history of Dover & Dover Castle during the Roman, Saxon, and Norman Governments,p. 102, atGoogle Books
  6. ^"Knights of Edward I" (ed. C Moor, pub. The Harleian Society 1929, Volume 1 pp250-1)
  7. ^abcdJ.C. Sainty(1970). "Lieutenancies of Counties, 1585–1642".Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research(Special Supplement No. 8): 39–40.
  8. ^"No. 27772".The London Gazette.7 March 1905. p. 1843.
  9. ^"No. 35326".The London Gazette.28 October 1941. p. 6247.
  10. ^"No. 43813".The London Gazette.12 November 1965. p. 10527.
  11. ^"No. 47688".The London Gazette.14 November 1978. p. 13623.
  12. ^O'Neill, Sean (3 April 2002)."Cinque ports mourn the loss of a cherished Lord Warden".The Telegraph.Retrieved14 September2015.
  13. ^"No. 57496".The London Gazette.15 December 2004. p. 15732.
  14. ^"Ports' Lord Warden is installed".BBC News.12 April 2005.Retrieved14 September2015.
  15. ^"Appointment of Lord Warden and Admiral of the Cinque Ports".gov.uk.Retrieved21 May2024.
  16. ^"No. 64443".The London Gazette.25 June 2024. p. 12350.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]


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