Cinque, << sihnk, >> Ports are towns along the southeastern coast of England where, in the past, the monarch was provided with free ships and crew for 15 days each year. In return, the ports were granted more authority over local government, especially shipping matters. By 1100, there were five of these ports—Dover, Sandwich, Romney, Hythe, and Hastings. They were known as the cinque ports, from the French word for five. Rye and Winchelsea were soon added, to make seven in all. As the ports prospered, lesser ports were granted similar privileges. There were 32 ports in the mid-1500’s.
As the coastline changed and the ports’ harbors became filled with silt, the Cinque Ports declined. They surrendered their charters in 1685 and had lost all their privileges by 1835. Since 1268, the British monarch has appointed a warden of the Cinque Ports. The title Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports survives as an honorary office. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, held this post from 1978 until her death in 2002.
